Croatia will enter in EU as its 28th member on July 1, 2013. Croatia applied for EU membership in 2003 and the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004.
Background:
Candidate country status was granted to Croatia in mid-2004 an entry negotiations started in March 2005. Croatia finished accession negotiations on 30 June 2011 and on 9 December 2011 signed the Treaty of Accession to become the bloc’s 28th member. The ratification process was concluded on 21 June 2013.