When asked what he would point out as key in how Croatia transformed, MEP Tonino Picula says that it is not an easy question to answer.
"When you actually take those ten years of membership, you realize that Croatia is a unique case in many respects. Not only because of the fact that it entered the EU independently, with marks that no member before had, but as a country that had a war on its territory and the way to Brussels was particularly important for Croatia because it needed to regulate relations with the city near Brussels, and that is The Hague," said Picula and Croatia's entry into the EU.
He points out that Croatia had to go through an additional program and that when it joined the EU, it was in a deep crisis. He reminded that Croatia came out of that crisis in 2014, but then other crises started, such as the migrant crisis, and then Brexit, and finally Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
"Croatia somehow had to adapt to the crises in the EU and solve what remained unanswered and unresolved during the moments of entry into the European Union. It seems to me that it is good that we have learned to withdraw the funds of the European Union, but I am not happy that we have not learned to withdraw the values on which the European Union is based", says Picula and adds that there is still a lot of room for improvement.
"Croatia had a double transition, it went through many traumas, some of which have not been resolved even today, but we also had a serious transition through negotiations," said Picula.
