Editing Foreign relations of Croatia (section)

===Accession to the European Union===
{{main|2013 enlargement of the European Union}}
[[File:EU28-2013 European Union map enlargement.svg|thumb|right|{{legend|#003399|EU members in 2013}}{{legend|#ffcc00|Croatia}}]]
At the time of Croatia's application to the European Union, three EU members states were yet to ratify the Stabilization and Association Agreement: United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy. The new [[Cabinet of Ivo Sanader I|Sanader government]] elected in [[2003 Croatian parliamentary election|2003 elections]] repeated the assurances that Croatia will fulfill the missing political obligations, and expedited the extradition of several ICTY inductees. The [[European Commission]] replied to the answers of the questionnaire sent to Croatia on 20 April 2004 with a positive opinion. The country was finally accepted as EU candidate in July 2004. Italy and United Kingdom ratified the Stabilization and Association Agreement shortly thereafter, while the ten EU member states that were admitted to membership that year ratified it all together at a 2004 European Summit. In December 2004, the EU leaders announced that accession negotiations with Croatia would start on 17 March 2005 provided that Croatian government cooperates fully with the ICTY. The main issue, the flight of general [[Ante Gotovina|Gotovina]], however, remained unsolved and despite the agreement on an accession negotiation framework, the negotiations did not begin in March 2005. On 4 October 2005 Croatia finally received green light for accession negotiations after the Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY [[Carla Del Ponte]] officially stated that Croatia is fully cooperating with the Tribunal. This has been the main condition demanded by EU foreign ministers for accession negotiations. The ICTY called upon other southern European states to follow Croatia's good example. Thanks to the consistent position of [[Austria]] during the meeting of EU foreign ministers, a long period of instability and the questioning of the determination of the Croatian government to extradite alleged war criminals has ended successfully. Croatian Prime minister [[Ivo Sanader]] declared that full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal will continue. The accession process was also complicated by the insistence of [[Slovenia]], an EU member state, that the [[Croatia–Slovenia border disputes|two countries' border issues]] be dealt with prior to Croatia's accession to the EU.

Croatia finished accession negotiations on 30 June 2011, and on 9 December 2011, signed the [[Treaty of Accession 2011|Treaty of Accession]].<ref name="close4prop">[http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/397 Statement by President Barroso on Croatia – Commission proposes to close the last "Chapters" in the accession talks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927052308/http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO%2F11%2F397 |date=27 September 2012 }} European Commission, 10 June 2011</ref> A [[2012 Croatian European Union membership referendum|referendum on EU accession]] was held in Croatia on 22 January 2012, with 66% of participants voting in favour of joining the Union.<ref name="Dw-world.de">{{cite web |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6702424,00.html |title=Croats say 'yes' to EU membership &#124; Europe &#124; DW.DE &#124; 22.01.2012 |publisher=Dw-world.de |access-date=3 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127094022/http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6702424,00.html |archive-date=27 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="referendum1">{{cite web |author=Independent Newspapers Online |url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/croatia-sets-date-for-eu-referendum-1.1204088 |title=Croatia sets date for EU referendum |publisher=Iol.co.za |date=23 December 2011 |access-date=3 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114164109/http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/croatia-sets-date-for-eu-referendum-1.1204088 |archive-date=14 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="referendum2">{{cite web |url=http://focus-fen.net/?id=n267023 |title=Croatian parliament calls EU referendum for January 22 |publisher=Focus-fen.net |access-date=3 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426004942/http://focus-fen.net/?id=n267023 |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="referendum3">{{cite web |url=http://daily.tportal.hr/166910/Parl-t-decides-that-EU-referendum-will-be-held-on-22-January.html |title=Parl't decides that EU referendum will be held on 22 January |publisher=Daily.tportal.hr |access-date=3 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524163945/http://daily.tportal.hr/166910/Parl-t-decides-that-EU-referendum-will-be-held-on-22-January.html |archive-date=24 May 2013 }}</ref> The ratification process was concluded on 21 June 2013, and entry into force and accession of Croatia to the EU took place on 1 July 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eu2011.hu/news/eu-summit-accession-treaty-croatia-be-signed-2011 |title=EU Summit: Accession Treaty with Croatia to be signed in 2011 |date=27 June 2011 |publisher=eu2011.hu |access-date=30 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630191705/http://www.eu2011.hu/news/eu-summit-accession-treaty-croatia-be-signed-2011 |archive-date=30 June 2011 }}</ref>