Croatia will vote in a referendum on EU membership the 22nd of January

TEAM – The European alliance of EU critical movements believes that Croatia’s Accession Agreement with the EU is extremely problematic for the Croatian economy and for the welfare of the Croatian people.

The main reason for TEAM’s concern is that, this accession agreement contains a binding commitment by the Croatian government to join the euro and the EMU. To make such a promise - when the euro is in its worst crisis ever - is an incomprehensible step that defies logic.

The Croatian government ought to demand an EU treaty guaranteed opt-out from the euro – just like Denmark and UK have. Without such an opt-out TEAM advices the Croatian people to vote “NO” to EU membership in the forthcoming referendum.

For further information please contact:

Patricia McKenna, coordinator of TEAM (Ireland), phone number 00 353 87 242 70 49 or e-mail: pmmckenna@eircom.net

Lave K. Broch, board member of TEAM (Denmark), phone number 00 45 – 28 92 21 27 or e-mail: lave@folkebevaegelsen.dk

Croatia will have a referendum concerning EU membership the 22nd of January.   The Danish People’s Movement against the EU’s believes that it is the worst time ever for Croatia to join the European Union.   First of all the EU is becoming a more and more centralized union and Croatia’s influence will be marginal.   Secondly the EU is in its worst crisis ever and Croatia does not have an opt out from the euro as e.g. Denmark. This means that Croatia will be bound to a currency union in great trouble. The welfare risks for the Croatian citizen are great.   The Danish People’s Movement suggests that Croatia should join the EFTA, the European Free Trade Association, instead of the European Union. Membership of EFTA will give the Croatian citizens possibilities to work, study, live and travel, trade in all EFTA and EU countries just like the citizens of the EU. However Croatians citizens will be able to have more democratic influence. And the Croatian economy does not have to be connected to the failing EU Monetary Union and the euro.
 
For further information please contact:

Jesper Morville, chairman of the international committee of the Danish People’s Movement against the EU phone: 0045-23633537 and e-mail: jespermorville@mail.dk

or Lave K. Broch, campaign coordinator of the Danish People’s Movement against the EU phone: 0045-28922127/0045-35363740 and e-mail: lave@folkebevaegelsen.dk
 
Relevant websites:
 
The Peoples’s Movement against the EU: www.folkebevaegelsen.dk

EFTA: www.efta.int
 
The Danish People’s Movement against the EU is a cross political movement working on a democratic and non-racist platform for democracy, the Nordic welfare system, sustainable environment and international solidarity. The main goal for the movement is Danish withdrawal from the EU. The People’s Movement has been represented in the EU parliament since the first direct election in 1979 and our current MEP is Søren Søndergaard. The People’s Movement has around 100 local branches across Denmark and around 3000 individual members.

Support is below 50 %. What will happen with the EU referendum?

Despite of an increase of optimistic announcements about Croatia entering the European Union, more and more Croatians oppose the idea of Croatia joining the Union, according to an opinion poll made by CRO Demoskop.

The results of the monthly opinion poll on the political preferences of Croatian citizens regarding Croatia joining the EU show that even 40,3 % of the citizens oppose this idea.

All together 49,4 % give support to the EU membership which is an increase by 0,3 % compared to January 2011 (when there was a 49,1 % support). Nevertheless, comparing the actual results with those in February 2010, there is a decrease of the support to join the EU from 49,7 % to 49,4 %, while there is an increase by 1,45 % of those against an EU membership.

The figures of those who hadn’t made a decision yet concerning this topic, increased up to 10,2 %, compared to 10 % last month. What is surprising about the poll done this month is a change of opinions on both sides. Due to the strong media campaign some changed their mind in favour of EU membership, while others became sceptical as a result of several events during the negotiation process and therefore declared themselves as undecided, awaiting the results of the development in the next months (or years).

Romano Sole, “Volim Hrvatsku – Ne u EU”, Croatia

After so many years of non-existing public discussion people in Croatia are finding Facebook as the only viable medium to discuss their future - either within or out of the European Union.

You can join two groups for now:

ISTINA O KOJOJ SE ŠUTI U REPUBLICI HRVATSKOJ (TRUTH THAT IS SILENCED IN CROATIA)

Inicijativa za pokretanje javne rasprave o ulasku Hrvatske u EU (An initiative to launch a public debate on Croatia joining EU)

And admire a page:

Svi koji će na referendumu glasati protiv ulaska Hrvatske u EU (All those that will vote against Croatia joining the EU)

Will Facebook halt the EU enlargement? No, as always it will be the People… with some appropriate tools.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn seems enamored with Zagreb. “Croatia is increasingly becoming a positive benchmark for the other countries of the Western Balkans,” he said two years ago. And more recently, in January, he commended Croatia for the “good overall progress it achieved toward its EU accession goal.” That’s a surprising statement given that Croatia remains wrecked by corruption, smuggling and organized crime. If it is a model for the Balkans, then the whole region is condemned to failure.

The Balkans’ twin legacies — communism and the recent wars — created a network of corrupt politicians and military officials and their private partners in crime. “A worrying number of gangland-style killings …have shocked public opinion,” the Economist wrote last month. “Croatia is plagued by corruption,” notes one commentator, Denis Kuljis, who adds ruefully that “the public do[es] not grasp the links that exist between gangsters and some in the political elite.”

What we’ll describe here is a short list of combined unconstitutional moves made by Slovenian legislative, executive and judicial powers to enable the ratification of Croatian accession to NATO. All these breaches took many masks off and therefore it will be much harder to pull off the Croatian EU membership without major problems.

This is not the breaking news on Slovenian blockade of Croatian entry to EU.

Nearly half of Slovenians would take part in a referendum on Croatia’s EU membership and most would reject their neighbour’s entry into the 27-national bloc, a new survey has shown.

The poll, published in Croatian weekly Globus on Wednesday (14 January), indicates that 48.2 percent of Slovenians would vote in a referendum on Croatia’s EU membership, while 31.5 percent would not.

Some 47.5 percent of those asked would be against Croatia’s EU entry, while 36.8 percent would support it.

More in: euobserver.com and Reuters.

Again - it is not to forget that the Croatian voters have been effectively denied the right to hold a referendum on EU accession by their own political elite. Same goes for NATO. Who than “defends democracy” we wonder?

Croatian accession treaty was already menitoned plan C for passing the Lisbon Treaty through regardless of people’s hopes of referendums. But here we are now in a special situation where anything can happen.

Slovenian public has been tense for many years about the details at the south border with Croatia. Open exit to the international waters and some land disputes have been enough for Slovenes to start debating a referendum thus “preventing” Croatia from entering EU.

On the other hand same referendum attempts can be seen as an altruistic and brotherly gesture by Slovenes who have already experienced “bright lights of Brussels” and found nothing spectacular there. Seeing that Croatian political elite has no intention of calling referendums on EU and NATO accession - Slovenes might do just what is right - to help your neighbour in trouble.

Additionaly in euobserver.com and euractiv.com.

ELITSA VUCHEVA
Today @ 17:47 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – Legal guarantees promised to Ireland and paving the way for a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in the country are to be written into a protocol together with Croatia’s accession treaty to the EU in 2010 or 2011, current EU President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday (12 December).

EU leaders in Brussels this week (11-12 December) agreed to a series of concessions to allow Dublin to make possible a second vote on the bloc’s Lisbon Treaty some time in the course of next year.

These include a guarantee that each member state will keep a commissioner in future European Commissions – despite the document initially foreseeing a reduction of the size of the institution, as well as a promise that the EU would not impose rules on Ireland concerning taxation, “ethical issues” – such as abortion, euthanasia and gay marriages - or interfere with its traditional neutrality.

All these issues were highlighted by Dublin as the main concerns of Irish citizens when they first rejected the Lisbon Treaty in June this year.

In order to make these promises legally binding, they will be written into a protocol in Croatia’s accession treaty.

As TEAM Board Member Max Andersson MP, Green Party of Sweden, wrote already in July 2008 it is now becoming the last resort strategy of EU planners - Croatia is to be the key to force the Lisbon Treaty through.

Actually the Croatian EU membership will be put under higher risk since it will be attached to the controversial Treaty (Renamed EU Constitution).

More at Open Europe blog.

ADDITION:

Irish Times - Ireland urged to ratify treaty and enable EU growth, November 6, 2008

Article from Jutarnji list:

Amongst the 1000 asked citizens of Croatia only 30% of them share the opinion that the membership in EU is “a good thing”, while 39% are “neutral” or think that “the membership is neither good or bad”.

Quite to the contrary Macedonians (FYROM) would gladly accept EU - 72% are in favour.

Croatia is one year away from technical closing of membership negotiations. Most pressure has been around ZERP (Law on Ecological and Fishing Belt) and around shipbuilding scandals. Also extremely mild attitude from EU against Serbia and its Hague tourists has been detrimental for the Croatian optimism.

In EU member states as Ireland, Denmark, Poland, Slovenia and Netherlands there are between 70% to 80% of those who see much larger benefits than negative aspects.

In lands like Hungary and Austria around half of the people sees EU as “more damage than benefits”.

In Croatia again only 44% believe that possible membership in EU will bring benefits, while 50% of Turks thinks the same for Turkey and in Macedonia(FYROM) 80% of those asked.

by Bruno Waterfield in Brussels, for Telegraph

Officials in Brussels are working on plans to ensure that the European Treaty is still implemented elsewhere if Ireland votes against it in the referendum.

Although measures such as creating an EU president, “foreign minister” and European diplomatic service may be delayed, they are still expected to be introduced.

One diplomat said a “bridging mechanism” was being discussed. If Ireland rejects the treaty, it may simply be removed from the list of signatories and will not be legally obliged to abide by it.

By late 2009 or early 2010, when Croatia joins the EU, an amending “Accession Treaty” will be signed by all members including Dublin.

Not quite the EU-Renamed Constitution news but it has to do with referendum legislation and procedures regarding calls for a referendum in Europe.