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.