Monday July 1st will always be on the Croatian calendar, but what remains to be seen is if it will be as a day of celebration, indifference, or the day that independence paid for in blood died with the bureaucratic stroke of a pen.
There is no doubt that the second world economy of Croatia will benefit from membership at the expense of financially stronger European powers. Add in that Croatians scan now begin to more freely work across the EU, easing domestic unemployment and receiving cash sent home by pioneer labourers in other countries; and things should look rosier around Zagreb, Split, and the smaller communities.
The initial downside is already understood as Croats had to endure 5 years of austerity measures in order to gain bureaucratic ascension (the ‘crats themselves prefer accession). That may have been good for the economy in the long run but the natives are only just beginning to see the power of Brussels as it begins to reach into every corner of the nation to impose its European blueprint.
One time in the UK, Brussels operatives discovered a B road (country lane) on the Isle of Wight that didn’t meet the right standards for a road of its stature. Local residents on the island of 140,000 didn’t seem to mind and neither did those in neighbouring Hampshire, 4 miles across The Solent. But Brussels did mind and Wight County was forced to spend money on an upgrade. These are the sorts of things that Croatia has yet to experience.
Indeed older Croats may come to rue the day that they signed up to become just another part of Europe. Those old enough to remember the old Yugoslavia may come to believe that Tito ran a more efficient place that at the very least had less government malaise. They will ask the question – is this what we died for?
Croatia's President Ivo Josipovic is having none of it though, at least publicly, declaring "In the history of a nation, there are a few events such as this one, The accession of Croatia to the European Union is confirmation that each one of us belongs to the European democratic and cultural set of values." Such noble words though we have no idea if he actually believes them or at least is trying to convince himself they can come to pass.
Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, had more sobering words which means he was actually entertaining honesty: "EU membership will offer no magic solution to the crisis. But it will help to lift many people out of poverty and modernise the economy."
There remains trepidation amongst the Croatian people with support having dropped some 15 or so points in the past year so that now the country is evenly divided on membership. According to Professor Anton Tamarut of the Zagreb Catholic Faculty of Theology, “Some Catholics fear that by entering a big family of European people a part of our spiritual legacy, of everything that formed us throughout history ... will be lost”. Drina Cavar, who heads the Catholic association Kristol Stol (Christ's Table), thinks that Croatia’s EU membership will sacrifice parts of its “independence and authenticity”.
Unfortunately they are just scratching the tip of the iceberg. Independence will rapidly swirl away in the flushed toilet as the Croat economy lurches along whilst Angela Merkel and her successors dictate what they must do. Their individual religious though is absolute toast. The EU has clearly demonstrated its hostility toward true faith, insisting that it fits in with the wider European framework – unless you’re a Muslim in which case an exception is made for milder forms of Jihad.
Small business is always at the heart of a successful economy and it is here that fears are being expressed. Danilo Latin is one of 3700 fisherman who works the Adriatic Sea. "I'm afraid we're in for a lot of unpleasant surprises” he said, "We'll lose the subsidies, we'll have to change our nets, fish further from the shore, there will be more competition and new restrictions, so we're looking at harder times,"
However Zelijko Kastelan, a hotel worker, sees the bright side. "I know many people in Croatia are very sceptical but I think EU entry is the best thing that could have happened and it's an injustice we should have waited since 1990," he said, "What we need to do now is work hard to make up for the lost time."
The difference between Latin and Kastelan is blind optimism. Working hard is always more effective than not trying but Latin understands already that a new layer of bureaucracy will mean more work and less efficiency to produce the same amount.
Outside of Croatia other countries worry too. The nation remains highly corrupted with organized crime a concern to major Western powers that will now have to play on a more level field the Balkan State. In fact during the 5 years of austerity prior to now, the corruption clampdown led to the criminal conviction of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.
The Croats will not yet get to join the 17-nation single currency zone, nor the visa-free Schengen zone; both of which have been problem causers in the union. Members of The Euro like Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain (The PIIGS); have already caused problems for their financially more disciplined partners.
Britain has significant concerns over the Schengen which it and Ireland are not a part of, because some of the less stable countries in the union have done a poor job of controlling their own borders. Once into the Schengen bloc, one can move about freely from country to country without border checks.
One of the biggest cheerers may be Washington DC. The apprehension of another nation brings one more into the fold as Barack Obama and American liberals surge forward with EU-US treaty talks, hampered just a little by the allegation that the NSA has been spying on the EU government apparatus. Regardless expect the process to go forward because this is the master plan – global kumbaya governance.
In the end, for the rest of the world, Croatian accession will be just a small step in the gradual destruction of sovereignty and cultural integrity around the world. For Croatians though it will likely be remembered at least for a couple of generations as the day the nation’s identity began to die; until there are no generations that can remember who they once were.
