VIEWPOINT 6

A NEW MEMBER TO THE CLUB

The club of members of the European Union that is. I am not going to write about whether there is a future for the club or not; that's a matter for another piece. What I do want to consider is Croatia itself.

For those unfamiliar with her, she is a small country with glorious scenery, wonderful beaches and superb food. As a regular I’m beginning to know her well.

After more than six years of often testing negotiations, Croatia will be the 28^th member of the European Union in mid-2013. It has been a long, hard struggle with any number of obstacles thrown in her path but they are now all behind. The finale will be a referendum to be held probably this month.

Some of the more cynical Croatians with whom I have spoken suggest that the country has always been part of a larger “whole” (ex-Yugoslavia) and that one reason for the desire to join is that as her politicians are incapable of running the country as it should be run, she is better off in the “embrace of Brussels”. My view is different; I believe that the majority of Croatians wish to “belong”; yes, there are times when they are despondent, over-critical and intolerant but those words apply to most populations. I have found them warm, friendly and willing to help; to my mind one of their greatest attributes which will serve them well in the next few years is their ability to overcome hardship. Unlike many European countries who have seen a steady rise in the living standards over a period of 60 years, that of Croatia has been up and down , often dramatically.  When a country suddenly finds it standards plummeting, its people become nervous, envious, inward-looking and wary of anything and anybody who is outside their sphere. I know this from personal experience. By contrast, Croatians, with ample years of tough conditions behind them are to my mind better able to cope with the “unknown unknowns”.

So, although in the greater scheme of things, a country of 4.5 million people is a small thing, we should wish them every success and give them praise for their tremendous efforts at overcoming the hardships that membership has entailed.

Until next time,

Peripatetic Scribe