Croatia’s EU accession brings stability to the region; HDZ becomes full member party of the EPP
Brussels, 1 July 2013
 The President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Wilfried Martens, has warmly welcomed the accession of Croatia as the 28th Member State of the European Union and underlined the central role that the HDZ played in the accession process. Moreover, as of today, the Croatian associate member parties of the EPP - HDZ and HSS - are now full member parties:
“After eight years of difficult and complex negotiations, Croatia has finally become the 28th Member State of the European Union (EU). This is a historic moment not only for the country but also for the region, since Croatia is the first Western Balkan country to join the EU. I sincerely hope that the other countries in the region will join the EU in the near future and will transform the Western Balkans from a conflict area into an area of peace and prosperity,” Martens underlined.
“I also want to pay tribute to the HDZ party for the instrumental role it played in the accession of Croatia to the EU. It is thanks to the dedicated and tireless work of the governments of the HDZ that Croatia finally succeeded in becoming a Member State of the European Union. Furthermore, according to the rules of the EPP, since Croatia is as of today a Member State of the EU, the membership status of the HDZ has also changed as of today from associate member to full member. Therefore, I welcome the HDZ as a full member party of the EPP and I look forward to even greater participation of the party in the work of our political family,” the EPP President added.
Note to editors:
The EPP is the largest and most influential European-level political party of the centre-right, which currently includes 73 member-parties from 40 countries, the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, 13 EU and 6 non-EU heads of state and government, 13 members of the European Commission and the largest Group in the European Parliament.
For more information:
Kostas Sasmatzoglou, EPP Spokesman, Tel. +32-2-2854147
Javier Jiménez, EPP Senior Press and Communication Officer, Tel. +32-475480446
|
