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139-774: The most recent enlargement of the European Union saw Croatia become the European Union 's 28th member state on 1 July 2013. The country applied for EU membership in 2003, and the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by the European Council in mid-2004. The entry negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, began in October that year together with

278-510: A border dispute with Croatia . In September 2009 it was announced that Slovenia would remove restraints on Croatia's negotiations with the EU without prejudice to the international mediation on the border dispute. Originally Croatia had been aiming for a 2007 accession date, which would have broken Slovakia 's record of 2.5 years of negotiations to complete the process. However, negotiations turned out to be tougher than expected. On 5 November 2008,

417-522: A common foreign and security policy would be incompatible with that. With the end of the Cold War in 1989, that obstacle was removed, and the desire to pursue membership grew stronger. On 3 October 1990, the reunification of East and West Germany brought East Germany into the Community without increasing the number of member states. The Community later became the European Union in 1993 by virtue of

556-407: A privileged partnership for Turkey, membership for which has faced considerable opposition on cultural and logistical grounds. Notes: The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was proposed by Robert Schuman in his declaration on 9 May 1950 and involved the pooling of the coal and steel industries of France and West Germany . Half of the project states, Belgium , Luxembourg , and

695-415: A Croatian national and accompanying or joining him/her also acquired the right to move and reside freely in other EU member states. On 1 July 2020, restrictions were lifted in the last remaining member state (Austria), giving Croatian citizens right to work in all EU and EEA member states. In the run up to accession to the European Union, Croatia aligned its visa policy with that of the European Union. As

834-483: A Croatian national identity card (a passport was not obligatory). Many people living near the border crossed it several times a day (some work across the border, or own land on the other side of the border), especially on the border with Slovenia, which was unmarked for centuries as Croatia and Slovenia were both part of the Habsburg Empire (1527–1918) and Yugoslavia (1918–1991). Prior to Croatia's accession to

973-513: A Schengen visa or residence permit from having to obtain an additional Croatian visa to visit Croatia until 31 December 2013. In addition, the Croatian government has extended the working hours and capacity of its foreign missions in countries such as Russia and Ukraine to ensure that applications for Croatian visas are processed more efficiently. Upon Croatia's accession to the European Union on 1 July 2013, several countries and territories outside

1112-457: A Southern Slav identity in others) resulted in growing ethnic conflict between Italians on one side and Slovenes and Croats on the other side. This was intertwined with class conflict, as inhabitants of Istrian towns were mostly Italian, while Croats and Slovenes largely lived out in the eastern countryside. The Croatian word for the Istrians is Istrani , or Istrijani , the latter being in

1251-530: A United Nations body, an issue that was often contentious in domestic politics. Croatia's relations with the ICTY had continually been cited by the EU officials as something that required further improvement. Ratification of the EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Croatia had been stalled because of this. The European Council, after its summit of 20 December 2004, set the following 17 March as

1390-703: A consequence, the Austrians saw the Italians as enemies and favored the Slav communities of Istria, fostering the nascent nationalism of Slovenes and Croats. During the meeting of the Council of Ministers of 12 November 1866, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria outlined a wide-ranging project aimed at the Germanization or Slavization of the areas of the empire with an Italian presence: His Majesty expressed

1529-437: A continuous period of at least 5 years acquired the right of permanent residence (meaning that they could work without any restrictions in their host EU member state), as long as during their continuous residence of 5 years they were a worker, self-employed person, self-sufficient person, student or family member accompanying or joining an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen. On 1 July 2013, non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who were family members of

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1668-466: A decade, although some countries, notably Sweden, Finland, and Austria have been faster, taking only a few years. The process from application for association agreement through accession has taken far longer, as much as several decades (Turkey, for example, first applied for association in the 1950s and has yet to conclude accession negotiations). On 18 October 2019, France vetoed starting of negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, citing problems with

1807-428: A result of the new visa regime, some third-country nationals (such as Russian and Turkish nationals) who were previously temporarily exempt from having to obtain a visa to visit Croatia were now subject to a visa requirement. However, to mitigate the effect of the re-imposition of a visa regime on tourist numbers, the Croatian government has introduced a 'facilitated entry of aliens' procedure, exempting travellers who have

1946-559: A single market by 1992. The effect of this was that EFTA states found it harder to export to the EEC and businesses (including large EFTA corporations such as Volvo ) wished to relocate within the new single market making the downturn worse for EFTA. EFTA states began to discuss closer links with the EEC despite its domestic unpopularity. Austria , Finland , and Sweden were neutral in the Cold War so membership of an organisation developing

2085-581: A stable democratic government that respects the rule of law, and its corresponding freedoms and institutions. According to the Maastricht Treaty , each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration . This term is also used to refer to the intensification of co-operation between EU member states as national governments allow for

2224-400: A territory voted to leave the Community , when Greenland was granted home rule by Denmark and the territory used its new powers and voted to withdraw from the Community (see member state territories ). Morocco and Turkey applied for membership in 1987. Morocco's application was turned down as it was not considered European; Turkey's application was considered eligible on the basis of

2363-496: A total of 25,409. Most of these people in these counties were ethnic Croats, but there were also Istro-Romanians declaring themselves as Istrian. Later, the 2021 Croatian census saw a decrease on Istrian self-designation, as 10,025 inhabitants of the Istria County used it. It has been proposed that Istria gain greater autonomy within a more decentralized Croatia. Examples of supporters of this include several members of

2502-552: A valid passport, although they were allowed to travel between Hungary , Italy and Slovenia. These arrangements were discontinued on 1 July 2013 when Croatia became an EU member state. Since then, Croatian citizens have been able to enter any EU member state using only an ID card . On 1 July 2013, Croatian nationals became European Union citizens and acquired the right to move and reside freely in other EU member states, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. On

2641-576: A whole. As part of the deal for British entry, France agreed to allow the EEC its own monetary resources. However France made that concession only as Britain's small agriculture sector would ensure that Britain would be a net contributor to the Common Agricultural Policy dominated EEC budget . Applying together with the UK, as on the previous occasions, were Denmark , Ireland, and Norway . These countries were so economically linked to

2780-724: Is a soup made with beans and sauerkraut or sour turnip , potatoes , bacon , and spare ribs , known in the northern Adriatic regions. Under the name jota, it is typical and especially popular in Trieste and its province (where it is considered to be the prime example of Triestine food), in the Istrian peninsula, in the province of Gorizia , in the whole Slovenian Littoral , in the Rijeka area, and in Friuli , especially in some of its peripheral areas (the highland region of Carnia ,

2919-476: Is a supranational European Region that includes Italian, Slovenian and Croatian Istria. There are some claims, Istrian Italians were more than 50% of the total population of Istria for centuries, while making up about a third of the population in 1900. With its strategic position at the southern tip of the peninsula and good harbor Pula was the primary base of the Austrian Navy. A limited tension with

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3058-635: Is also present in the peninsula. According to Austro-Hungarian censuses, which recorded language instead of ethnicity, the composition of Istria (i.e. the Habsburg Margraviate of Istria) was as follows (in thousands): The 2001 population census in Croatia counted 23 languages spoken by the people of Istria. In 2021 Census show that 76.40% are Croats, Italians were 5.01%, 2.96% were Serbs, 2.48% Bosniaks, 1.05% were Albanians, while regionally declared were 5.13%. The data for Slovenian Istria

3197-527: Is derived from the Histri ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : Ἱστρών έθνος ) tribes, which Strabo refers to as living in the region and who are credited as being the builders of the hillfort settlements (castellieri). The Histri are classified in some sources as a "Venetic" Illyrian tribe with certain linguistic differences from other Illyrians. The Romans described the Histri as a fierce tribe of pirates, protected by

3336-651: Is derived from the river Ister (Ἴστρος) (modern Danube ), because the Greeks erroneously believed, early in their travels around the Mediterranean, that a branch of the Danube flowed into the Adriatic Sea in that area. In addition, the Greeks called the inhabitants of the area Histri (Ἴστροι); if this was their native name, it may have initially led the Greeks to assume a connection with the river Ister. The name

3475-578: Is known as Slovenian Istria , and includes the coastal municipalities of Piran / Pirano , Izola /Isola, and Koper /Capodistria. It also includes the Karstic municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina /Erpelle-Cosina. Northwards of Slovenian Istria, there is a tiny portion of the peninsula that lies in Italy. This smallest portion of Istria consists of the comunes of Muggia /Milje and San Dorligo della Valle /Dolina with Santa Croce ( Trieste ) lying farthest to

3614-656: Is named after the ancient city Histria , named after River Hister. In the Early Middle Ages , Istria was conquered and occupied by the Goths. Ostrogoth coins were found in Istria, as well as the remains of some buildings. South of Poreč there are the remains of the church of Sv. Petar, erected in the 5th century (with a baptistery added later), which reportedly served the Arian eastern Goths ruling Istria. Most notably,

3753-417: Is not as neatly organized, but the 2002 Slovenian census indicates that the four Istrian municipalities ( Izola /Isola d'Istria, Piran /Pirano, Koper /Capodistria, Ankaran/Ancarano) had a total of 56,482 Slovenes, 6,426 Croats, and 2,800 Italians. The small town of Peroj has had a unique history which exemplifies the multi-ethnic complexity of the history of the region, as do some villages on both sides of

3892-458: Is said to be closed when both sides have agreed it has been implemented sufficiently, however it can still be re-opened if the Commission feels that the candidate has fallen out of compliance. To assess progress achieved by countries in preparing for accession to the European Union, the European Commission submits regular reports (yearly) to the European Council . These serve as a basis for

4031-513: Is sufficient common ground to have constructive negotiations. Negotiations are typically a matter of the candidate country convincing the EU that its laws and administrative capacity are sufficient to execute European law, which can be implemented as seen fit by the member states. Often this will involve time-lines before the Acquis Communautaire (European regulations, directives and standards) has to be fully implemented. A chapter

4170-572: The pršut (similar to Italian prosciutto ) and on the preparation of homemade pasta. Traditional dishes of Italian origin also include gnocchi ( njoki ), risotto ( rižot ), focaccia ( pogača ), polenta ( palenta ), and brudet . Slovenian dishes of Italian origin are njoki (similar to Italian gnocchi ), rizota (the Slovenian version of risotto ) and zilkrofi (similar to Italian ravioli ). The Istrian stew ( Italian : Jota ; Croatian : Istarska jota ; Slovene : Jota )

4309-525: The 2011 Croatian census , 25,203 people of the Istria County, constituting 12% of its population, declared themselves to be Istrian before any other nationality, making it the most abundant one in the county after Croatian. People also declared an Istrian identity in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County , the county where the rest of Croatian Istria is located, therefore making the number of people declaring an Istrian identity in Croatia

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4448-506: The Council will need to unanimously agree to start Kosovo's accession process by requesting an opinion from the European Commission on its application. The EU however remains divided on its policy towards Kosovo, with five EU member states not recognising its independence . According to the EU treaties , membership of the European Union is open to "any European State which respects

4587-459: The European Commission 's annual progress report on Croatia's candidacy was published. Olli Rehn stated that the country should aim to complete accession negotiations by the end of 2009, with membership following by 2011 at the latest. In 2009 it was also reported that Iceland may be fast-tracked into the European Union, and Rehn said that "the EU prefers two countries joining at the same time rather than individually. If Iceland applies shortly and

4726-901: The Holy Roman Empire for centuries, and more specifically part of the domains of the Austrian Habsburgs since the 14th century. In 1797, with the Treaty of Campo Formio , the Venetian parts of the peninsula also passed to the Habsburg monarchy which became the Austrian Empire in 1804. The French victory of 1809 compelled Austria to cede a portion of its South Slav lands to France. Napoleon combined Istira, Carniola , western Carinthia , Gorica ( Gorizia ), Trieste and parts of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Dubrovnik to form

4865-653: The Illyrian Provinces . The Code Napoléon was introduced, and roads and schools were constructed. Local citizens were given administrative posts, and native languages were used to conduct official business. This sparked the Illyrian Movement for the cultural and linguistic unification of South Slavic lands. From the Middle Ages to the 19th century, Italian and Slavic communities in Istria had lived peacefully side by side because they did not know

5004-563: The Maastricht Treaty , and established standards for new entrants so their suitability could be judged. The Copenhagen criteria stated in 1993 that a country must be a democracy, operate a free market , and be willing to adopt the entire body of EU law already agreed upon. Also in 1993 the European Economic Area was established with the EFTA states except Switzerland . Most of the new EEA states pursued full EU membership as

5143-592: The Netherlands , had already achieved a great degree of integration amongst themselves with the organs of Benelux and earlier bilateral agreements. These five countries were joined by Italy and they all signed the Treaty of Paris on 23 July 1952. These six members, dubbed the ' Inner Six ' (as opposed to the ' outer seven ' who formed the European Free Trade Association who were suspicious of such plans for integration) went on to sign

5282-672: The Placitum of Riziano was held in the Parish of Rižan ( Latin : Risanum ), which was a meeting between the representatives of Istrian towns and castles and the deputies of Charlemagne and his son Pepin. The report about this judicial diet illustrates the changes accompanying the transfer of power from the Eastern Roman Empire to the Carolingian Empire and the discontent of the local residents. Afterwards it

5421-604: The Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca until 1918. At that time the borders of Istria included part of what is now Italian Venezia-Giulia and parts of modern-day Slovenia and Croatia, but not the city of Trieste. Many Istrian Italians looked with sympathy towards the Risorgimento movement that fought for the unification of Italy. However, after the Third Italian War of Independence (1866), when

5560-525: The Republic of Venice but were defeated, and were since further controlled by Venice. During the 13th century, the Patriarchate's rule weakened and the towns kept surrendering to Venice – Poreč in 1267, Umag in 1269, Novigrad in 1270, Sveti Lovreč in 1271, Motovun in 1278, Kopar in 1279, and Piran and Rovinj in 1283. Venice gradually dominated the whole coastal area of western Istria and

5699-557: The Treaties of Rome establishing two further communities, together known as the European Communities when they merged their executives in 1967. In 1962, Spain, ruled by the military dictator Francisco Franco , issued its first attempt to join the European Communities . Spanish Foreign Affairs minister Fernando María Castiella sent the request form to French Prime Minister Maurice Couve de Murville . This request

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5838-520: The Treaty of Accession . A referendum on EU accession was held in Croatia on 22 January 2012, with 66% of participants voting in favour of joining the Union. The ratification process was concluded on 21 June 2013, and entry into force and accession of Croatia to the EU took place on 1 July 2013. Recent referendums Accession requirements included: judicial reform to strengthen the independence, accountability, impartiality, professionalism and efficiency of

5977-544: The United Kingdom for up to 6 months. The general rule was that non-EU citizens had to use a passport to enter EU member states. However, there was an exception to the Schengen Agreement rules for Croatian citizens. Based on the pre-Schengen bilateral agreements between Croatia and neighbouring EU countries ( Italy , Hungary and Slovenia ), Croatian citizens were allowed to cross the border with only

6116-930: The Učka /Monte Maggiore mountain range , which is the highest portion of the Ćićarija /Cicceria mountain range; the rivers Dragonja /Dragogna, Mirna /Quieto, Pazinčica , and Raša ; and the Lim /Canale di Leme bay and valley. Istria lies in three countries: Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. By far the largest portion (90%) lies in Croatia. "Croatian Istria" is divided into two counties, the larger being Istria County in western Croatia. Important towns in Istria County include Pula /Pola, Poreč /Parenzo, Rovinj /Rovigno, Pazin /Pisino, Labin /Albona, Umag /Umago, Motovun /Montona, Buzet /Pinguente, and Buje /Buie. Smaller towns in Istria County include Višnjan /Visignano, Roč /Rozzo, and Hum /Colmo. The northwestern part of Istria lies in Slovenia: it

6255-925: The Venetian language whose antecedents in the region extend before the inception of the Venetian Republic or to the Istriot language the oldest spoken language in Istria, dated back to the Romans, today spoken in the southwest of Istria. It can also refer to Istrian Croats who adopted the veneer of Italian culture as they moved from rural to urban areas, or from the farms into the bourgeoisie. Similarly, national powers claim Istrian Croats according to local language, so that speakers of Čakavian and Štokavian dialects of Croatian are considered to be Croatians while speakers of other dialects may be considered to be Slovene. Croatian dialect speakers are descendants of

6394-681: The Veneto and Friuli regions were ceded by the Austrians to the newly formed Kingdom Italy , Istria remained part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , together with other Italian-speaking areas on the eastern Adriatic. This triggered the gradual rise of Italian irredentism among many Italians in Istria, who demanded the unification of Istria with Italy. The Italians in Istria supported the Italian Risorgimento : as

6533-786: The Western Roman Empire , the region was pillaged by the Goths , the Eastern Roman Empire , and the Avars. The first Avaro-Slavic invasion of Istria was recorded in 599. Another major incursion occurred around 600–602, in which all of Istria was devastated with fire and rapine. This was followed by the 611 invasion, the most devastating for the peninsula. It remains unclear when and how the first Slavic settlement occurred. Traces of early Slavic incursions and settlement are scarce. A few Avar findings have been discovered on

6672-405: The economic problems within the EU among the factors: "[Croatians] know that the European Union is not a remedy to all economic and social problems. So the EU itself is in a sort of crisis, and that reflects on Croatia's accession." The government announced an information campaign to reverse the drop in support. A referendum was held in Croatia on 22 January 2012 on joining the European Union, and

6811-402: The rule of law , human rights, respect for and protection of minorities , the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union. Membership presupposes the candidate's ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union. In December 1995,

6950-451: The "Slav" social group. Discussions about Istrian ethnicity often use the words "Italian", "Croatian", and "Slovene" to describe the character of the Istrian people. However these terms are best understood as "national affiliations" that may exist in combination with or independently of linguistic, cultural and historical attributes. In the Istrian context, for example, the word "Italian" can just as easily refer to autochthonous speakers of

7089-472: The 1963 Ankara Association Agreement but the opinion of the Commission on the possible candidate status was by then negative. Turkey received candidate status in 1999 and began full membership negotiations in 2005, which were still in progress as of 2021. After the 1970s, Europe experienced an economic downturn which led to leaders launching of the Single European Act which set to create

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7228-766: The 19th century it included a large population of Italians , Croats , and Slovenes as well as some Istro-Romanians , Serbs , and Montenegrins ; however, official statistics in those times did not show those nationalities as they do today. In 1910, the ethnic and linguistic composition was completely mixed. According to the Austrian census results, out of 404,309 inhabitants in Istria, 168,116 (41.6%) spoke Serbo-Croatian , 147,416 (36.5%) spoke Italian , 55,365 (13.7%) spoke Slovene , 13,279 (3.3%) spoke German , 882 (0.2%) spoke Istro-Romanian , 2,116 (0.5%) spoke other languages, and 17,135 (4.2%) were non-citizens, which had not been asked for their language of communication. During

7367-475: The Austrian state did not in fact stop the rise of the use of the Italian language, in the second part of the 19th century, when the population of predominantly Italian-speaking towns in Istria had a significant rise: in the part of Istria that eventually became part of Croatia, the first Austrian census from 1846 found 34 thousand Italian speakers, alongside 120 thousand Croatian speakers (in the Austrian censuses,

7506-526: The Byzantines but was of Lombard descent, is reported as its dux in 599. Pope Gregory I in 600 wrote to bishop of Salona Maximus in which he expresses concern about arrival of the Slavs , "Et quidem de Sclavorum gente, quae vobis valde imminet, et affligor vehementer et conturbor. Affligor in his quae jam in vobis patior; conturbor, quia per Istriae aditum jam ad Italiam intrare coeperunt" (And as for

7645-493: The Copenhagen criteria, comes the further requirement that all prospective members must enact legislation to bring their laws into line with the body of European law built up over the history of the Union, known as the acquis communautaire . Today the accession process follows a series of formal steps, from a pre-accession agreement to the ratification of the final accession treaty. These steps are primarily presided over by

7784-588: The Council of the European Union, made the final decision to admit Croatia to the bloc. This went in to effect on 1 January 2023, which meant that checks on persons at internal land and sea borders between Croatia and the other countries in the Schengen area were lifted. Checks at internal air borders, meaning airports, were lifted on 26 March 2023, given the need for this to coincide with the dates of IATA summer/winter time schedule. From 1 January 2023, Croatia started issuing Schengen visas and be able to make full use of

7923-437: The EEA did not sufficiently satisfy the needs of their export based corporations. The EU has also preferred these states to integrate via the EEA rather than full membership as the EEC wished to pursue monetary integration and did not wish for another round of enlargement to occupy their attention. However, with the EEA's credibility dented following rejection by businesses and Switzerland, the EU agreed with full membership. This

8062-412: The EEC. Equally, the EEC was unsure about which way these countries were heading and wanted to ensure stability along its southern borders. However François Mitterrand initially opposed their membership fearing they were not ready and it would water the community down to a free trade area. Greece joined the EEC in 1981 followed by Spain and Portugal in 1986. The year 1985, however, saw the first time

8201-552: The EU Customs Union in 2020. The most notable territorial reductions of the EU , and its predecessors, have been the exit of Algeria upon independence in 1962, the exit of Greenland in 1985, and the withdrawal of the United Kingdom in 2020. Accession negotiations are currently ongoing with Montenegro (since 2012), Serbia (since 2014), Albania (since 2020), North Macedonia (since 2020), Moldova (since 2024) and Ukraine (since 2024). Negotiations with Turkey were opened in October 2005, but have been effectively frozen by

8340-530: The EU on 1 July 2013, an interim solution, which received permission from the European Commission , was found: every Croatian citizen was allowed to cross the Schengen border into Hungary, Italy or Slovenia with an ID card and a special border card that was issued by Croatian police at border exit control. The police authorities of Hungary, Italy or Slovenia would then stamp the special border card both on entry and exit. Croatian citizens, however, were not allowed to enter any other Schengen Agreement countries without

8479-481: The EU since December 2016, due to backsliding in the areas of democracy, rule of law, and fundamental rights. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia were granted official candidate status respectively in December 2022 and December 2023, but were asked to complete additional reforms before qualifying for the formal start of membership negotiations. Kosovo submitted an application for membership in December 2022. For Kosovo to be granted official candidate status,

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8618-461: The EU the same month to membership in May 2004. Ease of accession depends on the state: how integrated it is with the EU beforehand, the state of its economy and public institutions, any outstanding political issues with the EU and (historically) how much law to date the EU has built up that the acceding state must adopt. This outline also includes integration steps taken by the accession country after it attains membership. Enlargement has been one of

8757-451: The EU took place on 1 July 2013 , as all 27 EU members and Croatia have ratified the treaty before this date. The accession took place at a time of economic difficulty with Croatia in a fifth year of recession with 21% unemployment, and amid the European sovereign-debt crisis . As Croatia joined the EU, it exited the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). Croatia became a member on 1 July 2013, but some areas of cooperation in

8896-424: The EU's successful foreign policies, yet has equally suffered from considerable opposition from the start. French President Charles de Gaulle opposed British membership. A later French President, François Mitterrand , opposed Greek, Spanish and Portuguese membership, fearing that the former dictatorships were not ready and that the countries' inclusion would reduce the union to a free-trade area. The reasons for

9035-411: The EU. Examples of this include Slovenia , Slovakia , Poland , and especially Malta . Croatia was required to stop subsidising its shipbuilding industry, resulting in privatisations, closures and reduced production capacity. Following the events of the 1990s ( dissolution of Yugoslavia and Croatian independence ) and cheaper shipbuilding emerging on the Asian markets, Croatia's shipbuilding industry

9174-425: The Entente promised Italy Istria and parts of Dalmatia , South Tyrol , the Greek Dodecanese Islands , parts of Albania and Turkey, plus more territory for Italy's North Africa colonies. After the war, Italy annexed Istria. Istria's political and economic importance declined under Italian rule, and after the fascist takeover of Italy in 1922 the Italian government began a campaign of forced Italianization . In 1926,

9313-469: The European Commission ( Enlargement Commissioner and DG Enlargement ), but the actual negotiations are technically conducted between the Union's Member States and the candidate country. Before a country applies for membership it typically signs an association agreement to help prepare the country for candidacy and eventual membership. Most countries do not meet the criteria to even begin negotiations before they apply, so they need many years to prepare for

9452-503: The European Union aligned the visa requirements imposed on Croatian citizens with those imposed on other EU citizens. For example, on 1 July 2013, Hong Kong extended the visa-free period of stay for Croatian citizens from 14 days to 90 days in line with the visa-free period of stay granted to other EU citizens, whilst New Zealand introduced a 90-day visa exemption for Croatian citizens. It is likely that these countries and territories amended their visa policy for Croatian citizens because of

9591-451: The European Union were scheduled to apply to Croatia at a later date. These were: Before accession to the European Union, Croatia was categorised as an Annex II country, which meant that Croatian citizens could stay in the Schengen Area without a visa for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Croatian citizens were also able to stay without a visa in Bulgaria , Cyprus , Ireland and Romania for up to 90 days in each country, as well as in

9730-445: The European Union's visa reciprocity mechanism . During June 2011 Croatia began with implementation of the projects and reforms required to join the Schengen Area by 2015. By joining the Schengen Area, border checks will be eliminated at the land border with Hungary and Slovenia , as well as at airports and ports for flights and ships to/from Schengen member states, thus facilitating the freer movement of persons between Croatia and

9869-422: The Goths used Istrian stone to build their best known monument, the Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna . In the following centuries, the peninsula was attacked and conquered by the Lombards , often in conjunction with the Slavs, such as in 601. However, the extent to which the Lombards occupied Istria is a matter of debate. After the Goths, Istria became part of the Exarchate of Ravenna . Gulfaris , who served

10008-465: The ICTY. In April 2011, Croatian generals Gotovina and Markač were given extended prison sentences at the ICTY, which was widely perceived as unjust in the Croatian public. This caused a marked increase in opposition to the accession because, in the past, some countries like the Netherlands, conditioned their support for the Croatia's accession process with the continued Croatian co-operation with

10147-565: The ICTY. On 16 November 2012, the ICTY Appeals Chamber acquitted generals Gotovina and Markač and ordered their immediate release. Croatia has had long-standing border issues with Slovenia, especially over the Piran Bay boundary. Between December 2008 and September–October 2009, Slovenia blocked Croatia's EU accession over these border issues. On 6 June 2010, Slovenia voted to accept the ruling of United Nations arbitrators on

10286-590: The Istrian territory, chiefly around Nesactium . By 642 the Slavs were settled in the peninsula, as indicated by the mission of an abbot Martin, sent by Pope John IV to rescue captives held by the pagans in Istria and Dalmatia . After the barbaric invasions, the western part of Istria was annexed to the Lombard Kingdom in 751, and then annexed to the Frankish kingdom by Pepin of Italy in 789. In 804,

10425-478: The Italian and Slovene parts (which make up 1% and 9% of the territory of Istria, respectively), while in the Croatian part (90% of the region), there are Croats , Italians, Istro-Romanians and Istriot -speakers, as well as some non-native minorities. Most of Croatian Istria is located in the Istria County of the country. Istria is the region of Croatia where regionalist sentiment is the strongest. In

10564-463: The Italian language suggests that amongst those who declared themselves Italian speakers in Istria, there were people whose mother tongue was different." D'Alessio notes even members of the Austrian state bureaucracy and the members of their families with the German mother tongue tended to use Italian, after living in Istrian small towns long enough. The Poles, Czechs and Slovenes and Croats tended to join

10703-649: The Latin name Hister, or Danube (especially its lower course). Ancient folktales reported —inaccurately— that the Danube split in two or "bifurcated" and came to the sea near Trieste as well as at the Black Sea . The story of the "bifurcation of the Danube" is part of the Argonaut legend. There is also a suspected link (but no historical documentation in support of it) to the commune of Istria in Constanța, Romania which

10842-528: The Madrid European Council revised the membership criteria to include conditions for member country integration through the appropriate adjustment of its administrative structures: since it is important that European Community legislation be reflected in national legislation, it is critical that the revised national legislation be implemented effectively through appropriate administrative and judicial structures. Finally, and technically outside

10981-527: The Schengen Area after it allowed migrants to transit the country into Hungary. Slovenia also suggested it could veto Croatia's accession to the Schengen Area as a result of its border dispute , though it ultimately did not. On 8 December 2022, the ministers of justice and home affairs representing their EU countries, called the Justice and Home Affairs Council , which is one of the configurations of

11120-641: The Schengen Information System. Croatia's accession to the EU obliges them to apply for membership in the European Economic Area (EEA). The Croatian government submitted their application on 13 September 2012, and membership negotiations started 15 March 2013 with the aim to enlarge both the EU and the EEA on the same date, 1 July 2013. However, this was not achieved. On 11 April 2014, the EU and its member states (including Croatia), Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein signed an agreement concerning

11259-542: The Soviet Union would no longer intervene in other countries' internal affairs ( Sinatra Doctrine ), practically freeing Central and Eastern Europe from Soviet occupation (Czechoslovakia and Hungary) / Soviet backed authoritarian regimes. These countries wanted to consolidate their democracies through joining Western world international organisations (including participation in European integration ) which would ensure

11398-535: The Spanish police finally arrested Ante Gotovina with the help of the Croatian government on the Spanish island of Tenerife , located in the Canary Islands . He was brought to The Hague to be tried for war crimes. With the arrest of Ante Gotovina this issue was resolved, and entry negotiations began anew, after the certification of ICTY chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte that Croatia now fully cooperated with

11537-721: The Torre and Natisone river valleys, or Slavia Veneta ). The stew, based on etymology, most likely originated in Friuli before spreading east and south. Istrian identity , also known as Istrianity, Istrianism or Istrianness, is the regionalist identity developed by the inhabitants of the part of Istria located in Croatia . Istria is the biggest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea and a multiethnic region divided between Croatia, Italy and Slovenia . Italians and Slovenes live in both

11676-789: The UK that they considered it necessary to join the EEC if the UK did. However the Norwegian government lost a national referendum on membership and hence did not accede with the others on 1 January 1973. Gibraltar joined the Community with the United Kingdom at this point, as can be seen in the long title of the UK European Communities Act 1972 . The next enlargement would occur for different reasons. The 1970s also saw Greece , Spain , and Portugal emerge from dictatorship. These countries desired to consolidate their new democratic systems by binding themselves into

11815-730: The Učka that are still identified with the Istro-Romanian people which the UNESCO Redbook of Endangered Languages calls "the smallest ethnic group in Europe". The cuisine of Istria is influenced by Italian cuisine , given the historical presence of local ethnic Italians ( Istrian Italians ), influence that has eased after the Istrian–Dalmatian exodus . For example, the influence of Italian cuisine on Croatian dishes can be seen in

11954-573: The Venetian state. Other coastal towns followed shortly thereafter. Bajamonte Tiepolo was sent away from Venice in 1310, to start a new life in Istria after his downfall. A description of the 16th-century Istria with a precise map was prepared by the Italian geographer Pietro Coppo . A copy of the map inscribed in stone can now be seen in the Pietro Coppo Park in the center of the town of Izola in southwestern Slovenia . The Inner part of Istria around Mitterburg ( Pazin ) had been part of

12093-460: The accession of Croatia to the EEA. It is yet to be ratified, but is provisionally applied with regards to Croatia. As of July 2024, the agreement has been ratified by all 31 parties except the European Union. Croatian public opinion was divided on EU accession. Opinion polling for the EU referendum showed the population was mostly in favour of joining. Public support ranged from a high of 80% to lows of 26–38%. Political analyst Višeslav Raos cited

12232-539: The accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union allows member states to apply national measures regulating Croatian nationals’ access to their labour markets for a period of up to five years, and in case of serious disturbance to their labour markets or the threat thereof, and after notifying the commission, for a further two years (i.e. up to a maximum of seven years in total). Croatian nationals who on 1 July 2013 had already resided in an EU member state for

12371-559: The addition of its poorer 17 million people and, while keeping its monetary union project on track, it was still at that early stage pointing the EFTA countries in the direction of the EEA rather than full membership. States in Central and Eastern Europe persisted and eventually the above-mentioned issues were cleared. The US also pressured the EU to offer membership as a temporary guarantee; it feared expanding NATO too rapidly for fear of frightening Russia. Although eventually trying to limit

12510-420: The area to Plomin on the eastern part of the peninsula. The wealthier coastal towns cultivated increasingly strong economic relationships with Venice and by 1348 were eventually incorporated into its territory, while their inland counterparts fell under the sway of the weaker Patriarchate of Aquileia, which became part of the Habsburg Empire in 1374. On 15 February 1267, Parenzo was formally incorporated with

12649-469: The border. It became an international boundary with the independence of both countries from Yugoslavia in 1991. Since Croatia 's first multi-party elections in 1990, the Istrian regionalist party Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS-DDI, Istarski demokratski sabor or Dieta democratica istriana ) has consistently received a majority of the vote and maintained through the 1990s a position often contrary to

12788-533: The central offices to the strong duty to proceed in this way to what has been established. Although a member of the Central Powers , Italy remained neutral at the start of WWI, and soon launched secret negotiations with the Triple Entente , bargaining to participate in the war on its side, in exchange for significant territorial gains. To get Italy to join the war, the secret 1915 Treaty of London

12927-435: The commission's opinion (The council has only once rejected the commission's opinion when the latter advised against opening negotiations with Greece). If the Council agrees to open negotiations the screening process then begins. The commission and candidate country examine its laws and those of the EU and determine what differences exist. The Council then recommends opening negotiations on "chapters" of law that it feels there

13066-485: The council to make decisions on negotiations or their extension to other candidates. Once the negotiations are complete, a Treaty of Accession will be signed, which must then be ratified by all of the member states of the Union, as well as the institutions of the Union, and the candidate country. Once this has been completed it will join the Union on the date specified in the treaty. The entire process, from application for membership to membership has typically taken about

13205-569: The current enlargement process. In November 2019, France proposed a seven-stage accession plan for membership. The reformed accession strategy proposes participation in different programs, such as Erasmus, Banking Union, Capital Markets Union, Customs Union, etc. The following is an example of the accession process—Estonia's path to membership from its restoration of independence from the Soviet Union in November 1991 with recognition from

13344-418: The date for the beginning of entry negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, was put off. In early March 2005, Croatia was formally warned by the EU that its failure to arrest the war crimes suspect Ante Gotovina would jeopardise the country's chances of starting the accession talks, in spite of Croatia insisting it was doing everything it could to find and arrest the fugitive and claiming that Gotovina

13483-467: The date to start entry negotiations, provided that Croatia continued to co-operate fully with the ICTY. On 16 March 2005, the day before talks were to begin, the EU postponed the commencement of negotiations, because the ICTY prosecution assessed the Croatian efforts to capture the fugitive general Ante Gotovina (indicted by the ICTY for war crimes and crimes against humanity , but at large since 2001) as neither timely nor sufficient. On 7 December 2005,

13622-437: The difficult navigation of their rocky coasts. It took two military campaigns for the Romans to finally subdue them in 177 BC. The region was then called together with the Venetian part the X. Roman Region of "Venetia et Histria", the ancient definition of the northeastern border of Italy. Dante Alighieri refers to it as well, the eastern border of Italy per ancient definition is the river Arsia . The eastern side of this river

13761-426: The dispute, removing this obstacle. Croatia has border disputes with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, but these countries are not European Union members and cannot directly block the accession process. In December 2008, Croatia and Montenegro agreed that the outstanding sea border issue between the two countries should be settled before an international court whose decision would be accepted in advance by

13900-575: The early 1970s. The United Kingdom, which had refused to join as a founding member, changed its policy following the Suez crisis and applied to be a member of the Communities. Other EEC members were also inclined to British membership on those grounds. French President Charles de Gaulle vetoed British membership. Once de Gaulle had left office, the door to enlargement was once again opened. The EEC economy had also slowed down and British membership

14039-417: The ethnic composition of the population was not surveyed, only the main "language of use" of a person). By 1910, the proportion changed significantly: there were 108 thousand Italian speakers and 134 thousand Croatian speakers. Vanni D'Alessio notes (2008), the Austrian surveys of the language of use "overestimated the diffusion of the socially dominant languages of the empire... The capacity of assimilation of

14178-433: The first armed antifascist resistance group in Europe soon penetrated into Slovene and Croatian-speaking parts of Istria. In World War II, Istria became a battleground of competing ethnic and political groups. Istrian nationalist groups which were pro-fascist and pro-Allied and Yugoslav-supported pro-communist groups fought with each other and the Italian army. After the German withdrawal in 1945, Yugoslav partisans gained

14317-495: The first member states to apply, and for them to be accepted, were primarily economic while the second enlargement was more political. The southern Mediterranean countries had just emerged from dictatorships and wanted to secure their democratic systems through the EEC, while the EEC wanted to ensure the same thing and that their southern neighbours were stable and aligned to NATO. These two principal forces, economic gain and political security, have been behind enlargements since. After

14456-609: The government in Zagreb , led by the then nationalistic party Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica ), with regards to decentralization in Croatia and certain facets of regional autonomy . However, that changed in 2000 when the IDS formed with five other parties a left-centre coalition government, led by the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP, Socijaldemokratska Partija Hrvatske ). After

14595-644: The gradual harmonisation of national laws. The EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community , was founded with the Inner Six member states in 1958, when the Treaty of Rome came into force. Since then, the EU's membership has grown to twenty-seven, with the latest member state being Croatia , which joined in July 2013. The most recent territorial enlargement of the EU was the incorporation of Mayotte in 2014. Campione d'Italia joined

14734-475: The immediate aftermath of the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty on February 10, 1947 which granted Pula and the greater part of Istria to Yugoslavia. The division of Istria between Croatia and Slovenia runs on the former republic borders, which were not precisely defined in the former Yugoslavia. Various points of contention remain unresolved between the two countries regarding the precise line of

14873-552: The inability of Italians to purchase land in Croatia, considering it discriminatory treatment and stating that the issue should be resolved as soon as possible. Croatia subsequently denied any discrimination, and said that Croatian legislation provided for the same treatment of all EU citizens concerning land ownership. In mid-2006, Croatia and Italy came to an agreement allowing Italian citizens to purchase land in Croatia and Croatian citizens to purchase land in Italy. Other EU members had to resolve similar issues before their accession to

15012-555: The judiciary; a crackdown on corruption and organised crime (this resulted in the conviction of former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader for taking bribes); strengthen the protection of minorities; settle outstanding refugee return issues; improve the protection of human rights. Croatia had to extradite several of its citizens to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY),

15151-467: The large enlargements in 2004, public opinion in Europe turned against further expansion. It has also been acknowledged that enlargement has its limits; the EU cannot expand endlessly. Former Commission President Romano Prodi favoured granting "everything but institutions" to the EU's neighbour states, allowing them to co-operate deeply while not adding strain on the EU's institutional framework. This has in particular been pushed by France and Germany as

15290-685: The last decades of the Habsburg dynasty the coast of Istria profited from tourism within the Empire. Generally speaking, Italians lived on the western coast and in the inland cities of northern Istria, while Croats lived on the eastern coast and in the eastern and southeastern inland parts of the countryside. In the second half of the 19th century a clash of new ideological movements, Italian irredentism (which claimed Trieste and Istria), Slovene nationalism , and Croatian nationalism (developing individual identities in some quarters while seeking to unite in

15429-647: The local Chakavian dialect . The term Istrani is also used in Slovenia. The Italian word for the Istrians is Istriani and today the Italian minority is organized in many towns. The Istrian county in Croatia is bilingual, as are large parts of Slovenian Istria. Every citizen has the right to speak either Italian or Croatian (Slovene in Slovenian Istria and Italian in the town of Koper/Capodistria, Piran/Pirano, Portorož/Portorose, and Izola/Isola d'Istria) in public administration or in court. Furthermore, Istria

15568-486: The national identification, given that they generically defined themselves as " Istrians " of "Romance" or "Slavic" culture. After this seven-year period, the Austrian Empire regained Istria, which became part of the constituent Kingdom of Illyria . This kingdom was broken up in 1849, after which Istria formed part of Austrian Littoral , also known as the "Küstenland", which also included the city of Trieste and

15707-576: The negotiations are rapid, Croatia and Iceland could join the EU in parallel". The last non-acquis hurdle to membership, the maritime border dispute with Slovenia , was overcome in November 2009. Croatia ultimately finished its accession negotiations on 30 June 2011, and signed the Treaty of Accession 2011 in Brussels on 9 December 2011; followed by approval of it by a national referendum on 22 January 2012 and completing their ratification process on 4 April 2012. Entry into force and accession of Croatia to

15846-436: The newly emerged democracies would not fall back under Russian control. The EU and NATO offered a guarantee of this, and the EU was also seen as vital to ensuring the economic success of those countries. However, the EU's desire to accept these countries' membership applications was less than rapid. The collapse of communism came quickly and was not anticipated. The EU struggled to deal with the sudden reunification of Germany with

15985-608: The north. The ancient region of Histria extended over a much wider area, including the whole Karst Plateau with the southern edges of the Vipava Valley /Vipacco Valley, the southwestern portions of modern Inner Carniola with Postojna /Postumia and Ilirska Bistrica /Bisterza, and the Italian Province of Trieste , but not the Liburnian coast which was already part of Illyricum . The name Istria (Ἰστρία)

16124-642: The number of members, and after encouragement from the US, the EU pursued talks with ten countries and a change of mind by Cyprus and Malta helped to offset slightly the influx of large poorer member states from Central and Eastern Europe. Europe Association Agreement signing date Start of accession negotiations Population in 1998 1998 GDP ($ billions) 1998 GDP (PPP) per capita Real GDP in 1998 (1989=100) Real wage in 1998 (1989=100) Real gross industrial output in 1998 (1989=100) Istria The geographical features of Istria include

16263-548: The one side and Venetians/other Italians on the other side yielded to each other culturally while simultaneously distancing themselves from members of their ethnic groups living farther away. Another important Istrian community are the Istro-Romanians in the south and north of the Učka mountain range of Istria. A small Albanian community, which until the late 19th century spoke the Istrian Albanian dialect

16402-637: The parliaments of the two countries. Free acquisition of real estate by foreigners is a sensitive issue in Croatia. This matter particularly concerns Italians, especially in Istria . While it has some ties with Italy, the events surrounding World War II, when Istria changed hands between the Kingdom of Italy and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , remain pertinent. Numerous Italian politicians expressed their discontent concerning

16541-619: The people of the Slavs who are really approaching you, I am very depressed and confused. I am depressed because I sympathize with you, confused because they over the Istria began to enter the Italy). Some ancient reporters, including Pope Gregory, who were unaware of the importance of the Avars in the Balkans, used the terms "Slavs" to refer to the Avars or the Avaro-Slavs. After the fall of

16680-628: The precise order that action be taken decisively against the influence of the Italian elements still present in some regions of the Crown and, appropriately occupying the posts of public, judicial, masters employees as well as with the influence of the press, work in South Tyrol , Dalmatia and Littoral for the Germanization and Slavization of these territories according to the circumstances, with energy and without any regard. His Majesty calls

16819-553: The process. An association agreement helps prepare for this first step. In the case of the Western Balkans , a special process, the Stabilisation and Association Process exists to deal with the special circumstances there. When a country formally applies for membership, the Council asks the commission to prepare an opinion on the country's readiness to begin negotiations. The council can then either accept or reject

16958-586: The reformed HDZ won the Croatian parliamentary elections in late 2003 and formed a minority government, the IDS has cooperated with the state government on many projects, both local (in Istria County ) and national. Since Slovenia's accession to the European Union and the Schengen Area , customs and immigration checks have been abolished at the Italian-Slovenian border. The region has traditionally been ethnically mixed. Under Austrian rule in

17097-613: The refugees of the Turkish invasion and Ottoman Empire of Bosnia and Dalmatia in the 16th century. The government of the Republic of Venice had settled them in Inner Istria, which had been devastated by wars and plague. As with other regions, the local dialects of the Croatian communities vary greatly across close distances. The Istrian Croatian and Italian vernaculars had both developed for many generations before being divided as they are today. This meant that Croats/Slovenes on

17236-448: The rest of the Schengen Area. The influx of refugees and migrants from Greece through North Macedonia and Serbia to Croatia and then to current Schengen member states like Slovenia, Austria and Hungary, as part of the 2015 European migrant crisis , led some to question whether there will be the political consensus necessary for further enlargement of the Schengen Area. In September 2015, Hungary threatened to veto Croatia's accession to

17375-632: The result was 66% approval to join, though the turnout was low at 43.51%. Enlargement of the European Union The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria (named after the Copenhagen summit in June 1993), which require

17514-411: The same day, 14 EU member states (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden) allowed Croatian nationals to work without restrictions in their country. However, 13 other EU member states imposed transitional restrictions on Croatian nationals wishing to access their labour markets. Annex V of the Treaty concerning

17653-447: The screening process. The accession process of Croatia was complicated by the insistence of Slovenia , an EU member state(since 2004), that the two countries' border issues be dealt with prior to Croatia's accession to the EU. Croatian public opinion was generally supportive of the EU accession process, despite occasional spikes in euroscepticism . Croatia finished accession negotiations on 30 June 2011, and on 9 December 2011, signed

17792-472: The upper hand and began a violent purge of real or suspected opponents in an "orgy of revenge". After the end of World War II , Istria was ceded to Yugoslavia , except for a small part in the northwest corner that formed Zone B of the provisionally independent Free Territory of Trieste ; Zone B was under Yugoslav administration and after the de facto dissolution of the Free Territory in 1954 it

17931-507: The use of Slavic languages in schools and government was banned, even Slavic family names were Italianized to suit the fascist authorities. Slavic newspapers and libraries were closed, all Slavic cultural, sporting, business and political associations were banned. As a result, 100,000 Slavic-speakers left Italian-annexed areas in an exodus, moving mostly to Yugoslavia. The organization TIGR , founded in 1927 by young Slovene liberal nationalists from Gorizia region and Trieste and regarded as

18070-414: The usual 31; the new chapters, previously part of the agricultural policy, are areas expected to be troublesome, as they were with the other applicants. Following the opening of accession negotiations on 3 October 2005, the process of screening 35 acquis chapters with Croatia was completed on 18 October 2006. Between December 2008 and October 2009, Slovenia blocked negotiations in 13 acquis chapters because of

18209-579: The values referred to in Article 2 and is committed to promoting them" ( TEU Article 49 ). Those Article 2 values are "respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities." This is based on the 1993 " Copenhagen criteria " agreed as it became clear many former Eastern Bloc countries would apply to join: Membership requires that candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy,

18348-478: Was also incorporated into Yugoslavia. Only the small town of Muggia , near Trieste , being part of Zone A remained with Italy. The events of the period are visible in Pula . The city, located on the southernmost tip of the Istrian peninsula, had an Istrian Italian majority. Between December 1946 and September 1947, a large proportion of the city's inhabitants were forced to emigrate to Italy . Most of them left in

18487-433: Was more readily accepted with the prospect of poorer countries wishing to join; contributions from richer countries would help balance the EU budget. On 1 January 1995 Austria , Finland , and Sweden acceded to the EU marking its fourth enlargement. The Norwegian government lost a second national referendum on membership. In the late 1980s (shortly prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union ) Mikhail Gorbachev announced

18626-463: Was no longer in Croatia. In fact, the talks started in October 2005, shortly before Gotovina's arrest in Spain , which occurred in early December that year and was hailed by the EU as an important turning point for the whole region, as it turned "the page from the nationalist past to a European future". Before the start of negotiations with Croatia, the acquis was divided into 35 chapters, 4 more than

18765-409: Was not profitable with massive losses, resulting in government subsidies over the twenty years until privatisation talllying €3.75 billion. Croatia applied for EU membership in 2003, and the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by the European Council (the EU's heads of state and/or government) in mid-2004, but

18904-452: Was rejected by all the member countries in 1964; Spain was not a democracy at the time, and thus unable to enter the EEC. The Community did see some loss of territory due to the decolonialisation occurring in their era. Algeria , which was an integral part of France, had a special relationship with the Community. Algeria gained independence on 5 July 1962 and hence left the Community. There would be no further efforts at enlargement until

19043-439: Was seen as a way to revitalise the community. Only after a 12-hour talk between British Prime Minister Edward Heath and French President Georges Pompidou took place did Britain's third application succeed. After Britain was accepted Prime Minister Edward Heath said: For my part, I have no doubt at all that the discussions which we have had will prove of real and lasting benefit, not only to Britain and France, but to Europe as

19182-539: Was settled by people whose culture was different from Histrians. Earlier influence of the Iapodes was attested there, while at some time between the 4th and 1st century BC the Liburnians extended their territory and it became a part of Liburnia . On the northern side, Histria extended much further north and included the Italian city of Trieste. Some scholars speculate that the names Histri and Istria are related to

19321-429: Was successively controlled by the dukes of Carantania , Merania , Bavaria and by the patriarch of Aquileia , before it became the territory of the Republic of Venice in 1267. The medieval Croatian kingdom held only the far eastern part of Istria (the border was near the river Raša ), but they lost it to the Holy Roman Empire in the late 11th century. In 1145, the cities of Pula, Koper and Izola rose against

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