congrats croatia!

CESTITAM CROATIA!

AND for those of you who are not fluent in croatian (like myself), 

CONGRATS CROATIA!

Yesterday (July 1st 2013) Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union! This was a huge step for this young country (they declared independence for the Balkans in october 1991). 

Some of you may be wondering, is this really the best time to be entering the EU. With the debt crisis and all the madness in the past, europe has been a very interesting case study over the last few years. The admittance of Croatia is even more interesting due to its location: it sits next to many of the poorest nations in Europe! Many of these countries hope to join the EU in the future. Therefore, Croatia's admittance is an important step in the right direction for these former yugoslavic nations!

Despite this major change in their international persona, many citizens in Croatia are unsure about this decision. Similar to many other countries, Croatia is in recession. Their current unemployment rate is an unbelievable 21%. The problems with the EU and the euro zone are daunting to the people of this nation, especially after seeing what has happened to Greece, Spain, etc. However, Croatia is not joining the euro zone, where the major issues are. Therefore, no one can be sure if Croatia will be an asset or a liability for the EU in the future.

In my opinion, I am proud that Europe is looking out for its future. Sometimes, it is difficult to see past the problems that are right in front of you. However, by planning in advance, the EU and europe in general are providing themselves with hope and a future. So congrats EU, for now. 

Happy Tuesday!

xoME