On December 9, Croatia signed an accession treaty and will become a member of the European Union in July 2013. Am I excited? No. Of course, the messages coming from the government suggest that I should be. A historic day, they say, one to fondly remember forever.  “Today Croatia is coming home, where it always belonged.” – said Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor at the signing ceremony. Somehow this sentence indicates that we shouldn’t feel comfortable in our new home  because this is not our natural habitat. Nice way of showing off a deep-seated inferiority complex, more often inflicted on ourselves than by foreigners.

The rhetoric of political officials changed over the past 9 years, ever since Croatia became an EU candidate. It was no longer popular to use that awful word that starts with a “B” when describing who we are. God forbid you ever dare to say that we are a part of… you know, the Balkans. Mediterranean, Eastern or Southeastern European, on good days even a Central European country, but never again a Balkan country. Whatever happened to being proud of your roots? That wonderful feeling got lost somewhere between the candidacy and accession treaty, and once again our identity is being shaped by others. Our hard-earned sovereignty handed on a platter.

For the past 2 years, the EU has been presented as a magical quick-fix solution for every single problem this country has. Apparently, membership is something that will give us the tools to fight every crisis. Economical or political, you name it – the EU will solve it. They are anxiously waiting for us. Millions of Euros are coming our way. Investors are lining up at the borders. Thousands and thousands of job positions will miraculously open. The judicial system will blossom when we implement EU laws. Serenity, peace and order will be everywhere you look.  

In the meantime, Brussels is still trying to recover from what could also be called a historic summit. The UK slapped the EU harder than ever, suggesting their national interest is at stake and unconsciously warning “the little ones” of hidden turmoils.
The Eurozone is on the brink of survival. Despite this there are still some who wholeheartedly promote the EU as a leader of financial stability and economic growth on this side of the planet, while Greece, Spain, Italy and many others are fighting the worst debt crisis yet.

Complete collapse. This is what we’re rushing into.


The article was originally written in English.
Photo credit (thumbnail): Gaye Omur
Photo credit: Philip Cheung
 
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