Croatia to become European Union member in 2013

Croatia will become a European Union member in two years, officials said Friday, making it the first new country to join the bloc since 2007 and offering hope to other nations from the former Yugoslavia seeking to join.

(L-R) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country currently holds the EU presidemcy, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso address a press conference at the end of a summit of the EU heads of State, on June 24, 2011 in Brussels. European Union leaders gave Croatia the green light on June 24 to join the bloc in 2013 as they endorsed the closure of negotiations with Zagreb.
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