Croatia Becomes 28th Member of European Union(EU) - Monday July 01,2013

Croatia has become the 28th member of the European Union on Monday July 01,2013.

Croatia is the first new EU member since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007.

A dispute with Slovenia over sea and land borders dating back to the break-up of Yugoslavia also threatened to derail Croatia's journey to EU membership until June 2010, when a Slovene referendum cleared this outstanding obstacle to Croatia's EU accession.

The Croatia's EU accession treaty was finally signed in December 2011, after years of tortuous negotiations, and endorsed at a referendum the following month.