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Croatians poorly informed over EU membership: poll

15 September 2011, 17:07 CET
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(ZAGREB) - Croatia is set to become the newest member of the European Union, but one-third of its citizens are unaware that the talks to join the bloc have already been concluded, an opinion poll showed Thursday.

Only 67.3 percent of 1,300 people questioned earlier this month knew that EU accession talks were finished in June, the survey by Promocija Plus agency.

Nikola Kristic, head of Croatia's branch of anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, who presented the poll's results, said they were "devastating," HINA news agency reported.

They showed that the "authorities could have invested much more in providing at least basic information about the negotiating process" on membership in the Euroepan Union, he said.

According to the poll, only 29.7 percent Croatians were satisfied with information they received about the process labeled "historic" by the country's leaders.

Croatia wrapped up its lengthy EU talks in June and is set to become the bloc's 28th member in mid-2013.

The most recent opinion poll, conducted earlier this month, showed 56.1 percent Croatians support EU membership while 33.8 percent are against it.

A referendum on EU membership should be held 30 days after the signing of the accession treaty -- expected in December -- according to the decision of the Croatian parliament.

Of the six republics that made up Yugoslavia before it broke up in a series of 1990s wars, Croatia will be the second the join to bloc after Slovenia. The latter is an EU member since 2004.


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