EU drawn into election campaign

"Welcome to the EU! We speak Croatian", rejoicesVecernji List, arguing that the language of the country is already “widely spoken” in the EU. With Croatian accession scheduled for July 1, 2013, the newspaper has published photos of three European officials - Italians - apparently speaking Croatian. A few days after the September 17 publication of the draft agreement on Croatia's accession, Vecernji List launched a campaign alongside the government of Jadranka Kosor to counter the wave of euro-scepticism that greeted the text.

With less than two months to go before elections, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) of Ms. Kosor, lagging in the polls, is banking on recovering momentum through the prospect of EU membership. That agreement must be ratified by the European Parliament in early December, when the elections in Croatia are held. The party is seeking to allay concerns over the loss of identity and control over Croatia's sovereignty that emerge from a reading of the draft agreement. "The price of bread, milk, medicine and books will certainly go up, but this should not distract us from the EU, because VAT will change whether we are a member of the EU or not.” Furthermore, the paper affirms, “if the EU demands the same rights for foreigners seeking work in Croatia (i.e., waiving of the requirement that they -- executives, for example -- speak Croatian), this may contribute to the improved competitiveness of Croatian firms".