Croatia to become European Union’s 28th member July 1March 27, 2013 - 13:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Commission has announced that Croatia will join the EU on July 1 this year. The country has implemented a string of reforms requested by Brussels, the latest report pointed to some work still outstanding, Deutsche Welle reported. Brussels decided on Tuesday, March 26, that Croatia was ready to join the European Union later this year. Croatia will become the 28th member of the bloc, with a 15-page final report from the European Commission setting the date at July 1. "The Commission concludes that Croatia will be ready to join the European Union on July 1, 2013," the report said, adding that Croatia "has shown the will and ability to fulfill all outstanding commitments in good time before accession." Croatia first signed up as an official EU aspirant in December 2011; the European Commission has published regular progress reports since. "Croatia is now a different country compared to at the start of the accession process," EU Expansion Commissioner Stefan Füle said after a meeting with the Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic in Zagreb. Füle also praised Croatia for "working hard and keeping the reform tempo high" throughout the accession process. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |