Croatia to the EU?

April 25, 2011 11:08 PM

Croatia to the EU?

Is Croatia ever going to get into the EU? I know they were granted candidate status, but is there ever going to be a decision rendered on them?

posted by mtheshark to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

The Wikipedia page is pretty thorough in describing the remaining issues and timetable: the aim is to finish negotiations by June, which would begin the process of parliamentary and popular approval, but there's still some negotiating to be done. So: 2013 at the earliest if everything runs smoothly, 2014 or later if not.
posted by holgate at 11:30 PM on April 25, 2011

Response by poster: ah. I clearly didn't do my due diligence. I'd like to work there in October (as an EU citizen) but apparently this is not gonna be a reality. Thanks holgate!
posted by mtheshark at 11:42 PM on April 25, 2011

It may actually be relatively easy for you to work there as an EU citizen; by virtue of their candidate status, they may actually be just as easy to work in as anywhere else in the EU or its immediate neighborhood, but just a bit more paperwork. If you had a particular job in mind, it's definitely worth applying, or at least contacting companies who employ foreigners routinely (say, an English-language school that employs a lot of British or American folks) to see if they can give you any pointers.

Also, give their UK embassy a look for more English language info - the website's pretty explicit about what you'd need to work there: it's a bit of an application process but I imagine a company that was looking to hire you would be more able to jump through the relevant hoops for an EU citizen than they would be for, say, an American or a Brazilian or a Malaysian person.
posted by mdonley at 1:21 AM on April 26, 2011

while a candidate it is in their interest to make things easier for EU citizens to visit & work so I would be surprised if it were difficult. (Having said that I worked in Spain while it had candidate status and it was extraordinarily beurocratic but I was assured it was the remnants of the Hapsburg labarythine systems.)
posted by Wilder at 7:50 AM on April 26, 2011

Given your previous questions, this link is relevant to your intentions; following mdonley's link and clicking on "Temporary Residence" will deliver the necessary information on getting a work permit.
posted by holgate at 12:32 PM on April 26, 2011

If you decide to pursue this, please be prepared for the labyrinth of bureaucracy you'll have to go through. The state administration was NOT designed to be "user" (citizen)-friendly. (Maybe also a remnant of the Hapsburgs?) Also, you need to be aware that economic situation in Croatia is pretty dire at the moment. The state is cutting funding left and right, and the private sector is in shambles, surviving on commerce (often through shady deals, like importing goods which are over their use-by date or don't have appropriate certificates to be sold in the EU) and 2 months of tourism per year. Don't burn bridges coming to Croatia, as you might need them to go back sooner than you expected.

But on the other hand, the country is lovely, the people are nice, and you'll probably have a good time there.

Good luck!
posted by gakiko at 3:19 AM on April 27, 2011