OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier congratulates Croatia on EU membership

On 1 July 2013 the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier congratulated Croatia on becoming a member of the European Union.

“I send my warmest congratulations to the Croatian people for reaching their desired goal of EU integration. I am very happy that the OSCE for 15 years worked closely with the Croatian authorities and civil society on issues such as the rule of law, minority rights, electoral processes, democratic policing, freedom of expression, media rights, fighting corruption and intolerance, thus contributing to the country’s own foreign policy goals”.

“Last year when the Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and I closed the OSCE Office in Zagreb, we sent a clear message that the fulfilment of OSCE commitments brought positive changes to the people and the country as a whole” , said Zannier.

The OSCE ran a large field operation in the country from 1995 to 2012, which at its peak employed nearly 800 people. The OSCE Mission to Croatia opened in April 1996 and was closed at the end of 2007 after successfully completing most of its mandate. The remaining tasks were taken on by the OSCE Office in Zagreb which officially began work on 1 January 2008 and was closed in January 2012.