More than half the messages posted in the EU Post Box during Europe Week were positive, with Croatian citizens considering Croatia's accession to the European Union as something positive and voicing hope for a better life in the EU, while about 25% of citizens left negative comments, the Delegation of the EU to Croatia said in a statement on Monday.
More than 250 citizens' messages were collected, in which Croatian citizens wrote about "their expectations from Croatia's accession to the EU, EU institutions (Parliament, Commission and Council), their comments on the EU, and the EU-related issues they would like to have more information about," the statement said.
"More than 50 percent of the messages were positive, i.e. Croatian citizens considered Croatia's accession to the EU as something positive and expressed their hope for immediate accession and a better life in the Union. In their opinion, accession to the EU will contribute to the fight against corruption and help economic recovery. There were around 25 percent of negative comments, mostly related to the fear of losing national identity, the economic problems that the EU is experiencing, and the fact that some countries joined the Union before Croatia."
During this year's Europe Week celebrations, the Delegation launched a new activity, the EU Post Box, set up on Zagreb's Cvjetni Trg square on May 2.
The EU Post Box was also used at all other Europe Week events organised by the Delegation, on Osijek's main square, attended by President Ivo Josipovic, on Zagreb's Cvjetni Trg square as part of the central celebration of Europe Day, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, and, finally, on Zagreb's Lake Bundek, as part of the 'Rhythm of Europe' event organised by the Delegation.
Some messages contain specific questions which will be answered, if their authors have specified their contact address, by the Delegation within one week, "such as: how will accession affect teachers, or what additional sources of finance will be available for citizens and companies' projects on some concrete topics concerning the accession process, levels of social security in the EU, rights of disabled persons etc."
One person posted into the EU Post Box over 50 copies of leaflets saying 'I love Croatia – No to EU' or 'Croatia without GMO – No to EU'.
In addition to the already existing channels for communication with Croatian citizens – the EU Delegation's web pages, the EU Information Centre, Facebook pages and direct inquiries - the Delegation will continue using the EU Post Box in future activities as a means of direct communication with the public.
