In a comment on the forthcoming signing of Croatia's EU Accession Treaty, scheduled for December 9, the German political weekly "Der Spiegel" of Tuesday says that Croatia has made big steps forward and adjusted to EU standards, but that it is in a deep crisis, with an unemployment rate of 14 percent and a foreign debt accounting for 102 percent of GDP, close to the Greek values, describing Croatia as a poisonous croissant at the EU's door.
The paper wonders if the European Union, which still has not 'digested' Romania and Bulgaria, will be able to swallow the poisonous croissant Croatia.
It says that Croatia's Accession Treaty will have to be ratified by the parliaments of all EU member countries and that no problems are expected in that regard, considering the country's big achievements.
For Croatia, says Der Spiegel, Europe represents a guarantee of peace, 20 years after the bloody conflicts when "Belgrade tried to carve out Serb-populated areas from Croatia."
The paper believes that Croatia's EU entry will be the beginning of a new period for the region.
It recalls that the Accession Treaty will be signed at a summit in Brussels by Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, leader of the HDZ party which has been shaken by a number of trials and investigations of its senior members. Der Spiegel estimates that Kosor's government could fall before the signing ceremony because parliamentary elections will be held five days before the treaty signing. It says that judging by the current situation, the HDZ is facing a drop in voter support to 20 percent, which would be its poorest result in elections since the country gained independence.
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