Josipovic told his friends on that on-line social network that he was closely following both positive and negative reactions to the forthcoming referendum on Croatia's accession to the EU, scheduled for next Sunday, and that he wanted to share with them his views as to why he was in favour of Croatia joining the bloc.

"By entering the EU we won't lose our sovereignty. The EU is not a state, but a community of willingly associated equal and sovereign states and nations where every state has a sovereign and equal voice in the decision making processes. Accession to the EU as a community of states and nations will bring us a lasting peace and security as a precondition for economic and cultural development and for development in any other area," the President said.

The EU is a community of values, and the rule of law is one of the fundamental values that gives citizens of the EU equal opportunities for success. Citizens of Europe are free in every respect; they have a right to their own opinion, to freely express their own political and religious views. The EU is among the world's leaders in terms of democratic freedoms and civil rights, Josipovic wrote.

"We cannot stop the effects of globalisation on our own borders, but we can neutralise them together and even take advantage of them for the sake of our own development. The EU is a uniquely regulated common market of 500 million people. The market economy is the only known and acceptable model which has no alternative today," Josipovic said, recalling that Croatia, as a new member, would have access to considerable funds for economic development.

"The EU is a community of equal nations, languages and cultures, and Croatian will become an official language of the community," the President said. He also noted that the EU had special funds and programmes designed for preserving and promoting the national cultures and identities.