Josipovic said in the address issued on Friday that Sunday, the referendum day, would be a great day, when Croatians would make one of the most important decisions in their country's history. He said he himself would vote "yes" for Europe which he sees as a great opportunity.

"I believe in Croatia and its citizens. Let us not be afraid of challenges. I am confident that we have courage, strength and wisdom to provide ourselves and our children, through EU institutions, with prosperity which we might have never achieved without the EU," he said.

Calling on Croatians to go to the polls and vote for the European Croatia, the president said that "the referendum ahead of us offers an opportunity and responsibility to each of us to determine Croatia's future with our votes."

It is up to you to decide whether "our homeland, our Croatia, will join its strength and efforts for building a just, wealthy and successful society with the countries of the European Union, or whether it will try alone to accomplish the citizens' wish for a better life".

Recalling that Croatia's past has been difficult, which is why some people harbour doubts over unions with other countries and nations, Josipovic said that "fears of the new, of the uncertain as well as a lack of confidence in insufficiently built state institutions ... and policies and a painstaking and long path towards the EU, are deterring some Croatians from the idea of European unity."

However, achieving full freedom, human rights, political, economic and entrepreneurial freedoms, labour rights, the freedom of conscience, religion and speech and long-desired better living standards, the values which the Croatian Homeland Defence War ushered in, is possible only within the European frameworks, he said.

"The EU guarantees lasting peace and stability for us."

By entering the European Union, Croatia is not losing its sovereignty and its wealth. We will not forget our name, our language and culture, and they will become more than ever a part of the European heritage, the president said.

The European Union will not govern Croatia. Quite the contrary, Croatia and other EU member-states will manage on an equal footing the EU, one of the most complex and most successful state unions in the history of mankind, he said.

Just as other EU member states, we are investing a part of our sovereignty in order to secure for ourselves more statehood, more strength and more possibilities, the Croatian president said.

As for the ongoing economic crisis, Josipovic said that it was one more reason to vote "yes" in the referendum.

Europe is not a cause of the crisis, the crisis was triggered by weaknesses of national economies, and Europe is a remedy. Can you imagine how the crisis would be in the most stricken countries if Europe did not offer them assistance, the president said.