The position from which Croatia began on its path towards EU membership was a little different from that of other member states which have undergone the accession process.
Having gone through a bloody war in the 90s and the carrying over of its traumas into the 00s, the Croatian people and their political leadership saw the EU as a safeguard for democracy and peace.
This is the EU's original purpose, which has been largely forgotten in countries which have seen less turbulent times in their recent history.
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The EU's impact on Croatia should not be based solely on the last two years. The negotiation period is when the greatest societal and political changes happened and today Croatia is a more stable, democratic and progressive country than 10 years ago.
Having joined after a decade of negotiations, the accession was hailed as a national success. Expectations were a little unrealistic and it was soon realised that the EU is not a 'magical' solution for all our problems.
However, it did help, and after six years of recession the Croatian economy is now growing again, as are our exports, employment, industrial output and consumption.
Two thirds of Croatia's exports now enter the EU's internal market, with those figures showing growth rates of 11.7 per cent last year.
Croatia is still learning what it means to be an EU member state, and since it joined the club at the peak of a political and economic crisis, it did not receive the pampering of its predecessors.
Overall, though, I would give us a thumbs-up.