During a recent meeting held with the parliamentary delegation from Kosovo, I heard some delegates claim that they had yet to see the real results of their country's progress towards EU membership.
In a certain way, Croatia is in a similar position, not so far being able to claim that EU accession has brought us anything that could be considered significant.
There is still a long road ahead, but what EU membership has brought us is progress in certain policies, ranging from improved fiscal discipline and public finances to other policies that hold importance for our country.
RELATED CONTENT
What would have happened to Croatia across the past two years had we not been a member of the EU is difficult to say. There are certain positive examples resulting from European accession that can be cited, mainly in terms of the use of EU funds.
Projects such as the currently in preparation Pelješac bridge, the inclusion of certain energy projects - such as the LNG terminal on the island of Krk - on the list of European strategic projects, investments in Dubrovnik airport.
These endeavours, along with an increase in industrial production, can all be perceived as a consequence of our EU membership. EU accession has also brought us stability.
The EU always represents a chance for a country to make progress and, while we have taken advantage of some of those opportunities, a lot remains to be done. In particular, there is a European market of around 500 million citizens waiting to be taken advantage of.
To reiterate, there is a long way ahead of us, but I hope Croatia will be able to enjoy all the opportunities the EU has to offer. However, spectacular change should not to be expected, and short term gains are unlikely to follow.
Personally, I think EU membership should be seen as an opportunity for Croatia and not simply as a gain in itself.