28th Member of European Union Elected

New Member of EU European Union Elected / Members of European Union EU

Croatia has become the 28th member of the European Union. Crowds celebrated Croatia’s entry with fireworks and festive crowds gathered on the streets to mark Croatia's entry into the European Union.

EU officials say it is a remarkable moment for a country which only 20 years ago was in the middle of a brutal war of independence from the former Yugoslavia.

"As midnight struck, your country crossed an important threshold," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told the cheering crowd in Croatia's capital Zagreb. "It will change the life of this nation for good."

Croatia is the first new member since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007. After Slovenia, Croatia is the second former Yugoslav republic to join the EU.