By Arno Froese
Midnight Call Ministries
Croatians voted in favor of joining the European Union on 22 January in a popular referendum that will see it become the 28th member state.
Of those who did show up to the polls, around 68 percent voted for the accession despite concerns over economic turmoil in Europe and ambivalence over a possible loss of sovereignty. Accession still needs to be ratified by the Croatian parliament and by all EU-27 parliaments before the country officially joins next year.
Anti-EU sentiment in the country flared up in April when two Croatian commanders—Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac—received lengthy jail terms by judges in The Hague. However, the BBC reports that Gotovina recently told his supporters to back Croatia’s bid to join the Union.
For their part, EU Council chief Herman Van Rompuy and EU commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso released a joint statement saying EU membership will “help secure the stability and prosperity” of the nation. They described the result as good news for the whole of the Balkan region.
Opponents of accession fear Brussels will now rule the country and that the EU has changed because of the trouble surrounding the euro. EU supporters believe membership will prove more beneficial in the long term.
“Croatia will not lose its sovereignty or natural resources, nor will it be ruled by the EU,” President Ivo Josipovic said in a written statement.
- EUobserver.com, 23 January 2012
In the midst of turmoil and much confusion within the European Union, the process to take on more member nations continues unabated. The European Union must do justice to its name and be a Union to unify the entire European continent.
Although much negative news is coming out of the Union lately, experts tells us that after all the dust has settled, the European Union will grow stronger and more united in order to significantly influence the entire world.
This process is to be expected, according to Bible prophecy. It is ordained of God that from the four Gentile superpowers—Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome—the last one will not be limited to Europe, but will be global.
This should lay to rest all the various theories that Asia or America will dominate the world. That assumption cannot be supported by prophetic Scripture. Besides, the entire American continent (South and North) and its 35 sovereign nations can be considered European; they were established with European principles, and make use of Roman law. All without exception speak European languages, and all have historical and cultural ties to Rome (Europe).
Related Links
Croatian Citizens Endorse European Integration • TheNewFederalist.eu
Merkel: Transfer more powers to EU, not more money to bail-out fund • EUobserver.com
EU accession should have tangible benefits for Croatia • Balkans.com
Croatia Votes 2 to 1 to Join European Union • New York Times
Europe & Germany in Prophecy: Are the Armstrongites Right? • BPB (Wilfred J. Hahn)