Croatia News - CroatiaPress.com

Zagreb, June 13 (CP) – The failure of Ireland to support the Lisbon treaty during a referendum held on Friday is not to endanger Croatia’s entry into the EU, as it is guranteed under the current rules.

Early returns from the Irish referendum show that 53.4 percent of the voters voted against the treaty.

The result may endanger future EU expansion that should follow those of 2004 and 2007.

Out of all the candidate countries, Croatia is the only to have been given guarantees of entry under the existing rules.

Croatian president Stjepan Mesic has commented on the results by saying he was surprised with the results of the Ireland vote, as the EU had helped Ireland resolve its problems through the use of accession and structural funds and the Irish should understand that others have the right to development.

The government has also reacted to the news by saying the Croatian believed the EU would find the necessary institutional solutions stressing that Croatia’s future within the EU was not in question.