At the invitation of Mr. Zlatko Grabar, Director General of Croatian Customs, Deputy Secretary General Sergio Mujica attended the special ceremony organized to celebrate the accession of Croatia to the European Union (EU). With effect from 1 July, Croatia has become the 28th Member of the EU.
Following a reception in Zagreb offered by Mr. Slavko Linić, Minister of Finance of Croatia, all participants travelled to the Bregana Border Crossing Point located on the border with Slovenia. At a few minutes before midnight, Director General Grabar personally inspected the last car crossing the border before the formal accession of Croatia to the EU. At midnight precisely, a formal ceremony was held to remove the plate which indicated the Croatian Customs control post and the EU flag was raised. To mark the occasion, fireworks were set off at the border.
The WCO and its Members offer their congratulations to Croatian Customs on the excellent work carried out to adapt its procedures, regulations, IT system and organizational structure to meet the requirements of EU membership.