On Monday 1st July, Croatia became the 28th Member State of the European Union after a decade of reforms designed to bring the country into line with EU laws and economics.

Croatia will now take an equal role in decision making within the EU, alongside the 27 other member states. In April, voters in Croatia elected 12 members to represent the country in the European Parliament. The country has also appointed its EU Commissioner, Neven Mimica.

European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso said Monday's accession had "returned Croatia to its rightful place in the heart of Europe."

Croatia's accession follows that of Estonia, which joined the EU in 2011. Several other states are also in line to join the Union,  though Iceland, which applied for membership in 2009, withdrew its application in June.