Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was among the 27 EU leaders who yesterday signed Croatia’s Accession Treaty paving the way for the start of the formal ratification process.

Croatia is set to become the 28th member state of the EU on July 1, 2013.

In a colourful ceremony in Brussels, in the margins of the crucial EU summit, the leaders signed the treaty in the presence of Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.

Croatia must now focus on the final preparations for membership and strengthen its efforts to be in a position to fully implement the acquis by the accession date.

It will start participating as an active observer in the work of the Council and its preparatory bodies while Croatian observer MEPs will be invited to join the work of the European Parliament.

Just a few days ago, MEPs overwhelmingly voted in a resolution approving Croatia’s accession.

The three Maltese MEPs present – the Nationalist Party’s Simon Busuttil and David Casa and Labour’s Edward Scicluna – voted in favour. Croatia, which ended its accession negotiations earlier this year, is expected to hold a referendum to get its citizens’ consent to join the EU.

With a population of 4.5 million, Croatia applied for EU membership in 2003. It will be the second part of the former republic of Yugoslavia to join, following Slovenia, which joined together with Malta in 2004.

Croatian will also become an official language of the EU together with the other 23, including Maltese.