Fireworks lit the sky and festive crowds gathered on the streets to mark Croatia's entry into the European Union, a major milestone some 20 years after the country won independence in a bloody civil war that shook the continent. Croatia became the 28th EU member, the bloc's first addition since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007. Though enthusiasm for the country's achievement has been dampened by the EU's financial turmoil, it is a historic turning point for the small Balkan nation of 4.2 million, which endured years of carnage after declaring independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. "As midnight struck, your country crossed an important threshold," European Council President...
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