The European Union is welcoming the Croatian vote supporting membership in the bloc, which opens the way for the Balkan country to join in 2013. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Monday she was pleased with the result of the ballot. Just 44 percent of eligible voters participated in Sunday's referendum. About two-thirds backed Croatia's membership in the EU, the Associated Press reported. Earlier, EU President Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, head of the bloc's executive commission, said in a joint statement that EU membership will open up new opportunities for Croatia and secure its stability and prosperity. Croatia will become the EU's 28th member in July 2013, after all the bloc's states ratify the accession treaty.
