Croatia

Country elects new president

Ivo Josipovic was elected the new president on 10 January. The pro-European candidate promised economic reforms and to fight against corruption, one of the conditions for entry into the European Union. The country has now closed more than half of the negotiation chapters for accession, which the country is aiming to achieve by January 2012. Meanwhile, the economy is showing very little signs of recovery, as recent growth data confirm that the economy is still mired in a deep recession.