( CNN ) -- Croatians voted Sunday in support of their country 's bid to join the European Union , paving the way for the southern European nation to become the alliance 's 28th member . According to official results , posted on a government website , about 66 % of voters backed Croatia 's entry into the EU and 33 % sided against the move . Turnout was about 44 % . Already a member of NATO , Croatia is now poised to join an EU bloc that includes its neighbors Slovenia and Hungary . It is one of five nations listed as `` candidate countries '' on the European Union 's website . Last December , Croatian leaders signed an accession treaty paving the way for the nation 's entry . European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called that signing `` an outstanding moment for the European Union -- and for Croatia . '' `` Today , we all acknowledge the hard work Croatia has done and its crowning success , '' Barroso said in a December 9 statement . `` Croatia is the best proof of how strong and successful the transformative power of our enlargement policy can be . '' Years after initiating its bid , Croatia is on pace to `` rightly join our union '' on July 1 , 2013 , the European Commission president said . In that statement , Barroso alluded to the economic crisis affecting much of the eurozone , including bailouts of Greece , Ireland and Portugal . But he insisted that these issues should not halt the European Union 's expansion . `` Enlargement , provided that all the relevant conditions are met , will ... continue to serve as an anchor of stability , a driver of democracy and the rule of law , '' he said . `` We should therefore not let the economic crisis overshadow this very important European policy . ''
A majority of Croatians vote in support of the nation 's entry into the European Union . Croatian leaders signed an accession treaty in December to join the EU . The country is currently negotiating with Brussels over a number of issues, including its financial obligations and membership negotiations.