The Council adopted a decision at the General Affairs meeting approving Croatia's admission to the European Union. MEPs approved Croatia's accession as the 28th member of the EU 1 December. The next step will be to sign the accession treaty at the 8-9 December European Council meeting, after which it can be ratified by all 27 Member States and Croatia itself will hold a referendum. Croatia is expected to join the EU on 1 July 2013.

The General Affairs Council meeting ended with the decision approving Croatia's admission to the EU. Parliament gave its consent to Croatia’s EU membership, as required by the treaties, in a vote in plenary session on 1 December. A Treaty of Accession is scheduled for signature on 9 December in Brussels. Croatia will be a member of the EU as of 1 July 2013, if it is ratified by all 27 Member States.

The Council welcomed the completion of the work on the Accession Treaty at the General Affairs meeting. Accession negotiations were closed on 30 June. The Council also noted with satisfaction the positive Opinion of the Commission of 12 October 2011, the European Parliament's consent of 1 December 2011, and looks forward to the signature of the Accession Treaty on 9 December 2011 in Brussels. Pending the successful conclusion of ratification procedures, the Council looks forward to welcoming Croatia as a new member as of 1 July 2013. MEPs also welcome the conclusion of the accession negotiations, urge Croatians to turn out for the EU referendum and vote for the accession treaty, and call on Member States to complete the ratification process swiftly. They look forward to receiving Croatian observers in Parliament.

On the other hand, MEPs invite Croatia to tackle remaining challenges, especially concerning judicial reform and the fight against corruption and organised crime. They urge Croatia to step up its efforts to prosecute war crimes, comply with all International Criminal Tribunal recommendations for the former Yugoslavia and encourage the return of war refugees, especially Serbs. They also call on Croatia to continue making structural reforms to its economy, stimulate employment by reviving the labour market and pursue fiscal consolidation in order to boost competitiveness.