The prospect of Croatian accession to the European Union in July 2013 comes ever closer. This morning I chaired the third meeting of the EESC’s Croatian Accession task force. We plan for the smoothest possible integration of our Croatian observers and, as of July 2013, our nine new Croatian members. That includes making sure that translators are in place in good time to translate essential documents (Rules of Procedure, for example) and thus, because translation is a Joint Service, also necessitates close cooperation with our sister advisory body, the Committee of the Regions. We considered the transition from the current Joint Consultative Committee (which will stand down). We also considered more esoteric issues such as whether the Committee’s structures need to be changed (probably only slightly, we think). All is on course for the happy arrival of our nine new members from what will be the European Union’s twenty-eighth member state.