bbc news
10 January 2011 Last updated at 01:43 GMT
Croatia hopes to wrap up negotiations on joining the European Union in the coming year, but many in the country are sceptical about the idea, as the BBC's Mark Lowen reports from Zagreb.
The milk must be heated to just the right temperature, the salt added at exactly the right time.
The milk must be heated to just the right temperature, the salt added at exactly the right time.
The stirring, the draining, the cooling - each step has been mastered by Mario Pecnik and his wife as they lovingly produce their creamy cottage cheese. It is a great Croatian tradition, known for its soft, sweet taste.
But Mario has recently had to spend 400,000 kuna ($72,000; £46,000) upgrading his facilities to satisfy European standards, so as to receive EU subsidies.
He says that while he has managed it, older, smaller producers will not be able to afford the change and will simply die out.
"It was a really big shock when we realised what needed to change," he says.
"For us it's made things better, but others haven't accepted it well. They won't adapt, so they'll be forced to close... I completely understand their anger with EU demands."'Keeping momentum'
That fear of change, that pride in local traditions goes some way towards explaining the apparent widespread Euroscepticism here.
But Mario has recently had to spend 400,000 kuna ($72,000; £46,000) upgrading his facilities to satisfy European standards, so as to receive EU subsidies.
He says that while he has managed it, older, smaller producers will not be able to afford the change and will simply die out.
"It was a really big shock when we realised what needed to change," he says.
"For us it's made things better, but others haven't accepted it well. They won't adapt, so they'll be forced to close... I completely understand their anger with EU demands."'Keeping momentum'
That fear of change, that pride in local traditions goes some way towards explaining the apparent widespread Euroscepticism here.
Croatia is hoping to wrap up membership negotiations with the EU and sign its accession treaty this year, allowing it to become the 28th member of the bloc in 2012.
But recent polls suggest a majority of the public is apathetic - even hostile - to the idea of joining.
According to one survey, just 38% would vote to join. Another shows only 26% think it is a good idea - although the government cites a more favourable poll.
A referendum on membership will soon be held, but Andrej Plenkovic, the state secretary for EU integration, is confident most Croatians will vote "yes" when the time comes.
"I believe the opinion polls are only a snapshot in a certain period of time," he tells me.
"We are taking them seriously, but we have a task of keeping a momentum and trying to explain to the Croatian voters the benefits of joining."
I ask why those in favour have dropped from a high of about 80% a few years ago to today's level.
"If we had joined together with the ten countries back in 2004, this support would have been higher," he says.
"For the average voter it's difficult to remain equally enthusiastic after so many postponements."...more...
But recent polls suggest a majority of the public is apathetic - even hostile - to the idea of joining.
According to one survey, just 38% would vote to join. Another shows only 26% think it is a good idea - although the government cites a more favourable poll.
A referendum on membership will soon be held, but Andrej Plenkovic, the state secretary for EU integration, is confident most Croatians will vote "yes" when the time comes.
"I believe the opinion polls are only a snapshot in a certain period of time," he tells me.
"We are taking them seriously, but we have a task of keeping a momentum and trying to explain to the Croatian voters the benefits of joining."
I ask why those in favour have dropped from a high of about 80% a few years ago to today's level.
"If we had joined together with the ten countries back in 2004, this support would have been higher," he says.
"For the average voter it's difficult to remain equally enthusiastic after so many postponements."...more...
read more: bbc news
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