When Croatia became the 28th member of the European Union on July 1, it indelibly changed the shape of the group.
Specifically, its perimeter was extended in the south to a new 197-mile border with Serbia, a 628-mile border with Bosnia-Herzegovina, a 14-mile border with Montenegro, and 1,104 miles of coast along the Adriatic Sea.
As Croatia’s border changes from being the edge of an independent nation to the frontier of the EU, it has caused delays in trade with surrounding countries. On Tuesday, trucks trying to enter Croatia from Serbia through the Batrovci-Bajakovo crossing were backed up for 15 kilometers (9 miles) waiting to get through customs.