This volume draws particular attention to the challenges entailed in participation in the accession process and in relations with European countries, irrespective of Croatia’s membership status. It tries to answer questions about: the place of Croatia in Europe; the problems of its economy; the nature of its political elite and the views of its citizens, and institutions’ capacities to adapt to requirements of modern and open societies. Irrespective of the membership status, there are possibilities for Croatia to participate and even to try to act as leader in some fields and Croatian experts could participate in and contribute to the discussions of EU-relevant topics. The key words missing in almost all investigated fields are implementation, enforcement and action plans. As the end of negotiations will more depend on the implementation than on the mere adoption of EU requirements, Croatia should turn to an “as soon as ready” instead of an “as soon as possible” policy.

Full PDF