The Republic Of Croatia Before Its Entry Into The Eu: Expectations And Limits

The Republic of Croatia becomes a full member of the European Union on 1 July 2013. That goal was set more than two decades ago. To some extent it was delayed by social and political circumstances and also because of the slow process in adapting to the legal requirements of the European Union. At the same time, we were witness to and participants in the greatest economic crisis in Europe and the rest of the world since the Great Depression of 1929. That crisis demands adequate responses and solutions. But in the period since 2008 until today Croatia has not succeeded, either in absolute or in relative terms, in fi nding adequate responses. Therefore, the main theme of this work is to suggest what to do and how it should be done, and by what means and with what instruments the crisis can be overcome, while also providing an analysis of the current situation. The effects of the crisis can be seen in the constantly increasing rate of unemployment, the continual declinen GDP, and reduced share of exports to the European Union and the rest of the world, and the ever greater diffi culties in maintaining financial equilibrium at the level of meeting the total obligations from the category of public expenditure. The work also emphasizes the areas and measures that are not only necessary but imperative to implement in order to achieve a successful economic turnaround. The achievement of such a turnaround in the economic sphere is also necessary as the foundation for maintaining social stability and social cohesion. Recent examples – Greece, Portugal, and Spain – have demonstrated all of the negative eff ects of the extended economic crisis: emigration and negative trends, and the further erosion of the overall value system. Therefore, finding adequate responses to achieve this turnaround is the fundamental responsibility of the protagonists of economic policy within each individual country.