CROATIA: ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF EU ACCESSION

The analyses of researchers who manifested an interest in the study of the Balkan history and especially of the ex-Yugoslavian space always contained an exception: Croatia. Over the years it became more and more obvious that Croatia’s destiny was a particular one and that this country would become a model of modernization for the other states in the region. For Croatia, the perspective of the European Union membership represents an additional driving force for reforms and modernization, requiring fundamental adjustments to the European governance principles and standards, as well as strengthening the administrative capacities, promoting horizontal decentralization and strengthening the role of local and regional self-government for the successful implementation of the “acquis communautaire” within a relatively short period of time. Missing the 2004 enlargement process, Croatia is today in a position to learn the lessons of that accession: not only how to negotiate but also how to implement necessary reforms in the best possible way.