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EU Accession and Croatian Rural Competitiveness

Croatia has just entered the negotiation phase for accession into the European Union. It now appears almost inevitable that Croatia will enter the EU. This will mean increased competition, and requirements for Croatian businesses and communities, especially in the rural context. The readiness and appropriate response of Croatian agriculture and rural communities must be analyzed and disseminated thoroughly now in order to prepare for this future. The authors believe that despite numerous hurdles many opportunities exist for Croatia to achieve rural competitiveness. Basic indicators of progress in rural development will be calculated or evaluated, particularly the improvement in the rural economy (performance of agricultural and non-agricultural activities), development of markets (improvement of accessibility), sustainable management of the resource base, policy and governance (decentralization, institutional framework). SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis will be used for comparing Croatian readiness and response to EU accession and case studies will highlight positive examples. Other Southeastern European countries will also be used as a basis of comparison. Finally, conclusions will be made and recommendations proposed for increasing Croatian competitiveness and preparation for EU accession.

EU Accession; Rural Development; Competitiveness; Croatia; SWOT Analysis

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