Decentralisation and regional policy in Croatia: the impact of EU accession and the prospect of territorial reorganisation

The paper sets out the main elements of the decentralisation and regional policy in Croatia. It describes the inherited as well as current circumstances influencing both policies, and provides an overview of the institutions involved in their implementation. It comments on some of their major drawbacks, and analyses the driving forces promoting administrative and fiscal decentralisation, the new territorial organisation, and the implementation of the new regional policy. The paper investigates the relationship between decentralisation and the new regional policy. The study is based on a literature review and on interviews with the key actors at national and local government levels, as well as with several non-governmental organisations. The paper concludes with some recommendations on future policy development.