Master of European Studies, MES University of Zagreb, 2007 CROATIAN EXPERIENCES IN THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION PROCESS 2

2. Content of the presentation Postupak pristupanja EU Pregovaracki proces Hrvatske o punopravnom clanstvu u EU Koraci na putu za clanstvo u EU Organizacija procesa, strukture, provedba Lakša i teža pregovaracka podrucja Iskustva iz prethodnog proširenja

8. Preparations for negotiations Croatia-EU European Union Pre-accesion Strategy (2004) Accession Partnership Negotiation Framework (June 2005) Negotiation infrastructure Regular reports Screening reports Benchmarks Croatia Negotiation structures, working groups Strategic documents NPAA, PEP, SDF Political concensus of all parliamentary parties National Committee for monitoring negotiations Resolution on EU integration National Forum for Accession

14. What is negotiated? Conditions under which a Candidate Country will be included into the EU (transitional periods and derogations) No “classical” negotiations, but adapting to the legal, economic and social system and the values of the EU Real negotiations are only in “financially heavy” Chapters – regional policy, agriculture, state aid, budget

15. General rules Acquis is (largely) non-negotiable EU Member States will impose transitional arrangements if under domestic pressure to do so Concessions granted to candidate countries in case of: it does not distort competition in single market vital national issues involved issues unimportant for EU Member States limited financial costs involved

21. Transitional periods

22. Transitional periods

23. Transitional periods

24. No concessions negotiated (granted) Statistics Industrial policy Small and medium-sized enterprises Science and research Education and training Culture and audio-visual Consumers and health protection External economic relations Common foreign and security policy

26. Criteria for evaluating the progress Copenhagen criteria SAP criteria Cooperation with ICTY Regional cooperation Solving of border disputes Progress in implementating SAA and Accession Partnership Negotiation framework criteria

35. Provisional chapter closure EUCP gives detailed explanation closing, not closing As many rounds of negotiations as necessary Preconditions for provisional chapter closure High level of preparations Benchmarks met Transitional measures agreed Nothing is agreed untill everything is agreed

36. Closing stage of negotiations Final consultations - on the margins of European Council Solving the budgetary issues, “package deal” agreed Agriculture and Regional policy – dependant od budgetary issues Closing all negotiation chapters Assent of European Parliament Accession treaty and date of accession agreed Drafted by EC, includes all negotiated measures, technical adaptations listed in separate act, institutional aspects, interim procedures) Ratification of the accession Treaty by all 25 MS, the European Parliament and by the Candidate Country

37. Negotiation structures in Croatia State Delegation Head of Delegation, deputy – Chief negotiator Coordination of negotiations Negotiation team Workig groups (Chapters) Office of Chief negotiator Secterariat of Negotiation Team Parliamentary Committe for EI National Committe for Monitoring Negotiations 13 negotiators, 35 heads of WGs

43. Preconditions for success in negotiations 1. Negotiations + reforms + communication Open and transparent process, participation of experts Transparency 2. Transposition + implementation + enforcement! Coordination system Better regulation, RIA Moving from technical adoption of legal acts to its implementation and development of policies 3. Quality Quality of reforms more important than speed 4. Human resources management Keeping well trained staff within the process 5. Realistic approach (without raising expectations to high)

44. Judiciary reform: improving property and creditor rights Public administration reform: depoliticisise and reorganise public administration, reducing costs, training of judges Continuation of fiscal consolidation and stability oriented macroeconomic policy Financial markets development Improving business environment: creating conditions to attract investment and promote growth Accelerating privatisation and enterprise restructuring, corporate governance Infrastructure (energy, telecommunications)