Research Fellow
Central European Department
[1] The survey was conducted by the Mediana agency. See D. Butković, “Only 23% of Croatians Support EU Accession! As Many as 95% Consider the Ruling Unjust,” Jutarnji, April 16, 2011, jutarnji.hr.
[2] “Standard Eurobarometer 80 – Fall 2013,” The European Commission, December 2013, europa.eu.
[3] “Standard Eurobarometer 98 – Winter 2022–2023,” The European Commission, February 2023, europa.eu.
[4] “Corruption Perceptions Index – Croatia,” Transparency International, transparency.org.
[5] See “Real GDP per capita,” ec.europa.eu/eurostat.
[6] Data from: “Share of travel and tourism’s total contribution to GDP in European Union member countries (EU 27) and the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019 and 2022,” Statista, 2023, statista.com.
[7] “Tourism is more than just a leisure activity; it requires a skilled and qualified workforce,” The Ministry of Tourism and Sport of Croatia, May 29, 2023, mint.gov.hr.
[8] “Popis 2021,” Croatian Bureau of Statistics, dzs.gov.hr.
[9] Z. Galić, “The Brain Drain: Inflows, but Also Corruption, and a General Sense of Intolerance in Society…,” Ideje.hr, November 14, 2019, ideje.hr.
[10] Report on the Use of European and Structural Funds, The Croatian Parliament, April 2021, via: strukturnifondovi.hr.
[11] Introducing the 2021 annual reports of the European Court of Auditors (ECA), eca.europa.eu.
[12] The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) accused the former minister of defrauding the national and EU budgets by purchasing software at an inflated price. See “Four arrested for suspected fraud at the Croatian Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds,” November 10, 2021, eppo.europa.eu.
[13] “Croatia Has Accelerated the Absorption of European Union Cohesion Fund Resources; 12 EU Countries Lag Behind Croatia,”
The Ministry for Regional Development and EU Funds, November 3, 2022, razvoj.gov.hr.
[14] Under the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz, the Republic of Dubrovnik ceded a strip of the Adriatic coast, including Neum, to the Ottoman Empire in order to separate itself from the Republic of Venice. The area later became part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
[15] Convergence Program of the Republic of Croatia for 2023–2025, Ministry of Finance of Croatia, April 2022, available at: commission.europa.eu.
[16] Bosnia and Herzegovina is a federal state consisting of two entities: the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The latter is mainly populated by Croats and Muslims.
[17] Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recent population census was conducted in 2013, so the country's current ethnic composition may differ significantly from that presented in this paper.
[18] The office was established under the Dayton Agreement. The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina has extensive legislative authority and the power to remove politicians from office in both constituent entities of the country.
[19] For example, Schmidt exercised his prerogatives on election night in October 2022, when he pushed through an amendment regarding the composition of the upper house of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s parliament. The change granted a privileged position within this entity to politicians from HDZ BiH, the main party of the Bosnian Croats.