U očekivanju SAPARD-a: rješenja EU-a nasuprot domaćim očekivanjima
Expecting SAPARD in Croatia: EU Solutions versus National Aspirations

Summary/Abstract: Experts in the field of agriculture and rural areas believe that the transitional period brings positive changes in rural areas, helping their easier integration into global society. One of the integration instruments is the pre-accession program for agriculture and rural development – SAPARD. This research is focused on characteristics of the encounter of different organizational cultures, the "Western" European on the one hand, and our "Eastern" on the other, in the process of expecting SAPARD. The research was conducted at three levels, from institutional to producers’: representatives from the state and local administration were interviewed, as well as the representatives of farmers interested in SAPARD. The research results point out that in practice, during the SAPARD implementation, the same problems will arise as in other countries that have used it: complex administrative and organizational procedures, financial criteria, insufficient national budget for co-financing. Moreover, these problems will in Croatia be burdened by a very short period for its utilization, so SAPARD is not expected to be the program for agricultural and rural development, but the program for building up business discipline and cooperation according to European standards. The research shows that the Western influence is very welcome in re-shaping Croatian standards, which in time will contribute to the realization of the EU objectives of convergence and cohesion.

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