Pre-Accession Human Rights Record: Assessing the Scope of Conditionality in the Field of Human Rights Promotion and Protection in Croatia
Pre-Accession Human Rights Record: Assessing the Scope of Conditionality in the Field of Human Rights Promotion and Protection in Croatia

Summary/Abstract: A country aspiring to become a European Union member must ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, consolidation of democracy and the rule of law, along numerous other economic and legislative criteria. The part of pre-accession standards that have to be achieved, known as political criteria, are the topic of the present paper that aims at assessing the scope of conditionality in the field of human rights promotion and protection in Croatia. The first part of the paper offers a chronological overview of the recent EU policies vis-à-vis Croatia, particularly regarding human rights requirements the country was asked to fulfil in order for the accession negotiations to be opened. In the second part, the paper deals with actual human rights situation in the country, with special emphasis on several critical registered human rights violations that were registered in previous years. The third part of the paper analyses civil society in general, arguing that the civil sector has accepted the challenge of the pre-accession process, positively responding to funding opportunities that come along with it.

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