Suchergebnisse

Awareness of the need for environmental protection must in Croatia be translated into a clear, overall and long-term concept, particularly because of the process of rapprochement with the European Union (EU), in which it is one of the key topics. This paper gives a brief review of the existing system of environmental protection in Croatia with emphasis on the institutional framework, the information system, the education system, and public participation. In the context of access to information and public participation, separate treatment is given to the Aarhus Convention, as well as to attitudes to this convention in Denmark, Estonia and Croatia. It is upon the basis of attitudes to Aarhus, one of the possible models for the democratisation of the process of environmental protection, that the final part of the paper draws certain conclusions and recommendations for political decision-makers and agencies in charge of implementing such decisions on Croatia's path to convergence with the EU.

This paper examines the issue of communicating Europe to the European public, the importance of which has been accentuated by the acknowledged existence of a communication gap in the European Union. The paper looks at the experience and practice in the field of communication and refers to evidence of how the EU, its member states, candidate countries as well as Croatia have so far communicated European issues to their publics. The findings suggest several conclusions. Firstly, the practices resorted to so far have had an impact on the democratic feature of the EU and the public support it has acquired, but also on its practical everyday functioning. Secondly, there are numerous elements that account for the difficulties that exist in making the communication of Europe truly successful. Thirdly, the Europeanisation of communication should be taken into consideration as a way of contributing to the filling of the communication gap. Communication focusing not only on teaching facts but also on raising people's interest about European issues has become an EU policy of growing importance and a crucial instrument for ensuring the future ability to justify and win support for the European integration project.

Borders can have a positive impact upon the economic activity of a region. The reduction of the barrier effect, as achieved in the European Union, has led to a diminution in non-homogeneities in the areas situated on different sides, as well to a decrease in discontinuity as regards the flows of goods, services and information. Among the other aspects that had a crucial impact upon the regions of Europe, one might include the achievement of the single market in 1992, the elimination of customs formalities and duties, and the harmonization and mutual recognition of technical rules in each Member State. A decisive influence in the transformation of border regions into areas of economic growth was the INTERREG program, which financed interpersonal exchange projects, infrastructure investments and institutional cooperation initiatives. Regions close to the EU's internal borders also benefit from medium- and long-term cross-border cooperation and integration mechanisms, which trigger dynamic development processes in these areas. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of the factors involved in the transformation of a border region into a space for active contact and communication between different interconnected economies. In this study, we aim to identify
the role of border and cross-border cooperation in the dynamics of border regions and to highlight the main typologies and theoretical models developed for border regions.

Reform of the Croatian legal system and the adjustment of its legislation to EU law is one of the main conditions for the Republic of Croatia to be able to join the Union. This paper analyses the existing requirements for gender equality inside the EU, the current situation in the applicant countries and the existing problems and challenges for states that are only on the way towards European integration. In the Republic of Croatia gender equality is not guaranteed to a sufficient
extent, which has resulted in negative public reactions from NGOs and organisations for the protection of human rights and the rights of women. In addition, individuals are exposed everyday to various forms of sexual harassment in the workplace, in schools, universities and public places. So far, except at the constitutional level, no kind of legal approach has been adopted to guarantee gender equality or freedom of sexual orientation, which is an obligation of Croatia according to international treaties and the SAA.

This paper discusses the opportunities for and obstacles in the way of a dialogue between the Croatian government and the non-governmental sector within the context of the European integration process. Although the development of civil society, the building of institutional
and administrative capacities and the strengthening of cross-sectoral dialogue are fundamental preconditions for the implementation of the overall adjustment to the EU, there is no clear list of priorities and demands on the basis of which it might be possible to monitor the progress
made in this area by candidate and potential applicant countries for membership. Because of the lack of any clearly defined acquis, several strategic documents of the European institutions and the existing literature about the advances made by applicant states will be used as a point
of departure for the analysis. The main guidelines for and obstacles to reform in this area in Croatia will be picked out in the light of the European criteria of good governance and the relevant experience of applicant countries.