Jems
Today, Croatia celebrates the twelfth anniversary of its accession to the European Union—a milestone that capped a decade of reform, modernization, and alignment with European values.
Since joining the EU on 1 July 2013, the country has recorded substantial economic and social progress. GDP per capita has grown from 61% to over 77% of the EU average, rising from 16,100 to 30,500 euro. Unemployment has dropped dramatically from over 17% to around 4%, while exports and tourism have reached record levels.
Over 17 billion euro in EU funding has been invested in key sectors such as infrastructure, innovation, digitalization, environmental protection, and social development.
In moments of crisis, such as the 2020 earthquakes, the EU’s Solidarity Fund provided over 1 billion euro in aid, embodying the true meaning of European unity and support.
Interreg programmes
In the border areas of Croatia several Interreg programmes have been implemented: Italy-Croatia, Slovenia-Croatia and Hungary-Croatia managed by the partner countries. However, with the accession of Croatia to the EU, two more Interreg cross-border cooperation programmes, Croatia-Serbia and Croatia-Bosnia and Herzegovina-Montenegro, have been established and are managed by Croatia.
The Interreg IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Croatia – Serbia 2014-2020 enabled the implementation of 48 EU projects with an investment of 30,9 million euro from the EU funds in the following areas: Improving the quality of public social and health services, environment and energy, tourism and cultural heritage, and entrepreneurship.
In the 2021-2027 financial period, 34,8 million euro is available from EU funds for cross-border projects through four key priorities: Cooperating for smarter programme area; Cooperating for greener and climate change resilient programme area; Cooperating for healthier and more inclusive programme area and Cooperating for more sustainable and socially innovative tourism and culture.
Croatia’s journey over the past twelve years stands as a testament to the enduring value of EU membership.
