ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the impact of the European Union’s enlargement policy on Croatia, which became a Member State in July 2013. It is argued that the EU has had an effect on political and social changes in Croatia. There are at least three areas in which one can find the impact of the EU, and more specifically the impact of its normative power: the shift in Croatian foreign policy, the modernization of parts of the civil service, and an overall democratic orientation. However, the question of sustainability of the effect and its potential for self-perpetuation does not have not a final answer – the accession only took place in July 2013. In Croatia, the areas where this sustainability is most in question are those of minority rights and the problem of corruption.
