The Lion & The Ringmaster: Croatia's Accession to the European Union
July 1, 2013 marked Croatia's official induction into the European Union. For Croatia this was the culmination of a long negotiation process filled with concessions and challenges. This situation inspired the question of how Croatia's alliance with the EU has affected the state? In order to analyze this relationship the aspects of Croatian identity and sovereignty were explored, in addition to the EU's principles and problems regarding member and candidate states. The evidence found within this investigation came from a number of literary sources ranging from the academic to official government documents. Furthermore, nine interviews were conducted within Croatia, which explored how the EU's influence has affected the Croatian state. Through this research it was conclusively found that Croatia's alliance with the EU creates problems and exasperates existing issues within the country. Furthermore, this situation showcases a pattern of discrimination within the EU that benefits Western European EU states at the expense of its Central and Eastern counterparts. As a result, the recommendations would be to promote awareness of the double standards and discriminations occurring within the EU, which victimize Central and Eastern European states, so that these countries may be able to preserve their identity and sovereignty.
Between Europhobia and Europhilia: Party and popular attitudes towards membership of the European union in Serbia and Croatia
Abstract The overall societal consensus on the positive implication of the process of Europeanisation in the Central East European states has been recently questioned by the rise of Euro-sceptic stances. The focus of this paper is a study of domestic political and public attitudes towards the European Union (EU) in Serbia and Croatia, with a special reference to the Euro-sceptic stances. The specific nature of Serbian and Croatian Euro-scepticism is determined by two principal factors – the unfavourable position both countries have regarding European Union membership and the aftermath of the 1990s war, which impeded the process of European integration. The paper offers a two-dimensional conceptualisation of attitudes towards EU membership, which range from outright rejection, to unquestioned support. Since the position of different social actors towards European Union membership is not consistent, the paper identifies a shift in the attitudes of the main societal actors over time, in this case towards a more pro-EU stance. It also discusses the attitudes of a broad range of social groups; influential individuals; people of science and culture; and national churches and citizens.
A sustainable development indicator for NGOs and international organisations
The article offers an easy-to-use indicator for measuring whether NGOs, international organisations and government policies and projects meet the criteria for sustainable development that have been established by the Rio Declaration in 1992 and that are recognised by experts in the field. Use of this indicator reveals that most of the major actors in the field of development are actually failing to promote sustainable development and points to the specific areas where they need to improve in order to fulfil sustainability criteria. We also offer a sample test of the indicator using UNICEF as a case study.