Croatia - Restructuring Public Finance to Sustain Growth and Improve Public Services : A Public Finance Review
The year 2000 was a turning point in Croatian history, marked by closing the chapter of the war and the first phase of transition. With that, the country turned its attention to the "second transition,"the principle goal of which is to pl...
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Format: | Public Expenditure Review |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2012
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2008/02/16209523/croatia-restructuring-public-finance-sustain-growth-improve-public-services-public-finance-review http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6252 |
Summary: | The year 2000 was a turning point in
Croatian history, marked by closing the chapter of the war
and the first phase of transition. With that, the country
turned its attention to the "second
transition,"the principle goal of which is to place
Croatia on a path to the European Union (EU). While opening
the economy to global markets through World Trade
Organization (WTO) and CEFTA memberships and reestablishing
cooperation with its Southeast European neighbors, the
signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA)
marked the first firm milestone on Croatia's path to
EU. In October 2005, Croatia opened EU accession
negotiations, with the screening phase concluded a year
after. Benefiting from successful economic transformation
and the EU accession negotiations, growth has remained
solid, and is roughly on par with the average for the
European transition countries. Inflation has been modest
despite higher prices for imported oil, and has been kept in
check partly due to exchange rate appreciation. In fact, the
central bank has intervened to prevent stronger appreciation
in the face of robust capital inflows. However, the oil and
commodity price increases and the aggregate demand pressures
have contributed to a widening of the current account
deficit in 2005-2007, despite somewhat tighter fiscal
policy. Building on this foundation, the Government has an
unparalleled opportunity to place Croatia on a sustainable
growth path to achieve better living standards for all and
to integrate into EU. To seize this opportunity, Croatia
needs to sustain macroeconomic stability and continue
creating a better climate for investment. In this context,
key priorities for the public sector will include: reducing
the size of the state and the fiscal deficit, and thereby
helping to increase private sector productivity and
competitiveness; and improving public sector efficiency and
effectiveness. This report will suggest ways in which these
twin priorities may best be addressed. |
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