According to a European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) special report, the pre-accession assistance managed by the European Commission has made an important contribution to building up Croatia’s capacity for managing post-accession funding. Even so, ECA also reports that the intended results of some projects still need to be safeguarded.

The European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) special report examines whether EU pre-accession assistance has been effective in supporting Croatia prepare for managing EU funds after accession. The audit findings are based on an analysis of the documents relating to the programming and implementation of the pre-accession assistance, audits of a sample of 16 projects, interviews with Commission staff, and interviews with the Croatian ministries, agencies and regional and local authorities involved in the management of EU funds. The 2007 annual report of the Instrument for Structural Policy for Pre-Accession showed only actions results in Croatia.

The audit findings show that assistance to address Croatia’s capacity building needs has been soundly planned by the Commission and the Croatian authorities. In addition, EU assistance has made an important contribution to building up Croatia’s capacity for managing post-accession funding, including through learning by doing. However, implementation in the rural development sector has suffered from low absorption rates, and the intended results of some projects still need to be safeguarded. On the other hand, although important steps have been taken to strengthen the anti-corruption body, significant challenges remain.

Bearing in mind these results, the European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) recommends to the Commission and Croatian authorities to increase the priority given to building up procurement capacity by implementing plans for on- and off-the-job training; take greater steps to meet capacity building needs at regional and local level; build up a portfolio of mature projects to be able to fully absorb the increased post-accession funding available; and strengthen anti-corruption measures.