Republic of Croatia 2007 Pre-Accession Economic Programme

Abstract

The framework and goals of the economic policy of the Republic of Croatia are defined in a series of strategic documents of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, namely: the Strategic Development Framework for 2006-2013, the Economic and Fiscal Policy Guidelines for 2008-2010, and the Pre-accession Economic Programme (PEP). Those documents provide the basis for the implementation of the economic policy in the next medium-term period, and they are prepared through consultations between the state administration bodies and employers’ and unions’ representatives. The Strategic Development Framework for 2006-2013 is the main strategic document which defines the priority areas of action and the economic policy goals until 2013. The Economic and Fiscal Policy Guidelines provide a three-year fiscal framework for the implementation of the mentioned goals and measures. This year’s PEP for 2008-2010 builds on these two documents and defines the macroeconomic and fiscal framework for the forthcoming three-year period, the priority areas of the policy of the Croatian Government, the order of those priorities, as well as the specific measures necessary for successful implementation of the structural economic reforms. In the period until 2010, the main economic policy goal is to ensure stable and sustainable economic growth, while at the same time reducing unemployment and increasing employment, and to strengthen competitiveness of the Croatian economy. During this period, the acceleration of economic growth is planned to the level of seven percent, while the unemployment rate is expected to drop below seven percent.