Croatian Agriculture Towards World Market Liberalization

Due to the limited domestic market and a loss of traditional markets, Croatian economic development today is based on export orientation with an important role of agriculture. Since 1990’s Croatian economy began transformation from communistic economy towards a liberal market economy. At the same time, Croatia intensified association processes to world and European trade organizations (WTO in 2000, free trade agreements with some European countries, signing Stabilization and Association Agreement - SAA in 2001 as well as beginning of EU accession negotiation process in 2005). Croatian agriculture experienced numerous transitional problems (mentioned loss of traditional markets, failures in privatizing state-owned land, poorly organized markets, technological and educational limitations, producer insolvency, an export-import deficit etc). The aim of this paper is to explore limitations of Croatian agriculture as well as possibilities that come along with associations to world and European organizations and associations.