The Role of the Croatian Parliament (Hrvatski Sabor) During Negotiations and After Full Membership in the EU

Abstract

When joining the EU, a relatively large number of reforms and adjustments are required from the candidate country, with the national parliaments bearing significant responsibility. Since various sections of European legislation had previously been one chapter spread into multiple chapters, the Acquis was broken into 35 chapters for the negotiations with Croatia rather than the standard 31. The choice to divide some chapters was made in light of the difficult and large-scale prior experiences. At first, Croatia had intended to finish the negotiations in time to join the EU in 2007 together with Bulgaria and Romania. However, on several issues, the negotiations proved to be more difficult than anticipated. National parliaments, in cooperation with their governments, are expected to deal with the process of harmonisation with the EU acquis, as well as the harmonisation of Constitutional provisions with EU law. One of the first steps in the process of preparation for EU membership on the part of the Sabor was the establishment of the new parliamentary European Affairs Committee, as a special body of the Sabor whose main function will be the assessment of all regulations and laws that require harmonisation with European legislation. A key step in the aforementioned procedure was the adaptation or amendment of the Constitutional provisions, primarily those that determined the valid constitutional and legal basis for the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the EU. This paper examines how the EU accession process influenced the role of the Sabor, particularly in strengthening democratic legitimacy and its capacity for European affairs. It explores how accession reshaped the Sabor’s legislative and oversight functions, proposing that the process served as a catalyst for its modernisation and enhanced democratic accountability, making Croatia’s experience a valuable reference for future EU candidates.