Review article
EU PUBLIC PROCUREMENT REFORM AND ITS REFLECTIONS IN SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE: IS CROATIA READY?
Ema Menđušić Škugor
; Topić & Bahtijarević d.o.o. Law Firm, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The 2014 reform of the European Union procurement directives represents a significant, resounding leap towards an upgraded public spending sector. After a decade of successful implementation, the previous directives were modernized in an attempt to enhance efficiency and transparency in procurement procedures. As all other EU member states, Croatia is obligated to implement the directives in the prescribed implementation deadline, which is approaching swiftly. However, despite such a deadline, Croatia is only just turning its attention to the necessary harmonization. Statistical data and case studies show numerous shortcomings in the current system of Croatian public spending, and indicate that there may not be enough time to rectify them. Historical tendencies demonstrate that Croatia nurtures a tradition of harmonization devoid of side activities to ensure successful implementation and harmonization often occurs solely on paper. With this in mind, this paper represents, other than an introduction of the latest changes in EU public procurement and the events which lead to them, it highlights the most signifi cant defects of the Croatian public procurement and strive to identify why it could prove diffi cult to correct solely by implementing the new directives to the Croatian law.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
141601
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2015.
Visits: 1.284 *