The OECD Council decided to open accession discussions with Croatia on 25 January 2022. On 10 June 2022, the Council adopted the Roadmap for the accession of Croatia to the OECD Convention [C/MIN(2022)23/FINAL] (the Roadmap) setting out the terms, conditions and process for accession to the OECD. The Roadmap provides that in order to allow the Council to take an informed decision on the accession of Croatia, Croatia will undergo in-depth reviews by OECD technical committees listed in the Roadmap, including the Committee for Agriculture (COAG).
This report was prepared to support the accession review discussion of the Committee for Agriculture with Croatia. It reflects information provided by Croatia in responses to an OECD questionnaire and subsequent follow-up, information collected at the OECD fact-finding mission to Croatia on 12-15 September 2023, as well as desk research and data collection by the OECD Secretariat. The report also reflects discussions held by the COAG on 23 May and 30 October 2024.
Over the past three decades, Croatia has achieved remarkable economic and social progress. Its agricultural policies and objectives have evolved significantly, shaped in part by key reforms undertaken during its accession to the World Trade Organization and the European Union. Reconciling agro-food productivity, sustainability and resilience is a challenge common to all countries, while also being unique to each country’s specific context and objectives. This report presents evidence and policy recommendations that aim to inform future actions by Croatia to improve the effectiveness of its agricultural and food policies, with a view to developing stronger and more integrated food systems, strengthening the enabling environment for agro-food growth, promoting environmental sustainability and resilience, and strengthening the agricultural knowledge and innovation system.
In accordance with paragraph 28 of the Roadmap and upon request of Croatia, the Committee for Agriculture agreed to declassify this report and publish it under the authority of the Secretary-General, in order to allow a wider audience to become acquainted with its content. Publication of this document and the analysis and recommendations contained therein do not prejudge in any way the outcome of evaluations conducted as part of Croatia’s accession process to the OECD.