Croatia the Presentation of the Countrys Main Policies and Domains - Essay Example

Croatia – the Presentation of the Country’s Main Policies and Domains Introduction - Croatia Croatia is a country situated in southeastern Europe with an area of 21,851 sq mi. As of 2005, its population was 4,440,000. The capital and the only major city is Zagreb, and the people are mainly Croats, and a Serbian minority. The official language is Croatian, and the major religions in Croatia are Christianity and Islam. The Croats are Roman Catholics, while the Serbs are Eastern Orthodox (Croatia officially Republic of Croatia). The currency of Croatia is kuna. The major regions in this country are Dalmatia, Istria, and Croatia – Slavonia. Istria and Dalmatia are coastal regions located at the west and south respectively. These two regions extend over the rough Adriatic coast. Its central regions contain densely wooded mountains in Lika and Gorski Kotar which are part of the Dinaric Alps mountain range (Croatia officially Republic of Croatia). The Northeast region comprises of fertile agricultural land, and cattle breeding, constitutes an important economic activity. Fruits are produced in the central mountain belt; and Istria and Dalmatia produce grapes and olives, in abundance. Croatia’s major industries are food processing, wine, textiles, chemicals, petroleum and natural gas. It is a parliamentary republic with a unicameral legislature. The head of the Croatian state is the President and the Prime Minister is the head of the government (Croatia officially Republic of Croatia). In the 7th century AD, the southern Slavic people migrated to Croatia, where they formed a dukedom, under Charlemagne’s rule in the 8th century AD. In the 10th century, they converted to Christianity, and established their own kingdom. Croatia remained an independent state, under the ruling of native kings. In 1102 AD, Croatia came under Hungarian rule. However, institutions of the Croatians survived even under the rule of the Hungarian dynasty. Gradually, its territory was relocated, and moved towards the north and west. In 1420, its Dalmatia region was appropriated by Venice. The conquests of the Ottoman Empire further reduced its territory, in the 16th century (Croatia officially Republic of Croatia). In the same period, the Austrian Habsburgs occupied the remaining area of Croatia and brought it under their rule. In 1867 Croatia became part of the Austro – Hungarian Empire. Its major regions Dalmatia and Istria were ruled by Vienna and Croatia – Slavonia. In 1918, after Austria – Hungary was defeated in the First World War; Croatia formed the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes by merging with southern Slavic territories. In 1929, this kingdom was renamed as Yugoslavia (Croatia officially Republic of Croatia). During the World War II, Germany and Italy established an independent state of Croatia by combining together Croatia – Slavonia, Dalmatia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. However, after the war, Croatia was made part of Yugoslavia, and enjoyed that status of a people’s republic. In 1991, Croatia declared its independence; and the Croatian Serbs under the aegis of the Yugoslav army launched armed conflicts and insurrections to reclaim some of their territory. Finally, by 1995, Croatia had successfully regained most of its lost territory (Croatia officially Republic of Croatia). The government of Croatia recognized that science, technology, and education are important factors that promote economic growth and bring about the transition from an industry based economy to a knowledge based economy. It was also understood that these factors were instrumental in the process of integration to the EU. All the same, Croatia labors under a poor record in terms of progress achieved in science and research systems, in comparison to the other developed nations. This is because it does not have a coherent and consistent scientific policy, and its quality control mechanisms are of a poor standard. The evaluation standards of Croatia are incompatible with international standards; and funding to these areas is significantly lesser than in any other Member State of the EU (Puljak and Sapunar). The Ministry of Science, Education, and Sports of the Republic of Croatia had sponsored the First Congress of Croatian Scientists from the Homeland and Abroad in 2004. This meeting, which was organized in Vukovar, called upon the Croatian scientists to further the strategic plans for developing Croatian scientific and academic policy. This conference was the first serious endeavor of the Ministry to coordinate the efforts of Croatian scientists, and to bring them onto one platform (Puljak and Sapunar). In May 2007, the Ministry organized the Second Congress, in Split. The results of these conferences have not yet been assessed. However, they had a remarkable impact on science in Croatia. They have generated considerable public interest towards science, and have encouraged Croatian scientists to exchange opinions through online forums and newspaper articles. Unfortunately, these opinions and publications generally resemble articles in the yellow press and their academic level is woefully beneath the accepted academic standards (Puljak and Sapunar). The HIV problem is negligible in Croatia, and the epidemiological trends are quite stable. The risks of HIV outbreaks have been assessed as moderate. The main concentration is among populations with high risk behavior. However, the prevalence of HIV has remained below 1%, even in the high risk groups, since 1991; despite the fact that Croatia has large number of heroin addicts. In 2006, medical care was provided to 376 Croats with the HIV infection. To this end, Croatia established a centralized system of medical care; and the University Hospital of Infectious Diseases at Zagreb, provides medical treatment to HIV/AIDS patients. These patients are not required to produce any referral to the HIV/AIDS Centre (World Health Organization). The public health system provides treatment to patients of HIV/AIDS, and provides them with access to specialized treatment. In 2002, 148 patients were provided with the HAART treatment. In 2007, 310 patients of HIV/AIDS were given the HAART treatment. Nearly 80% of the HIV/AIDS patients are male. A half of these patients were infected with HIV, on account of heterosexual contact, and 8% were infected due to the injection of drugs (World Health Organization). Croatia’s cultural policies are aimed at quickening the pace of institutional decentralization to accommodate the private sector’s participation in cultural policy. In this endeavor, it is encouraging the private sector to establish private theaters, museums, and galleries. The government has commenced additional reform to the legislation on culture and media; and it is introducing a novel book policy with several schemes, such as fixed book price scheme (Screening report: Croatia). The Ministry of Culture is vested with the responsibility of developing and implementing cultural policies. It operates in coordination with various Cultural Councils. The top priorities of the government are integration with the EU, international cultural cooperation and enabling artists and cultural professional to travel without any restrictions. Its other objectives include further investment in infrastructure and ensuring access to cultural programs and activities. Croatia is striving hard to establish cultural diversity; and in order to do so, it is drafting several supporting programs and policies to ensure the protection and advancement of cultural diversity. There are sixteen minority groups that have been officially recognized by the Croatian government. The government is providing these groups with adequate funding (Screening report: Croatia). According to the New Family Act, a marriage is a union of man and woman for life. The Act supports the traditional concept of marriage. In Croatia, homosexual cohabitation does not have legal standing and has been legally proscribed. This prohibition reflects the view of the government, which considers traditional marriage as the bedrock of the family. The prohibition of homosexual cohabitation by the Croatian law is to ensure the continuation and wellbeing of the human race (Jakovac-Lozic). Croatia has no intention to legalize homosexual partnerships in the future. It does not want to change the perception of the people regarding traditional marriage. Moreover, there would be a public outcry against any move to legalize homosexual partnerships or any attempt to implement laws that supports same – sex cohabitation. This reflects the perception of traditional Croatian people with regard to the institution of marriage. However, the New Family Act provides some legal basis for homosexual partnerships by recognizing them as unmarried partnerships (Jakovac-Lozic). The rate of Croatia’s economic growth had declined in the second quarter of 2009. The domestic and foreign demand for Croatian products reduced in this period, in comparison to the first quarter. The Central Bureau of Statistics estimated that the GDP of Croatia had diminished by 6.3% in the second quarter, in comparison to the previous year’s GDP. In the first quarter, the reduction had been 6.7% of that of the previous year. Economic experts are of the opinion that Croatia’s economic recovery would be sluggish, despite the coming to a halt of the global recession. The industrial production had also diminished in 2009. However, there was some improvement in July, as the contraction had slowed down to 9% year-on-year. The contraction had been 13.7% in June (Croatia economy: The decline deepens). It is estimated that the domestic demand may not increase to give any appreciable momentum to industrial output, in the near future. All hopes are now placed on foreign demand for Croatian products, as some of the western European nations have gradually recovered from the effects of the global recession. The foreign demand is expected to increase industrial output in Croatia. As of June 2009 there were few industrial orders; and in July 2009, the total value of exports was 36.6% less than what it was at the same time in the previous year. This situation poses a threat to the Croatian industrial output, in the future (Croatia economy: The decline deepens). Croatia ratified 50 international conventions and agreements with regard to environmental protection. It has implemented several national environmental protection statutes for the protection of environment. It is a member of numerous international treaties. All these measures indicate that Croatia is fulfilling the required criteria to become a member of the EU. Croatia does not have an efficient infrastructure for the management of waste and water. However, its water quality is superior to that of any other European country and countries wishing to join the EU. Moreover, Croatia is concerned about sustainable development, as is evident from the keenness of its President to participate in the Johannesburg summit relating to sustainable development (BBC Monitoring Europe). Croatia is situated in central and eastern Europe. This feature provides it with a very important position in the European market. Moreover, Malaysia markets its products in Central and Eastern Europe through Croatia, which serves as the gateway for Malaysian exports to Europe. In return, Malaysia invests in Croatian oil and electricity. This provides some relief to Croatia from its growing problem of unemployment. The Croatian government is also considering private investments in agriculture, furniture, and ship building. It occupies the sixth position in the world and second position in Europe in the ship building sector. Croatia also produces transformers, electrical equipment and agricultural machinery. Furthermore, the Croatian pharmaceutical company, Pliva Pharmaceutical is the largest pharmaceutical company in Eastern Europe (Sun). Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanic, stated that the worst form of poverty faced by Croatia was its negative demographic trend. The number of newborn children was gradually decreasing in Croatia, and the strength of schools was on the decrease. Croatia has the lowest birth rate in the EU, and whilst the population of the EU is increasing, the Croatian population is decreasing. As of January 2008, the population of Croatia was 4.436 million, and its mortality rate was 11.9 per 1,000 inhabitants (BBC Monitoring Europe). Croatia is not under the threat of armed conflict with its neighboring countries. However, it is beset with rampant domestic organized crime. The risk from organized crime is high in Croatia. However, this problem provides an opportunity for it to bolster its security forces. The EU has taken an interest in helping Croatia to resolve this internal problem. Croatia is strengthening its defense industry, with the tentative help of the corporate sector. All these factors enhance its chances of accession to the EU (Executive Summary). Croatia had applied for membership to the EU in the year 2003. It is the second country of the former Yugoslav Republic, after Slovenia, to seek admittance to the prestigious European Union. Croatia is famous for its magnificent natural beauty and is a famous tourist resort (BBC NEWS). Conclusion; Croatia can be classified as an upper middle-income country with a well developed economy. Although it gained freedom in 1991, the year 2000 engendered a vast transformation. Subsequently, it aspired to become a Member State of the European Union with the potential to comply with the demands and standards of that exclusive membership. Thereafter, it forayed into the global markets and resumed economic relations with the South-eastern European countries, by executing the Stabilization and Association Agreement, in October 2005 (Kanchi). Although Croatia is eligible for becoming a Member State of the EU, it has to cross many barriers to do so. Croatia pursues a high standard of living by persistent economic development and powerful social bonding; and this stands to improve with membership of the EU. Works Cited BBC Monitoring Europe. "Cardinal says demographic deficit most urgent issue for Croatia." 1 January 2009. —. "Croatian president: Adjusting to EU standards includes protecting environment." 8 June 2002. BBC NEWS. Country profile: Croatia. 9 July 2009. 5 October 2009 . "Croatia economy: The decline deepens." EIU ViewsWire (Sep 18, 2009). Croatia officially Republic of Croatia. 2006. 4 October 2009 . "Executive Summary." Croatia Defence & Security Report (2007): Q3, p5-5, 1p; (AN 30041478). Jakovac-Lozic, Dijana. "Croatia's New Family Act and its Implications on Marriage and Other Forms of Family Life." California Western International Law Journal (2000): 31 Cal. W. Int'l L.J. 83 . Kanchi, Vamsee. Croatia Country Brief 2009. April 2009. 5 October 2009 < http://go.worldbank.org/NTDIRV42F0>. Puljak, Livia and Damir Sapunar. Turning Croatian Science into Policy. April 2008. 4 October 2009 . Screening report: Croatia. 13 February 2006. 4 October 2009 . Sun, Michael. "Croatia a gateway for Malaysian products." New Straits Times (Malaysia) (August 30, 2001, Pg. 26). World Health Organization. HIV/AIDS. 18 June 2008. 4 October 2009 . Read More