3. The Europeanization of the Croatian Political System

The chapter addresses the main institutional changes within the Croatian political system during the process of Croatian EU enlargement (2013), with the emphasis on key junctures and policy reorientations in the process of differential adaptation of new EU member states in general and especially some peculiarities in the case of Croatia. The chapter shows the periodization of three stages in the Croatian case: (1) short introduction in the period before the negotiation process, (2) negotiation process and the fulfillment of EU requirements, and (3) EU membership. In the research on Europeanization of the Croatian Political System this chapter follows the logic of key domestic factors with the qualities of multiple veto points, political and organization cultures, facilitating institutions, the differential empowerment of domestic actors, and learning. Differences in the Croatian case are deeply connected with the key concept in Europeanization studies—the “goodness of fit” between the EU requirements and domestic institutions and practices, developed by different scholars in the field.