Horopakha S. Integration of the Republic of Croatia into the European Union

The thesis provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of process of the Croatian integration into the European Union in 1992 - 2013. On July 1, 2013, the Republic of Croatia officially became the 28th member of the European Union. This event was marked by a huge country`s achievement in rejecting the legacy of the post-socialist and the post-conflict world, as well as fulfilling of the main foreign policy goal, along with joining NATO in 2009. The state of scientific development of the research problem is generalized, its source base is systematized and characterized. Historical background and evolution of Croatia's relations with the EU are explored. The tools of the EU integration policy for the Western Balkans and the institutional and legal mechanism for ensuring the European integration course of Croatia are considered. The features of each European integration period in Croatia, in particular internal and external factors that had a direct impact on the dynamics of the integration dialogue between Zagreb and Brussels, are depicted.