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Table of content
4 COMPETITIVENESS OF CROATIA’S ECONOMY,
AGRICULTURE WITH EMPHASIS ON THE DAIRY SECTOR..........39
4.1 Description of indicators of competitiveness employed .......................................... 39
4.2 Competitiveness of Croatia’s economy..................................................................... 41
4.3 Competitiveness of Croatia’s agriculture................................................................. 44
4.4 Competitiveness of Croatia’s milk production and processing in comparison
to the EU-25 .............................................................................................................................. 46
5 STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN RURAL CROATIA......................................59
5.1 Sample and survey design.......................................................................................... 59
5.2 Short introduction to the research areas in Croatia and Slovenia ........................ 61
5.2.1 Zagreb County and Bjelovar-Bilogora County in Croatia................................ 63
5.2.2 Gorenjska and Prekmurje in Slovenia .............................................................. 71
5.3 Socio-economic structures of rural households in Croatia and Slovenia.............. 72
5.3.1 Household demography .................................................................................... 72
5.3.2 Farm characteristics .......................................................................................... 75
5.3.3 Income structure ............................................................................................... 79
5.3.4 Labour allocation and labour returns................................................................ 84
5.4 Household strategies and change in rural livelihoods............................................. 87
5.4.1 Farming objectives and strategies..................................................................... 87
5.4.2 Farm development, diversification and farm exit – Where do Croatian
farms go? .......................................................................................................... 91
5.4.3 Promoting farm expansion and farm exit ......................................................... 99
5.4.4 Individual labour allocation decisions as indicator of structural change........ 103
6 LESSONS LEARNT FROM SLOVENIA’S EU ACCESSION –
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CROATIA.....................109
6.1 Negotiating the Agricultural Chapter in Croatia – A brief overview.................. 109
6.2 Experiences from Slovenia – Insights from Slovenian experts ............................ 111
6.2.1 The negotiation process of the Agricultural Chapter...................................... 113
6.2.2 Farmers, extension service, and academia: Their role and opinions .............. 115
6.2.3 Was the Slovenian EU accession a success story? ......................................... 118
6.2.4 What can be improved in negotiation process? .............................................. 122
6.3 Perception and acceptance of policy measures by Croatian and
Slovenian farmers..................................................................................................... 123
6.3.1 Attitudes towards the EU................................................................................ 123
6.3.2 Assessment of Croatia’s agricultural policy measures ................................... 127
6.3.3 Assessment of Slovenia’s agricultural policy measures................................. 129
6.3.4 Attitudes towards the IPA program and aims in national agricultural policy..... 132
7 SYNTHESIS OF FINDINGS AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS....135
7.1 Summary of research findings ................................................................................ 135
7.2 Policy recommendations and outlook..................................................................... 139
7.2.1 Conceptual issues for successful rural development policies......................... 139
7.2.2 Policies to develop, structurally adjust and diversify agriculture................... 141
7.2.3 Territorial policies to create and secure employment..................................... 145
7.2.4 Lessons to be learnt from Slovenia’s negotiation experience ........................ 147
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................149
CONSORTIUM .........................................................................................................153