Europeanization of the Croatian Asylum System: Mechanisms and Instruments of European Union Influence on Public Policies and Institutions

Abstract

The main purpose of the paper is to analyse the mechanisms of Europeanization and the EU instruments of influence on public policies of candidate countries, using the example of asylum policy. In addition to analysing the instruments and mechanisms of the Europeanization of the Croatian asylum system, the paper includes an overview of EU influence on the asylum policies of candidate countries during the EU Eastern enlargement in 2004 and 2007. The research is based on an overview of literature on Europeanization and legislative and other documents adopted during the process of Croatian accession to the EU. The results indicate that in the context of the Croatian asylum system, the EU used the same instruments of influence as during the Eastern enlargement. In this sense, the Europeanization instruments of the Croatian asylum system differ from those of the other Southeastern European countries also participating in the Stabilization and Accession Process, for which the EU uses additional instruments of influence. With regard to the mechanisms of Europeanization, it is concluded that the transfer of the European model, in addition to accession conditionality, has also been accepted voluntarily, by socialization understood as diffusion and change of norms and understanding throughout the process of imitation and learning.