Exploring the Coalition Potential of Croatia in the Council of the European Union

The ability to form coalitions and partnerships within the Council is essential in securing EU MS support for legislation and demonstrating the relevance that a member state has within the EU. Croatia’s position and partnerships vis-à-vis other EU MS, and limiting factors in building coalitions, are important for Croatian policy makers to understand for future Croatian EU policy and for promoting policies of national interest for Croatian in the EU. Previous research attempts to provide a framework for analysis of coalition building and relationships in the Council, however, there is a research gap on Croatia’s position, since the majority of the research is either from prior to 2013, or focuses on other EU MS. Furthermore, there is a significant lack of data available to conduct a proper analysis of EU MS positions, as Council meetings and EU MS positions are usually not opened to the public, especially on sensitive policy areas. This thesis primarily uses data from the European Council for Foreign Relation’s Coalition Builder project to provide a quantitative analysis of the relationships in the Council of the EU, as well as an in depth analysis of Croatia’s position. The findings indicate that Croatia has had limited success in being able to garner support for one key policy area, while not being a relevant actor in other areas. Croatia’s ability to form coalitions in the Council of the European Union is impacted by several factors, including insufficient strategic planning on policy issues, strained relationships with neighbouring EU Member States, as well as being a fairly young member state. There are opportunities for Croatia to enhance its position in the Council through investing in developing a strategic framework for all policy areas, understanding national positions of other EU MS and solving open bilateral issues with neighbouring EU MS. Challenges include limited administration capacities, a divide between national and EU policy and the potential impact that EU enlargement towards the Western Balkan 6 could have on Croatia’s position in the EU and its relations with other EU MS