The Court concludes that EU pre-accession assistance has significantly contributed to Croatia’s progress in building up its capacity to manage increased EU funding after becoming a Member State. The assistance was soundly planned, taking into account lessons learned from previous enlargements. However, the objectives of the assistance have not yet been fully achieved and more capacity building work remains to be done. The Court’s recommendations address the need to strengthen assistance in relation to procurement capacity, regional bodies, project preparation, rural development programmes and anti-corruption measures, and to draw lessons from experience gained in Croatia in the Commission’s management of pre-accession assistance to other countries.
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