Dr. Jakša Puljiz, co-authoring with Mijo Bežovan and Dr. Igor Vidačak, has published an original scientific article titled “Challenges Faced by Local Government Units in the Use of EU Funds” in the journal Croatian and Comparative Public Administration.
The article analyses the key challenges faced by local government units in Croatia in using European Union funds. The findings identify four main challenges: limited human capacity, difficulties in ensuring financial sustainability, the administrative complexity of EU funds, and the influence of politics on the processes of EU fund management. The article contributes to the debate on the need for a comprehensive reform of the local self-government system in Croatia, advocating territorial amalgamation as one of the key mechanisms for strengthening absorption capacity. Such an approach is recognised as a prerequisite for more effective implementation of cohesion policy and the achievement of balanced regional development.
The article is available at:
https://doi.org/10.31297/hkju.26.1.1
