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Environment sustainability in Croatia in the context of EU enlargement: case study of Croatian north Adriatic Area

In the process of accession for a new EU member state, Croatia has accepted an obligation of environment protection in number of sectors, according to the principle of sustainable development, promoted by EU. Therefore, Croatia has to adjust its legislation and implement measures according to the EU policy. This paper analyse state of the environment in the Croatian north Adriatic area (Istra and Primorje-Gorski kotar County), with emphasis on the obligations which Croatia signed to achieve in the process of accession. The environment of analysed area is, besides industry, mostly burdened by development of mass tourism which uses large part of region's resources. The impact of the tourism on environment, mostly emphasised in the summer months, will be analysed using relevant indicators (e.g. equivalent population method). This impact is even greater if we take into consideration minimum of precipitation and high precipitation variability in the period of tourist season, resulting in great pressure on region's water resources. Special attention in the environmental threats analyses will be given to the waste problems. Although Croatia implementing measures concerning waste management, according to EU policy (Waste Framework Directive), more efforts are needed to fulfil these criteria. There are still numerous illegal landfill locations in the area (around 450 in the year 2005). Therefore, the spatial aspects of waste management in the Croatian north Adriatic area will be analysed as well as environmental threats of current waste management and measures for reducing these threats.

environmental sustainability; Croatia north Adriatic Area; waste management

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