The Impact of European Union Public-Private Partnership Regulations on the Efficiency of National Public Administration – Croatian Case

Abstract

In Croatia, for the period from 2005 until 2009, a total of 32 public tenders for 43 Public-Private Partnership projects are announced, indicating great interest for Public-Private Partnership in Croatia. The European Union Public-Private Partnership regulations include the Guideline for Successful Public-Private Partnerships and the Resource Book on Public-Private Partnership Case Studies, which largely are taking into account the economics of Public-Private Partnerships and the achievement of Value for Money. In the Croatian Public-Private Partnership regulatory framework, harmonized with the European Union regulatory, specific guidelines or other legal documents taking into concern the economics of Public Private Partnership do not exist. Furthermore, empirical researches on Public-Private Partnership projects in the cities of Varaždin and Koprivnica have shown that a complete lack of project validation is present. That makes the achievement of Value for Money and a greater efficiency of the public administration in public service delivery in Croatia questionable. The urgent adoption of further regulations in the Croatian legislative, in order to ensure the achievement of Value for Money, is recommended.