Cohesion policy is one of the most important instruments for stimulating economic development and reducing regional differences within the EU countries because it provides to the country access to significant financial resources directed at infrastructure improvement, competitiveness strengthening, social integration improvement and human capital development. The aim of the paper is to determine the possible changes in the Croatian economy that have resulted from the implementation of the Cohesion policy. The paper provides an overview of key aspects related to Croatian economy development. After the Introduction, the creation of the EU and the Croatia’s accession to the EU are discussed. The EU Cohesion policy is explained in detail emphasizing its goals in the period from the year 2021 to 2027 and the regional classification of Croatia based on the NUTS system. Funds and programs of the European Union such as their use in Croatia according to their availability in two program periods – from the year 2014 to 2020 and from the year 2021 to 2027 are analyzed. An insight into the state of Croatian economy before the EU accession and today is given with an emphasis on macroeconomic indicators. The competitiveness of the Croatian economy is analyzed through the Global Competitiveness Index and the European Regional Competitiveness Index. Three selected examples of Croatian projects financed by EU funds were presented. Finally, the conclusion summarizes the findings of the analysis.