Modern societies presuppose a professional and socially responsible public administration which is independent of political influence and open to citizens. The public administration, as a strategically important area, must systematically implement reforms and develop strategies in order to achieve full professionalization for providing fast and reliable services. The continuity of the debate on the status of the public administration in the Republic of Croatia, the need for reform and its scope, as well as the implementation of strategies, lead the public administration towards efficiency, accessibility, simplification of services and application of information and communication technology. This paper describes the concept of public administration, a historical overview of the public administration in the Republic of Croatia, the process of accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union and the inclusion in the European administrative space. It also describes the Public Administration Development Strategy for 2015-2020, Public Administration Reform Strategy for 2008-2011, the Program of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for the mandate 2011-2015 and the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia with its goals related to public administration, as well as a review of the current problems of the Croatian public administration.