Background Croatia became a party to the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1996 and is a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol. It will therefore have to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 5% between 2008 and 2012. The current process of transition to a market economy and the lack of adequate institutional, legal, financial, and technical capacities, presents key challenges for the implementation of both the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol in Croatia. Objectives The LIFE project aimed to identify and establish capacities required for implementing the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. This would include analysis and assessment of capacity building needs; Preparation of a National Implementation Strategy and Action Plan; Drafting of relevant legislation; Preparation of technical guidelines for sectoral operational programmes; Establishment of implementation monitoring systems; Implementation of Kyoto Protocol flexibility mechanisms; and Carrying out educational and public awareness activities related to climate change. Results The “CRO Climate cap” project delivered its ambitious targets and made important contributions to the Kyoto Protocol’s ratification by the Republic of Croatia on 27.04.2007. The main activities carried out during the project focused on drafting National Inventory Reports for 2005, 2006 and 2007. In addition, four sectoral guidelines were produced (for the industry, agriculture, energy & transport and waste sector) as well as new environmental legislation including laws on trading of greenhouse gas emission allocations (adopted in June 2007), on greenhouse gas emissions monitoring in the Republic of Croatia" (adopted in January 2007) and on carbon dioxide taxes (in force since July 2007). Special care was taken to link the project activities with parallel work underway to harmonise Croatian legislation with the EU environmental acquis and its effective implementation. International cooperation was initiated and capacity building study visits to EU member countries were realised. The Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction decided to build its capacities on different, yet complementary fields of climate change policies and instruments in the field of mitigation. The project’s activities represent an important basis for future activities in combating climate change in Croatia. Legacies from the project include capacities to sustain ongoing work required to prepare guidelines on joint implementation and a Clean Development Mechanism. This was originally part of the LIFE project aims but could not be completed until the UNFCCC secretariat agreed modalities and procedures for the Kyoto Protocol flexible mechanism. These have now been adopted and the beneficiary is expected to complete a Clean Development Mechanism by the end of 2008. A good quality website was produced to host public information and promote the project’s dissemination activities that included presentations seminars, booklets and DVD educational materials. These were widely used and continue to be applied during an on-going educational campaign that highlights the relevance of climate change to Croatia, particularly in terms of its long coastline. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).