All the regulations that define the common agricultural policy (CAP) became directly applicable on Croatia after its accession to the EU. Therefore, the implementation of public policy, although it is analysed from different perspectives nowadays and thus represents an area more than rich with the literature, still leaves enough of unexplored area when lowered to the level of Croatia. This work represents an insight into the efficiency of fitting in of the CAP framework into the Croatian legislative framework and de facto implementation of this oldest European policy. The idea is to answer the question: What s the difference in efficiency in formal implementation (transposition) and practical implementation of CAP? The initial claim of this work is that practical implementation in Croatia lags behind the formal implementation. The success of the formal implementation of the CAP in the national framework is reflected in the literal transposition of policy goals and objectives of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 into the Rural Development Programme of the Republic of Croatia for the Period 2014 – 2020. Content analysis of these documents shows the success of formal implementation of CAP framework. However, interviews with relevant stakeholders of Croatian agricultural policy point to the problem with lack of strategic documents that would define national needs and the desired direction of development of the sector. This finding shows us that, even though the Rural Development Program contains the essence of CAP, it is not sufficient for CAP to come to life in national agricultural policy. In other words, Croatia lacked own vision of agricultural policy which is why it was able to simply adopt the goals of CAP as the only existent ones. Formally, national policy framework did not have to be significantly adjusted because it practically did not even exist. Practical implementation, however, filed. Reports on the implementation of the Rural Development Program indicate that half success, i.e. the number of achieved and unachieved objectives is almost the same. Croatian agriculture has its specific which is why it is necessary to work on the national agricultural policy per se first, and then adjust it to supranational frameworks.