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Croatia

Monthly Event Reports

February 2024 | PM Andrej Plenković proposes penalizing leaks from investigations
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Prime Minister Andrej Plenković proposed amendments to the Criminal Code, which would make unauthorized disclosure of materials from criminal proceedings punishable by up to three years in prison. President Zoran Milanović, media and law experts have condemned the amendments. The Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) said the legislation will silence journalists and their sources and see it as an attack on freedom of speech and the public interest. The International Press Institute said that this proposal, along with the July 2023 draft of the new media law, are a step backward for press freedom ahead of the 2024 elections. The legislation comes following a recent leak of text messages from a legal procedure that led to Prime Minister Plenković being accused of involvement in corruption.

May 2023 | Reports spotlight Croatia’s migrant pushbacks

A Human Rights Watch report revealed that the Croatian police are systematically and forcefully pushing refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants of different origins back to Bosnia and Herzegovina, disregarding their asylum claims and protection needs. According to the report, the practice includes mistreatment of vulnerable groups and violation of human rights norms as border police are involved in theft and destruction of personal belongings and are subjecting individuals to humiliating and racist treatment. Balkan Insight has also reported on the matter, citing local NGOs and experts who question the legality of these procedures under European law. Croatian authorities argue that these actions are governed by a bilateral agreement and should be classified as returns rather than expulsions.

January 2023 | Croatia joins Eurozone and the Schengen Area

A decade after joining the EU, on 1 January 2023, Croatia became the 27th country to join Europe's Schengen Area, and the 20th country to have adopted the euro as its currency. Both memberships are expected to facilitate the country’s greater integration into the EU and strengthen its economy. Croatia will also be able to access Schengen monitoring, control and data exchange mechanisms. The replacement of the kuna with the euro is intended to improve the standard of living and strengthen the economy, particularly sectors such as tourism and manufacturing. While 55 per cent of Croatian citizens support the currency replacement, 80 per cent fear a rise in prices. The Governor of the Central Bank, Boris Vujcic, has said that the benefits of the Eurozone can already be felt. There were, however, reports of price gouging.

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
3 899 000
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković (since 2016)
Head of government party
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
31.8%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2020
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
4.44
Head of state
President Zoran Milanović
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
10/11/2020
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
86.61%
Population Tooltip
3 899 000
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković (since 2016)
Head of government party
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
31.8%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2020
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
4.44
Head of state
President Zoran Milanović
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
10/11/2020
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
86.61%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
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Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
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International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
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Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
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Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
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Equal Remuneration Convention
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Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
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Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
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Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
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Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
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Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
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Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
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Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
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Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
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Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
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Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
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Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time

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