COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The EU Environmental Implementation Review 2019 Country Report - CROATIA Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Environmental Implementation Review 2019: A Europe that protects its citizens and enhances their quality of life
Date: 2019-07-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: Croatia, EU environmental policy, application of EU law, climate change policy, environmental law, environmental protection, governance, green economy, public health, quality of the environment

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 31.7.2019  SWD(2019) 114 final/2  CORRIGENDUM This document corrects document SWD(2019) 114 final of 04.04.2019 Correction of a typing error for a number on p.27 The text shall read as follows: COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The EU Environmental Implementation Review 2019     Country Report - CROATIA           Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Environmental Implementation Review 2019:  A Europe that protects its citizens and enhances their quality of life  {COM(2019) 149 final} - {SWD(2019) 111 final} - {SWD(2019) 112 final} - {SWD(2019) 113 final} - {SWD(2019) 115 final} - {SWD(2019) 116 final} - {SWD(2019) 117 final} - {SWD(2019) 118 final} - {SWD(2019) 119 final} - {SWD(2019) 120 final} - {SWD(2019) 121 final} - {SWD(2019) 122 final} - {SWD(2019) 123 final} - {SWD(2019) 124 final} - {SWD(2019) 125 final} - {SWD(2019) 126 final} - {SWD(2019) 127 final} - {SWD(2019) 128 final} - {SWD(2019) 129 final} - {SWD(2019) 130 final} - {SWD(2019) 131 final} - {SWD(2019) 132 final} - {SWD(2019) 133 final} - {SWD(2019) 134 final} - {SWD(2019) 135 final} - {SWD(2019) 136 final} - {SWD(2019) 137 final} - {SWD(2019) 138 final} - {SWD(2019) 139 final}  
 
 
This  report  has  been  written  by  the  staff  of  the  Directorate-General  for  Environment,  European  Commission. 
Comments are welcome, please send them to ENV-EIR@ec.europa.eu 

More information on the European Union is available at http://europa.eu. 

Photographs: p. 10 — ©iStock/jahtik; p. 11 — ©iStock/Radu79; p. 14 — ©gettyimages/calm_eyes; 
©iStock/Dreamer4787; p. 30 — ©iStock/Boris25 

p. 20  — 

For reproduction or use of these photos, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holder. 

©European Union, 2019 

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 3 

PART I: THEMATIC AREAS ........................................................................................................................ 4 

1. 

TURNING THE EU INTO A CIRCULAR, RESOURCE-EFFICIENT, GREEN AND COMPETITIVE LOW-
CARBON ECONOMY ........................................................................................................................ 4 

Measures towards a circular economy ................................................................................................. 4 
Waste management .............................................................................................................................. 6 
Climate change ...................................................................................................................................... 8 

2. 

PROTECTING, CONSERVING AND ENHANCING NATURAL CAPITAL ................................................. 11 

Nature and biodiversity ....................................................................................................................... 11 
Maintaining and restoring ecosystems and their services .................................................................. 12 
Estimating natural capital ................................................................................................................... 12 
Invasive alien species .......................................................................................................................... 12 
Soil protection ..................................................................................................................................... 13 
Marine protection ............................................................................................................................... 14 

3. 

ENSURING CITIZENS’ HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE ...................................................................... 15 

Air quality ............................................................................................................................................ 15 
Industrial emissions ............................................................................................................................. 16 
 ................................................................................................................................................. 17 
Noise 
Water quality and management ......................................................................................................... 17 
Chemicals ............................................................................................................................................ 19 
Making cities more sustainable ........................................................................................................... 20 

PART II: ENABLING FRAMEWORK: IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS ................................................................. 23 

4. 
GREEN TAXATION, GREEN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL FUNDING AND 
INVESTMENTS ................................................................................................................................ 23 

Green taxation and environmentally harmful subsidies ..................................................................... 23 
Green public procurement .................................................................................................................. 24 
Environmental funding and investments ............................................................................................ 24 

5. 

STRENGTHENING ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE ....................................................................... 29 

Information, public participation and access to justice ...................................................................... 29 
Compliance assurance ......................................................................................................................... 30 
Effectiveness of environmental administrations................................................................................. 31 
International agreements ................................................................................................................... 33 
Sustainable development and the implementation of the UN SDGs .................................................. 34 

2 

 
 
 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Croatia 

Executive summary 

Croatia and the Environmental Implementation  Review 
(EIR) 

framework  and  adequate  resources  for  implementing 
them. 

In the 2017 EIR, the main challenges identified for Croatia 
in implementing EU environmental policy and law were: 

 

 

 

improve  waste  management,  particularly  by 
to 
increasing  the  recycling  of  municipal  waste  to  meet 
the  EU  recycling  target  by  2020,  and  facilitate  the 
transition to a more circular economy; 
to  finish  designating  Natura  2000  sites  and  ensure 
they are managed effectively; and 
to  prioritise  implementing  projects  in  the  water 
sector  that  are  needed  to  fulfil  Accession  Treaty 
requirements on the Urban Waste Water Treatment 
Directive and the Drinking Water Directive. 

in  accordance  with 

Drawing  on  substantial  EU  support,  Croatia  has  made 
some  progress  on  water quality  in  accordance  with  the 
Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and the Drinking 
its 
Water  Directive.  However, 
Accession  Treaty,  Croatia  should  be  fully  compliant  with 
the Urban Waste  Water  Treatment  Directive by the  end 
of 2023, with the first interim deadline having expired in 
2018. The deadline for meeting the requirements of the 
Drinking  Water  Directive  expired  in  2018.  Croatia  will 
need to step up efforts if it  is to meet  the deadlines  set 
out in its Accession Treaty. 

Examples of good practice 

In  the  2014-2020  programming  period,  EU  support 
was approved for the  Collection of waste water and 
waste  water  treatment  on  the  island  of  Krk  project. 
The  project  will  connect  the  local  population  to  a 
modernised  drinking  water  supply  and  waste  water 
collection  and  treatment  system.  This  will  ensure 
continuous  access  to  safe  and  clean  drinking  water 
and  minimise  the  risk  of  uncontrolled  discharge  of 
untreated waste water. 
The  nature  protection  strategy  and  action  plan  for 
2017-2025,  adopted  in  2017,  lays  down  long-term 
objectives  and  guidelines  for  conserving  biological, 
geological  and  landscape  diversity.  It  also  sets  out 
methods  for  implementing  this,  as  part  of  Croatia’s 
overall economic, social and cultural development. 

EIR national dialogue and other dialogues 

The  2017  EIR  package  and  the  EIR  country  report  for 
Croatia  were  discussed  with  the  national  authorities  in 
April 2017. The discussion centred on how the EIR report 
can help Croatia bridge the implementation gap. 

Use of the EIR Peer-to-Peer tool 

 

experts 

In 2017 the Commission launched the TAIEX-EIR Peer-to-
Peer  (EIR  P2P)  tool  to  facilitate  peer-to-peer  learning 
environmental 
between 
authorities. 
from  Croatia 
participated  in  a  TAIEX-EIR  multi-country  workshop  on 
monitoring the impact of air pollution on ecosystems and 
timber. 

from 
Environmental 

national 
experts 

Progress in meeting challenges since the 2017 EIR 

 

Some  progress  has  been  made  on  waste  management. 
The  adoption  of  a  waste  management  plan  and  waste 
prevention programme for 2017-2022 has put Croatia on 
the path to a more circular economy. The new Ordinance 
the  waste 
on  waste  management 
management plan set out the priorities for infrastructure 
planning,  including  support  for  separate  collection  and 
composting. 
to 
disincentivise landfilling. Croatian municipalities will have 
to meet landfill diversion targets and set up ‘pay-as-you-
throw’ schemes.  

introduced  a  waste 

implementing 

It  also 

tax 

introduced  some 
The  waste  prevention  programme 
measures  to  reduce  waste.  Croatia  has  made  a  lot  of 
progress in this area. However, the policy now needs to 
be 
implemented  and  enforced  to  achieve  tangible 
results. 

Some  progress  has  also  been  made  on  nature 
conservation. The Natura 2000 network  in Croatia  – the 
second  largest  in  the  EU  in  terms  of  proportion  of 
Member  State  area  –  is  now  considered  to  be  largely 
complete.  However,  further  designations  need  to  be 
made  in  the  marine  network.  Croatia  needs  to:  (i)  finish 
designating  Natura 2000  sites  as 
‘special  areas  of 
in  place  clear  conservation 
conservation’; 
objectives  and  the  necessary  conservation  measures  for 
all  Natura  2000  sites;  and  (iii)  provide  a  suitable 

(ii)  put 

3 

 
 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

Part I: Thematic areas 

1. Turning the EU into a circular, resource-efficient, green and 

competitive low-carbon economy 

Measures towards a circular economy 

The  Circular  Economy  Action  Plan  emphasises  the  need 
to  move  towards  a  life-cycle-driven  ‘circular’  economy, 
reusing  resources  as  much  as  possible  and  bringing 
residual  waste  close  to  zero.  This  can  be  facilitated  by 
developing  and  providing  access  to  innovative  financial 
instruments and funding for eco-innovation. 

Following  the  adoption  of  the  Circular  Economy  Action 
Plan in 2015 and the setting up of a related stakeholder 
platform  in  2017,  the  European  Commission  adopted  a 
new  package  of  deliverables  in  January  20181.  This 
included  additional  initiatives  such  as:  (i)  an  EU  strategy 
for plastics; (ii) a Communication on how to address the 
interplay  between  chemical,  product  and  waste 
legislation; (iii) a report on critical raw materials; and (iv) 
a  framework  to  monitor  progress  towards  a  circular 
economy2. 

The circular (secondary) use of material, a key indicator, 
was  4.4 %  in  Croatia  in  2016,  against  the  EU-28  average 
of 11.7 %. In contrast, Croatia performs above the EU-28 
average  on  the  number  of  people  employed  in  the 
circular  economy.  This  accounted  for  2.19 %  of  total 
employment  in  2016,  against  the  EU-28  average  of 
1.73 %. 

In  the  2017  Eurobarometer  on  the  attitudes  of  EU 
citizens  towards  the  environment3,  87 %  of  Croatian 
citizens  were  concerned  about  the  effects  of  plastic 
products  on  the  environment.  This  was  in  line  with  the 
EU-28  average  of  87 %.  The  same  was  also  true  of  the 
impact  of  chemicals,  where  89 %  were  worried,  against 
the  EU-28  average  of  90 %.  There  appears  to  be  very 
strong  support  in  Croatian  society  for  circular  economy 
initiatives and environmental protection measures. 

Croatia  performs  below  the  EU  average  on  resource 
productivity, 
i.e.  how  efficiently  the  economy  uses 
material  resources  to  produce  wealth4.  This  was 

EUR 1.19/kg 
in  2017,  against  the  EU  average  of 
EUR 2.04/kg. Figure 1 shows a slight increase since 2016. 
Figure 1: Resource productivity, 2010-20175 

The  Environment  Ministry’s  strategic  plan6  will  support 
the  development  of  the  circular  economy  in  Croatia  by 
focusing  on  waste  management  and  green  public 
procurement.  The  10-year  framework  for  sustainable 
consumption  and  production  is  also  relevant  to  circular 
economy objectives. This framework will help reduce the 
footprint  of  products,  services  and 
environmental 
organisations  in  Croatia.  However,  Croatia  currently  has 
no comprehensive circular economy strategy. . 

The number of EU ‘Ecolabel’ products and EMAS-licensed 
organisations  in  a  country  can  help  us  understand  to 
what extent the private sector and national stakeholders 
are engaging in the circular economy. It also provides an 
indication  of  public  authorities’  commitment 
to 
supporting  circular  economy  measures.  By  September 
2018,  Croatia  had  only  two  licences  and  5  products 
registered  in  the  EU  Ecolabel  scheme  out  of  a  total  of 
2167 licences and 71707 products in the EU.  Take-up of 
these licences is therefore  very low7. Moreover, by May 
2018  no  organisations  from  Croatia  were  registered  in 
EMAS8,  the  European  Commission’s  Eco-Management 
and Audit Scheme to encourage organisations to behave 
in  a  more  environmentally  sustainable  way.  Croatia  is 

1 European Commission, 2018 Circular Economy Package. 
2 COM(2018) 029. 
3 European Commission, 2017, Special 468 Eurobarometer, ‘Attitudes of 
European citizens towards the environment’. 
4 Resource productivity is defined as the ratio between gross domestic 
product (GDP) and domestic material consumption (DMC). 

5 Eurostat, Resource productivity. 
6 Ministry of Environment and Energy, Strategic Plan 2019-2021. 
7 European Commission, Ecolabel Facts and Figures. 
8 European Commission, Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. 

4 

 
 
 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

one of only two countries in Europe with no registrations, 
together with Latvia. 

SMEs and resource efficiency 

Croatian  SMEs  continue  to  score  in  line  with  the  EU-28 
average  on  the  environmental  dimension  of  the  Small 
Business  Act,  as  shown  in  Figure  2.  Several  financial 
incentives  from  different  ministries  and  agencies  were 
available  to  promote  the  use  of  renewable  energy  and 
energy-saving  production  technologies.  In  2014  and 
2015,  significant  improvements  were  achieved  through 
the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund 
and its direct co-financing programmes. 
Figure 2: Environmental performance of SMEs9  

The  latest  Eurobarometer  on  ‘SMEs,  resource  efficiency 
and green markets’10 asked companies about recent and 
additional  resource  efficiency  measures  planned  for  the 
next  two  years  and  compared  responses  to  2015.  The 
proportion  of  companies  adopting  resource  efficiency 
measures  is  stable  and  is  slightly  above  the  EU-28 
average in all dimensions. The only exception is intention 
to  draw  predominantly  on  renewable  energy.  The  same 
holds true for intention to invest in the near future. Both 
are increasing and are generally in line with EU averages. 

9 European Commission, 2018 SBA fact sheet - Croatia, p. 14. 
10 Flash Eurobarometer 456 ‘SME, resource efficiency and green 
markets’ January 2018. The eight dimensions were: Save energy; 
Minimise waste; Save materials; Save Water; Recycle by reusing 
material internally; Design products easier to maintain, repair or reuse; 
Use renewable energy; Sell scrap materials to another company. 

5 

The  only  area  where  Croatia  is  below  the  EU  average  is 
‘design of products for ease of maintenance and repair’. 
Croatia scored 20 %, against 25 % in the EU and typically 
35 % in the highest rated countries. 

Only  12 %  of  Croatian  companies  relied  on  external 
support  in  their  efforts  to  be  more  resource-efficient. 
This was compared to 22 % in the EU-28, with a range of 
3 %  to  38 %.  For  advice,  25 %  of  Croatian  companies 
drew  on  public  administrations  (an  increase  of  16 %); 
20 % on private sector consultancy (up 9 %); and 19 % on 
business  associations  (up  6  %).  These  are  low  values  for 
private  consultancy  and  business  associations  compared 
to the EU-28 average. For financing, 50 % drew on public 
grants or loans (up 12 %) and only 13 % on private sector 
funding sources (a fall of 24 %). 

41 % of Croatian companies mention grants and subsidies 
as  useful  help  (EU-28  average  36 %).  Only  8  %  see  self-
assessment  tools  as  useful  (EU-28  average  15 %).  The 
scores on all other types of assistance offered, including 
technical and financial consultancy, are very close to the 
EU-28  average  (20-23 %).  Technology  demonstration  is 
viewed  much  more  favourably  than  two  years  before. 
22 % now consider it as useful, an increase of 10 % since 
earlier surveys. 

There  is  an  increasing  interest  among  the  Croatian 
business  community  in  investing  in  resource  efficiency. 
However, businesses are not very motivated to seek out 
external  cooperation.  If  they  do,  they  focus  on  public 
bodies for financing and advice. 

Eco-innovation 

In  2018,  Croatia  ranked  26th  on  the  2018  European 
innovation  scoreboard.  This  makes  it  the  fifth  slowest 
innovator,  a  2 %  decrease  since  201011. 
growing 
However,  the  country  performed  somewhat  better  on 
eco-innovation. In 2017, the composite index for Croatia 
was  72 %  of  the  EU  average,  making  it  eighth  from  the 
bottom  on  eco-innovation.  This  places  Croatia  in  the 
middle  of  the  16  EU  countries  that  fall  below  the  EU 
average (see Figure 3). 

In 2015, Croatia scored 61 % of the EU average. In 2017, 
the 
showed  an  18  percentage  point 
improvement on eco-innovation (see Figure 4). 

country 

External  government  pressures  and  financial  subsidies 
have  been  recognised  as  the  main  incentivising  factors 
behind  growing  eco-innovation.  One  of  the  institutions 
playing a key role in this is the Environmental Protection 
and Energy Efficiency Fund. The Fund is the central point 
for  collecting  and 
in 
programmes  and  projects  on  environmental  and  nature 

investing  budgetary  resources 

11 European Commission, European innovation Scoreboard 2018. 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

protection,  energy  efficiency  and  the  use  of  renewable 
energy sources. 
Figure 3: 2017 Eco-innovation index (EU=100)12 

Figure 4: Croatia’s eco-innovation performance  

A major barrier to eco-innovation is the significant lack of 
investment  in  R&D.  Some  progress  has  been  made 
through  policy,  based  on 
smart 
specialisation strategy adopted in April 2016. This aims to 
promote  the  creation  of 
innovative  products  and 
services.  However,  no  visible  results  have  yet  been 
achieved. 

the  national 

Lack of public-private cooperation is a  core  weakness of 
the  innovation  system  (low  numbers  of  co-publications 
(Eurostat)  and  significantly  worse  than  regional  peers 
ranking  on  the  Global  Competitiveness 
for 
university-industry  collaboration  in  R&D.  Croatia’s  main 
funding  sources  are  still  EU  investment  funds.  However, 
the  amount  of  capital  provided  by  Croatian  institutions 
has also increased. 

Index 

12 European Commission, Eco-Innovation Observatory: Eco-innovation 
Scoreboard 2017. 

6 

The  strategy  for  innovation  support  for  2014-2020  does 
not  have  a  specific  focus  on  eco-innovation,  but  could 
potentially influence it. The Act on state aid for research 
and  development  projects  came  into  force  in  July  2018. 
The goal is to increase private sector’s investment in R&D 
and  to 
institutions 
collaboration.  More  investment  in  R&D  can  potentially 
have influence on eco-innovation. 

foster  business-science/research 

An  important  stakeholder  in  this  area  is  the  Croatian 
Chamber  of  Economy  with  two  main  initiatives:  a)  the 
strategic  project  to  support  cluster  competitiveness 
initiatives  and  b)  the  strategic  support  project  to  set  up 
industry  and  thematic 
for 
an 
innovation platforms13. The project leader is the Ministry 
of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts. 

innovation  network 

2019 priority action 

 

Strengthen  the  policy  framework  to  speed  up  the 
uptake  of  the  circular  economy  by  all  economic 
sectors. 

Waste management 

Turning waste into a resource is supported by: 
legislation,  which 
implementing  EU  waste 
(i)  fully 
includes  the  waste  hierarchy,  the  need  to  ensure 
separate  collection  of  waste,  the 
landfill  diversion 
targets, etc.; 
(ii) reducing waste generation and waste generation per 
capita in absolute terms; and  
(iii)  limiting  energy  recovery  to  non-recyclable  materials 
and  phasing  out  landfilling  of  recyclable  or  recoverable 
waste. 

This  section  focuses  on  management  of  municipal 
waste14  for  which  EU  law  sets  mandatory  recycling 
targets15.  

Croatia  will  have  to  put  more  effort  into  shifting  waste 
away  from 
landfill  towards  separate  collection  and 
recycling.  Since  2014,  municipal  waste  generation  has 
gradually  increased,  but  it  remains  lower  than  the  EU 
against 
(416 kg/y/inhabitant, 
average 
487 kg/y/inhabitant in the EU). 

Figure 5 depicts municipal waste by treatment in Croatia 
in  terms  of  kg  per  capita.  It  shows  a  slight  increase  in 
recycling and a reduction in landfilling. 

13 European Commission, Eco-Innovation Observatory: Eco-innovation 
Country Profiles 2016-2017. 
14 Municipal waste consists of mixed waste and separately collected 
waste from households and from other sources, where such waste is 
similar in nature and composition to waste from households. This is 
without prejudice to the allocation of responsibilities for waste 
management between public and private sectors. 
15 See Article 11.2 of Directive 2008/98/EC. This Directive was amended 
in 2018 by Directive (EU) 2018/851, and more ambitious recycling 
targets were introduced for the period up to 2035. 

 
 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

Figure 5: Municipal waste by treatment in Croatia, 2010-
201716 

Figure 6: Recycling rate of municipal waste 2010-201717 

Landfilling  of  municipal  waste  accounts  for  72 %  (a  8 
point drop since 2014). This is significantly above the EU 
average of around 24 % (2017). 

Furthermore,  in  2015,  the  amount  of  biodegradable 
municipal  waste  landfilled  was  110  %  of  the  amount 
landfilled  in  199718,  which  is  taken  as  a  reference  year. 
This constitutes a minor improvement since 2013. The EU 
Accession Treaty target for 2013 – to landfill a maximum 
of  75  %  of  biodegradable  municipal  waste  –  was 
therefore  missed  by  a  wide  margin.  According  to  the 
Accession Treaty, after 31 December 2018 waste must no 
longer  be  deposited  in  landfills  that  do  not  comply  with 
Illegal 
the  requirements  of  the  Landfill  Directive. 

16 Eurostat, Municipal waste by waste operations. 
17 Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste. 
18 Data reported to the Commission by Croatia in the Landfill Directive 
implementation report for 2013-2015. 

7 

landfilling  also  remains  a  major  problem  in  Croatia19. 
Despite great efforts to close and remedy illegal dumping 
sites,  there  is  still  scope  for  improvement.  In  2018,  the 
Commission  decided  to  refer  Croatia  to  the  Court  of 
Justice  of  the  EU  for  its  delay  in  finding  a  solution  to 
manage  the  waste  illegally  deposited  on  Crno  Brdo  in 
Biljane Donje. 

The  underlying  causes  for  the  current  distance  to  EU 
waste targets are:  

 
 

 

 
 

 

suboptimal planning of waste management; 
insufficient incentives to manage waste according to 
the waste hierarchy; 
insufficient (‘door-to-door’) separate collection of 
waste; 
lack of clear allocation of tasks;  
lack of coordination between the different 
administrative levels; 
insufficient enforcement capacity.  

Although  Croatia  has  invested  in  improving  its  waste 
management  services,  to  date,  most  of  this  investment 
has focused on residual waste treatment. 

The waste management plan for 2017-2022 was adopted 
in  January  2017  and  includes  the  waste  prevention 
programme. It aims to tackle these underlying problems. 
The new Ordinance on waste management  was adopted 
in  2017  to  implement  the  waste  management  plan.  It 
sets  out  the  priorities  for 
infrastructure  planning, 
including support for separate collection and composting. 
It also introduced a waste tax to disincentivise landfilling. 
The  municipalities  will  have  to  meet  landfill  diversion 
targets  and  set  up  ‘pay-as-you-throw’  schemes.  The 
waste prevention programme introduced some measures 
to reduce waste generation. Overall, there has been a lot 
of  progress  in  Croatia  in  this  area.  However,  the  policy 
now  needs  to  be  implemented  and  enforced  to  achieve 
tangible results. 

Despite  a  slowly  increasing  trend,  recycling  of  municipal 
waste (including composting) remains quite low (24 % in 
2017  against  the  EU  average  of  46 %).  For  this  reason, 
according  to  the  Commission’s  Early  Warning  Report20 
Croatia  risks  failing  to  comply  with  the  2020  municipal 
waste recycling target of 50 %21. Furthermore, even more 

19 Partnership agreement for the European Structural and investment 
funds in the EU financial period 2014-2020. 
20 European Commission, Report on the implementation of waste 
legislation, including the early warning report for Member States at risk 
of missing the 2020 preparation for re-use/recycling target on municipal 
waste, SWD(2018)418 accompanying COM(2018) 656. 
21 Member States may choose a different method than the one used by 
ESTAT (and referred to in this report) to calculate their recycling rates 
and track compliance with the 2020 target of 50 % recycling of 
municipal waste. 

 
 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

effort  will  be  necessary  to  comply  with  the  recycling 
targets for the post-2020 period22. 

Climate change 

the 

In  order  to  help  bridge  the  implementation  gap  in 
Croatia,  the  Commission  issued  a  further  set  of  policy 
‘Early  Warning 
recommendations  as  part  of 
Report’23.  These  focus  on  (i)  improving  the  quality  of 
data, especially on packaging waste; (ii) making separate 
collection  more  effective, 
including  by  supporting 
in  fulfilling  their  obligations  and  by 
municipalities 
providing  guidance  and  organising  capacity-building 
programmes;  and  (iii)  improving  the  extended  producer 
responsibility  schemes,  especially  for  packaging.  The 
spending priorities of EU Funds should be revised to bring 
them into line with the new waste management plan and 
support recycling and separate collection rather than just 
infrastructure to treat residual waste21.  

Croatia made progress in bringing its national  legislation 
into  line  with  the  EU  directives  in  the  waste  sector. 
Croatian  legislation  now  fully  conforms  to  the  Waste 
Framework  Directive.  Ongoing  procedures  to  amend 
national laws should result in conformity with the Landfill 
Directive and directives for certain waste streams. 

2019 priority actions 

 

Improve  and  extend  separate  collection  of  waste, 
including  bio-waste.  Establish  minimum  service 
standards  for  separate  collection  (e.g.  frequency  of 
collections,  types  of  containers)  in  municipalities  to 
ensure high capture rates for recyclable waste. 

  Develop 

run 

and 

implementation 

support 
programmes  for  municipalities  to  support  efforts  to 
organise separate collection, implement ‘pay-as-you-
throw’ schemes and improve recycling performance. 
Improve  the  functioning  of  extended  producer 
responsibility  systems,  in  line  with  the  relevant 
general minimum requirements24. 
Introduce  and  gradually  increase  landfill  taxes  to 
phase-out  landfilling  of  recyclable  and  recoverable 
waste. 

 

 

The EU has committed to undertaking ambitious climate 
action internationally as well as in the EU, having ratified 
the Paris Climate Agreement on 5 October 2016. The EU 
targets are to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 
20 % by 2020 and by at least 40 % by 2030, compared to 
1990.  As  a  long-term  target,  the  EU  aims  to  reduce  its 
emissions  by  80-95 %  by  2050,  as  part  of  the  efforts 
required by developed countries as a group. Adapting to 
the adverse effects of climate change is vital to alleviate 
its  already  visible  effects  and  improve  preparedness  for 
and resilience to future impacts. 

The EU is committed to strengthening environmental law 
and its implementation globally. It therefore continues to 
support  the  Global  Pact  for  the  Environment  process, 
which  was  launched  by  the  United  Nations  General 
Assembly  in  May  2018.  The  EIR  is  one  of  the  tools  to 
ensure  that  the  Member  States  set  a  good  example  by 
respecting  European  Union  environmental  policies  and 
laws and international agreements. 

For emissions not covered by the EU ETS, Member States 
have  binding  national  targets  under  the  effort  sharing 
legislation.  Croatia  had  lower  emissions  than  its  annual 
targets  in  each  of  the  years  2013-2017.  For  2020, 
Croatia's  national  target  under  the  EU  Effort  Sharing 
Decision is to avoid increasing emissions by more than 11 
% compared to 2005. For  2030, Croatia's national target 
under  the  Effort  Sharing  Regulation 
is  to  reduce 
emissions by 7 % compared to 2005.  

Transport  represents  almost  a  quarter  of  the  EU’s  GHG 
emissions and is the main cause of air pollution in cities. 
Transport  emissions  in  Croatia  increased  by  8  %  from 
2013 to 2016.  

its 

is  developing 

low-carbon  development 
Croatia 
strategy  2030  with  a  view  up  to  2030  and  its  energy 
strategy.  Some  initial  steps  have  been  taken  to  define 
national  objectives,  policies  and  measures,  however 
these have not been finalized or adopted. 

The  F-gas  Regulation  requires  Member  States  to  run 
training  and  certification  programmes,  to  implement 
rules for penalties and notify the Commission of them by 
2017. Croatia has notified both measures.  

22 Directive (EU) 2018/851, Directive (EU) 2018/852, Directive (EU) 
2018/850 and Directive (EU) 2018/849 amend the previous waste 
legislation and set more ambitious recycling targets for the period up to 
2035. These targets will be taken into consideration to assess progress 
in future Environmental Implementation Reports. 
23 SWD(2018)414 accompanying COM(2018)656. 
24 Set out in Article 8a of Directive (EU) 2018/851. 

8 

                                                                 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

Figure  7:  Change  in  total  greenhouse  gas  emissions 
1990-2017 (1990=100%)25. 

115.7  Mt  CO2-eq.  Reported  net  removals  show  a 
decrease  between  2014  and  2015,  while  accounted  net 
credits  reveal  an  increase  for  2016.  In  this  preliminary 
simulated accounting exercise potential credits by Forest 
Management of, on average, -1.3 Mt CO2-eq per year are 
capped  to  -1.1  Mt  CO2-eq  per  year.  Croatia  is  one  of 
eight  EU  Member  States  which  exceed  the  cap  of  3.5% 
from emissions of the base year (1990). 

The  EU  Strategy  on  adaptation  to  climate  change, 
adopted  in  2013,  aims  to  make  Europe  more  climate-
resilient, by promoting action by Member States, better-
informed  decision  making,  and  promoting  adaptation  in 
key vulnerable sectors. By adopting a coherent approach 
and  providing  for  improved  coordination,  it  seeks  to 
enhance the preparedness and capacity of all governance 
levels to respond to the impacts of climate change. 

Figure 9: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector (Mt. CO2-
eq.). Historical data 1990-2016. Projections 2017-203027 

Figure  8:  Targets  and  emissions  for  Croatia  under  the 
Effort Sharing Decision and Effort Sharing Regulation26 

Croatia's  National  Adaptation  Strategy  (NAS)  is  being 
developed and is due to be completed and prepared for 
adoption.  A  parallel  National  Adaptation  Plan  (NAP)  will 
also  be  developed,  covering  a 
five-year  period. 
Recognized  vulnerable  sectors  are  the  following:  water 
resources,  agriculture,  forestry,  biological  diversity  and 
inland  ecosystems,  biological  diversity  and 
natural 
marine  ecosystems,  energy,  urban  and  coastal  areas, 
tourism, and human health. No reports on adaptation at 
the  central  or  sectorial  level  have  been  published  since 
the NAS and NAP are yet to  be adopted. No  monitoring 
system  has 
to  monitor 
yet  been  developed 
implementation of adaptation actions.  

The  total  revenues  from  the  auctioning  of  emission 
allowances  under  the  EU  ETS  over  the  years  2013-2016 

27 EEA, greenhouse gas data viewer, Annual European Union 
greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2016. Proxy GHG emission estimates 
for 2017Approximated EU greenhouse gas inventory 2017 (European 
Environment Agency). Member States national projections, reviewed by 
the European Environment Agency. 

The  accounting  of  GHG  emissions  and  removals  from 
forests and agriculture is governed by the Kyoto Protocol. 
A  preliminary  accounting  exercise  for  2013-2016  shows 
net  credits  of,  on  average,  -1.1  Mt  CO2-eq,  which 
corresponds  to  1.0%  of  the  EU-28  accounted  sink  of  -

25 EEA, greenhouse gas data viewer, Annual European Union 
greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2016 (Proxy GHG emission estimates 
for 2017Approximated EU greenhouse gas inventory 2017 (European 
Environment Agency). Member States national projections, reviewed by 
the European Environment Agency. 
26 Proxy GHG emission estimates for 2017 Approximated EU greenhouse 
gas inventory 2017 (European Environment Agency). Member States 
national projections, reviewed by the European Environment Agency. 

9 

 
 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

were  EUR  109  million.  100%  of  the  auctioning  revenues 
for  the  period  2013  -  2016  was  spent  on  climate  and 
energy purposes. 

2019 priority action 

In this report, no priority actions have been included on 
climate action, as the Commission will first need to assess 
the  draft  national  energy  and  climate  plans  which  the 
Member  States  needed  to  send  by  end  of  2018.  These 
plans  should  increase  the  consistency  between  energy 
and climate policies and could therefore become a good 
example  of  how  to  link  sector-specific  policies  on  other 
interlinked themes  such as agriculture-nature-water and 
transport-air-health.  

10 

 
 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

2. Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital 

Nature and biodiversity 

in  the  EU  by  2020. 

The  EU  biodiversity  strategy  aims  to  halt  the  loss  of 
biodiversity 
full 
implementation  of  the  Birds  and  Habitats  Directives  to 
achieve  favourable  conservation  status  of  protected 
species and habitats. It also requires that the agricultural 
and  forest  sectors  help  to  maintain  and 
improve 
biodiversity. 

It  requires 

Biodiversity strategy 

the  2017-2025  nature 
In  2017,  Croatia  adopted 
protection  strategy  and  action  plan2829,  under  the  terms 
outlined in the 2013 Constitution and Nature Protection 
Act.  Under  each  of  the  five  strategic  goals,  specific 
objectives and activities are set out and mapped. The aim 
is  to  achieve  the  relevant  Aichi  biodiversity  targets  and 
the targets in the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. 

Setting up a coherent network of Natura 2000 sites 

The  Croatian  Natura  2000  network  was  officially 
designated  in  2013  and  amended  in  2015.  It  covers 
36.6 % of the area  of Croatia (second largest  network in 
the EU in terms of percentage of Member State area) and 
a  significant  marine area  (4 986 km2)30. By  2015,  Croatia 
had  designated  741  sites  of  community  interest  under 
the  Habitats  Directive  and  38  special  protection  areas 
under the Birds Directive. 

Compliance  with  the  legal  requirement  to  set  up  a 
coherent  national  network  of  Natura  2000  sites 
is 
assessed individually for each species and habitat type in 
the Member States. The latest assessment, carried out by 
the Commission and the European Environment Agency, 
indicates that the terrestrial Natura 2000 network is now 
largely  complete.  The  marine  network  requires  further 
designations, if and where it will be appropriate based on 
a new research.  

initiated 

the  Commission 

In  2016, 
infringement 
proceedings  against  Croatia  for  non-conformity  of  its 
national  legislation  with  the  Habitats  Directive  and  the 
Birds  Directive.  The  amendments  to  the  ‘Law  on  nature 
protection’  adopted 
improved 
conformity with the Nature Directives.  

in  2018  significantly 

28 Nature Protection Strategy and Action Plan (2017-2025), OJ 72/2017. 
29 Convention on Biological Diversity, Latest NBSAPs — Croatia. 
30 EEA, Natura 2000 Barometer. 

11 

Designating Natura 2000 sites and setting conservation 
objectives and measures 

The  six-year  deadline  imposed  by  the  Habitats  Directive 
for  designating  special  areas  of  conservation  and 
introducing  appropriate  conservation  measures  will 
expire in December 2020. Extensive work is underway as 
part of several national projects (with the support of EU 
funds) to establish Natura 2000 management framework, 
as  well  as  monitoring  and  reporting  systems,  and  map 
marine  biodiversity.  Future  work  on  the  Natura  2000 
management  framework  should  set  up  the  necessary 
management structures and site management plans with 
specific  site-level  conservation  objectives  and  measures. 
This will require efficient cooperation with other relevant 
transport,  water 
the  energy, 
sectors 
management,  forestry,  agriculture  and  fisheries  sectors. 
It  will  also  mean  strengthening  the  capacity  of  nature 
protection  institutions  at  state,  regional  and  local  level. 
integrate  nature  and 
More  effort 
biodiversity  protection  objectives  into  inland  navigation 
and  hydropower  development.  This  should  involve  the 
transport and energy sectors respectively. 

is  needed 

such  as 

to 

Progress 
restoring 
in  maintaining  or 
conservation status of species and habitats 

favourable 

Croatia  joined  the  EU  in  2013.  It  has  therefore  not  yet 
reported  on  the  conservation  status  of  habitats  and 
species  covered  by  the  Habitats  Directive  and  the 
implementation of the Birds Directive. The first report is 
due in 2019. 

2019 priority actions 

 

Ensure that the national legal framework  for nature 
protection  and  flood  protection  fully  reflects  the 
requirements of the Birds and Habitats Directives; 
  Complete the process of designating special areas of 
in  place  clear  conservation 

conservation,  put 

 
 
                                                                 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

 

objectives and the necessary conservation measures 
for  all  Natura  2000  sites  and  provide  an  adequate 
framework  and  sufficient  resources  to  implement 
them; 
Set  up  a  mechanism  for  effective  cooperation  on 
Natura  2000  management  with  other  sectors; 
especially  water  management,  forestry,  agriculture, 
fisheries, transport and energy. 
the 

action 
framework  (PAF)  to  enable  the  strategic  financial 
planning and ensure the adequate funding according 
to the identified needs. 

developing 

prioritised 

  Continue 

Maintaining  and  restoring  ecosystems  and 
their services 

The EU biodiversity strategy aims to maintain and restore 
including  green 
ecosystems  and  their  services  by 
infrastructure  in  spatial  planning  and  restoring  at  least 
15 %  of  degraded  ecosystems  by  2020.  The  EU  green 
infrastructure  strategy  promotes  the  incorporation  of 
green infrastructure into related plans and programmes. 

The EU has provided guidance on the further deployment 
of  green  and  blue  infrastructure  in  Croatia31  and  a 
country page on the Biodiversity Information System for 
Europe  (BISE)32.  This  information  will  also  contribute  to 
the  final  evaluation  of  the  EU  Biodiversity  Strategy  to 
2020. 
According  to  the  Croatian  Nature  Protection  Act33,  all 
physical  planning  documents  and  sectoral  management 
plans  for  the  use  of  natural  resources  must  include 
in 
nature  protection 
implementation  since  2010  is  positive  and  some  new 
sectors have been included in the process, such as water 
management and, to some extent, agriculture. However, 
in some sectors, such as fisheries, tourism and transport, 
implementation  need  to  be  improved.  According  to  the 
fifth  national  report  to  the  Convention  on  Biological 
Diversity  (CBD)34,  strategic  planning  and  the  biodiversity 
assessment of transport corridors are generally weak. 

requirements. 

trend 

The 

31 The recommendations of the green infrastructure strategy review 
report and the EU Guidance on a strategic framework for further 
supporting the deployment of EU-level green and blue infrastructure. 
32 Biodiversity Information System for Europe. 
33 Government of the Republic of Croatia, Nature Protection Act, OJ 
80/13, 15/18. 
34 BISE, Fifth National Report of the Republic of Croatia to the CBD, 
2014. 

12 

Estimating natural capital 

The  EU  biodiversity  strategy  calls  on  Member  States  to 
map  and  assess  the  state  of  ecosystems  and  their 
services35 in their national territories by 2014, assess the 
economic  value  of  such  services  and  integrate  these 
values  into  accounting  and  reporting  systems  at  EU  and 
national level by 2020. 

Ecosystem  services  are  being  incorporated  in  the  new 
2017  national  biodiversity  and  action  plan  for  nature 
protection. One of the targets is the detailed mapping of 
ecosystem  services  with  the  aim  of  assessing  their 
economic and improving their services. In January 2015, 
the  baseline  study  on  ecosystems  and  their  services  in 
Croatia was published, based on available data. The study 
also introduced national indicators. A project to map and 
assess  ecosystem  services  and  pressures  on  ecosystem 
services  at  national 
foreseen  under  the 
‘Competitiveness and Cohesion’ operational programme. 

level 

is 

At the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their 
Services  (MAES)  working  group  meeting  held  in Brussels 
in  September  2018,  it  was  reported  that  Croatia  had 
provided  updated  information  for  the  first  time.  Little 
progress  has  been  recorded  on  the  implementation  of 
MAES  since  January  2016  (Figure  10).  This  assessment 
was  made  by  the  ESMERALDA  project36,  based  on  27 
implementation questions and updated every six months. 

Figure 10: Implementation of MAES (September 2018) 

Invasive alien species 

Under  the  EU  biodiversity  strategy,  the  following  are  to 
be achieved by 2020:  
(i) invasive alien species identified;  
(ii) priority species controlled or eradicated; and  
(iii)  pathways  managed  to  prevent  new  invasive  species 
from disrupting European biodiversity.  
This  is  supported  by  the  Invasive  Alien  Species  (IAS) 
Regulation, which entered into force on 1 January 2015. 

The  report  on  the  baseline  distribution  (Figure  11),  for 
which  Croatia  reviewed  its  country  and  grid-level  data, 

35 Ecosystem services are benefits provided by nature such as food, 
clean water and pollination on which human society depends. 
36 BISE, MAES country fiches — Croatia. 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

shows  that  of  the  37  species  on  the  first  EU  list,  9  have 
already been observed in the environment in Croatia. Of 
these  nine,  seven  are  considered  to  be  established. 
Croatia  is  the  only  Member  State  to  have  been  invaded 
by the small Asian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus)37. 

Figure  11:  Number  of  IAS  of  EU  concern,  based  on 
available georeferenced information for Croatia38 

Soil  is  a  finite  and  extremely  fragile  resource  and  it  is 
increasingly degrading in the EU. 
Figure 12: Proportion of artificial land cover, 201542 

into  force  of  the  EU 

list  and 
Between  the  entry 
report  any  new 
18 May 2018,  Croatia  did  not 
appearances of invasive alien species (IAS) of EU concern 
in accordance with Article 16(2) of the IAS Regulation. 

responsible 

implementing 

Croatia  has  notified  the  Commission  of  its  competent 
IAS 
for 
authorities 
Regulation39.  The  Act  on 
the  prevention  and 
management of the introduction and spread of alien and 
invasive  alien  species  containing  the  national  provisions 
on  penalties  for  infringements40  entered  into  force  in 
February 201841. 

the 

Soil protection 

The  EU  soil  thematic  strategy  underlines  the  need  to 
ensure a  sustainable use of soils.  This  entails preventing 
further  soil  degradation  and  preserving  its  functions,  as 
well as restoring degraded soils. The 2011 Roadmap to a 
Resource Efficient Europe states that by 2020, EU policies 
must  take  into  account  their  direct  and  indirect  impact 
on land use. 

37 The subspecies of mongoose present in Croatia is Herpestes javanicus 
auropunctatus. 
38 Tsiamis K; Gervasini E; Deriu I; D`amico F; Nunes A; Addamo A; De 
Jesus Cardoso A. Baseline Distribution of Invasive Alien Species of Union 
concern. Ispra (Italy): Publications Office of the European Union; 2017, 
EUR 28596 EN, doi:10.2760/772692. 
39 As required by Article 24(2) of the IAS Regulation. 
40 As required by Article 30(4) of the IAS Regulation. 
41 Act on the Prevention and Management of the Introduction and 
Spread of Alien and Invasive Alien Species, OJ 15/18 

13 

The  percentage  of  artificial  land43  in  Croatia  (Figure  12) 
can  be  seen  as  a  measure  of  the  relative  pressure  on 
nature and biodiversity. It can also be seen as a measure 
of  the  environmental  pressure  on  people 
in 
urbanised areas. A similar measure is population density. 

living 

With 3.5 % artificial land cover, Croatia is close to the EU-
28 average (4.1 %). Population density is 74.6/km2, which 
is below the EU average of 118/km2 44. 

Contamination  can  severely  reduce  soil  quality  and 
threaten  human  health  or  the  environment.  A  recent 
report  of  the  European  Commission45  estimated  that 
potentially  polluting  activities  have  taken  or  are  still 

42 Eurostat, Land covered by artificial surfaces by NUTS 2 regions. 
43 Artificial land cover is defined as the total of roofed built-up areas 
(including buildings and greenhouses), artificial non built-up areas 
(including sealed area features, such as yards, farmyards, cemeteries, 
car parking areas etc. and linear features, such as streets, roads, 
railways, runways, bridges) and other artificial areas (including bridges 
and viaducts, mobile homes, solar panels, power plants, electrical 
substations, pipelines, water sewage plants, and open dump sites). 
44 Eurostat, Population density by NUTS 3 region. 
45Ana Paya Perez, Natalia Rodriguez Eugenio, Status of local soil 
contamination in Europe: Revision of the indicator “Progress in the 
management Contaminated Sites in Europe”, 2018. 

 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

taking place on approximately 2.8 million sites in the EU. 
At EU level, 650 000 of these sites have been registered 
in national or regional inventories.  65 500  contaminated 
sites  already  have  been  remediated.  Croatia  has 
registered  2 264  sites  where  potentially  polluting 
activities have taken or are taking place, and already has 
remediated or applied aftercare measures on 5 sites. 

Soil erosion by water is a natural process, but this natural 
process can be aggravated by climate change and human 
activities  such  as  inappropriate  agricultural  practices, 
deforestation,  forest  fires  or  construction  work.  High 
levels  of  soil  erosion  can  reduce  productivity 
in 
agriculture  and  can  have  negative  and  transboundary 
impacts  on  biodiversity  and  ecosystem  services.  High 
levels  of  soil  erosion  can  also  have  negative  and 
lakes  (due  to 
transboundary  effects  on  rivers  and 
transport  of 
and 
volumes 
increased 
contaminants).  According  to  the  RUSLE2015  model46, 
Croatia  has  an  average  soil  loss  rate  by  water  of 
3.16 tonnes per hectare per year (t ha−a yr−y) compared to 
the  EU  mean  of  2.46  t ha−a yr−y.  This  indicates  that  soil 
erosion in Croatia is above the EU average but moderate. 
It is important  to note that these figures are the output 
of a model run at EU level and should not, therefore, be 
considered as values  measured in specific locations. The 
actual  soil  loss  rate  can  vary  strongly  within  a  given 
country depending on local conditions.  

sediment 

Marine protection 

EU coastal and marine policy and legislation require that 
by  2020  the  impact  of  pressures  on  marine  waters  be 
reduced  to  achieve  or  maintain  good  environmental 
status (GES) and ensure that coastal zones are managed 
sustainably. 

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)47 aims 
to achieve good environmental status of the EU’s marine 
waters  by  2020.  To  that  end,  Member  States  must 
develop  a  marine  strategy  for  their  marine  waters,  and 
cooperate  with  the  EU  countries  that  share  the  same 
marine (sub)region.  

For  Croatia,  the  Convention  for  the  Protection  of  the 
Marine  Environment  and  the  Coastal  Region  of  the 
Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) plays a significant 
role  in  achieving  the  goals  required  by  the  Marine 
Strategy  Framework  Directive..  The  Commission  could 
not assess whether Croatian measures were appropriate 
for  achieving  good  environmental  status48  as  Croatia 

46Panagos, P., Borrelli, P., Poesen, J., Ballabio, C., Lugato, 
E., Meusburger, K., Montanarella, L., Alewell, C., The new assessment of 
soil loss by water erosion in Europe, (2015) Environmental Science and 
Policy, 54, pp. 438-447. 
47 Directive 2008/56/EC 
48 COM(2018) 562 and SWD(2018) 393. 

reported  its  measures  too  late  for  the  Commission  to 
include  them  in  this  assessment  procedure49.  Croatian 
legislation  has  conformed  to  the  Marine  Strategy 
Framework Directive since June 2017. 

2019 priority action 

 

Ensure  timely  reporting  of  the  different  elements 
under  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive  so 
that  Croatia  can  be  part  of  future  Commission's 
assessments. 

49 Croatia reported its programme of measures to the Commission on 
31 October 2017 whereas the due date was 31 March 2016. 

14 

                                                                 
 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

3. Ensuring citizens’ health and quality of life 

Air quality 

EU clean air  policy and legislation require the significant 
improvement  of  air  quality  in  the  EU,  moving  the  EU 
closer to the quality recommended by the World Health 
Organisation.  Air  pollution  and  its  impacts  on  human 
health,  ecosystems  and  biodiversity  should  be  further 
reduced with the long-term aim of not exceeding critical 
loads  and  levels.  This  requires  strengthening  efforts  to 
reach  full  compliance  with  EU  air  quality  legislation  and 
defining strategic targets and actions beyond 2020. 

The  EU  has  developed  a  comprehensive  body  of  air 
legislation50,  which  establishes  health-based 
quality 
standards and objectives for a number of air pollutants. 

several  air  pollutants  have 

fallen 
Emissions  of 
in  Croatia51.  The  emission 
significantly 
reductions 
between  1990  and  2014  mentioned  in  the  previous  EIR 
continued  between  2014  and  2016.  During  this  period, 
emissions  of  fine  particulate  matter  PM2.5  fell  by  6.83 % 
and emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) fell by 1.41 %.  
Figure 13: PM2.5 and NOx emissions by sector in Croatia52  

Despite  these  reductions,  additional  efforts  are  needed 
to fulfil the emission reduction commitments (compared 
to  2005  emission  levels)  laid  down  in  the  new  National 
Emissions Ceilings Directive53 for 2020-2029 and beyond. 

At the same time, air quality in Croatia is giving cause for 
concern.  For  2015,  the  European  Environment  Agency54 
estimated  that  about  4 500  premature  deaths  were 
attributable  to  fine  particulate  matter  concentrations, 
230 to ozone concentration55 and 430 to nitrogen dioxide 
concentrations56. 
For  201757,  ,  exceedances  related  to  the  annual  limit 
value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were registered in 1 (out 
of  9)  air  quality  zones  (Zagreb).  Exceedances  have  also 
been registered related to particulate matter (PM10) in 3 
(out  of  9)  air  quality  zones  (Kutina,  Zagreb,  and  Osijek), 
and for PM2.5 in two air quality zones (Slavonski Brod and 
Zagreb).  Target  values  for  annual  mean  concentrations 
were  also  exceeded 
in  two  air  quality  zones  for 
benzo(a)pyrene. 

See also Figure 14 on the number of air quality zones in 
exceedance for NO2, PM2.5, and PM10. 

Figure 14: Air quality zones exceeding EU air quality 
standards in 201758 

Meanwhile,  emissions  of  volatile  organic  compounds 
increased  by  2.51 %,  emissions  of  ammonia  (NH3)  by 
10.37 % and emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) by 6.67 % 
between 2014 and 2016 (see also Figure 13 on the total 
PM2.5 and NOx emissions per sector). 

50 European Commission, Air Quality Standards, 2016. 
51 EIONET Central Data Repository and Air pollutant emissions data 
viewer (NEC Directive). 
52 2016 NECD data submitted by Member State to the EEA. 

According to a special report from the European Court of 
Auditors59,  EU  action  to  protect  human  health  from  air 

53 Directive 2016/2284/EU. 
54 European Environment Agency, Air Quality in Europe – 2018 Report, 
p.64. Please see details in this report as regards the underpinning 
methodology. 
55 Low level ozone is produced by photochemical action on pollution. 
56 NOx is emitted during fuel combustion e.g. from industrial facilities 
and the road transport sector. NOx is a group of gases comprising 
nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). 
57EEA, EIONET Central Data Repository. 
58 EEA, EIONET Central Data Repository. Data reflects the reporting 
situation as of 26 November 2018. 
59 European Court of Auditors, Special report no 23/2018: Air pollution: 
Our health still insufficiently protected. 

15 

 
 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

In Croatia, around 155 industrial installations must have a 
permit pursuant to the IED according to the 2015 data. In 
2015, the industrial sectors in Croatia with the most IED 
installations  were 
(39 %,  mainly 
intensive  rearing  of  poultry  or  pigs),  followed  by  the 
waste  management  sector  (25 %),  the  mineral-cement 
sector (15 %) and the energy-power sector (6 %). 

‘other  activities’ 

Figure 15: Number of IED industrial installations by 
sector, Croatia (2015)63 

pollution has not achieved the expected impact. There is 
a risk that air pollution is being underestimated in some 
instances because it may not always be monitored in the 
right  places.  Member  States  are  now  required  to  report 
both  real-time  and  validated  air  quality  data  to  the 
Commission60. 

2019 priority actions 

 

(NAPCP), 

In  the  context  of  the  forthcoming  National  Air 
Pollution  Control  Programme 
take 
measures to reduce the main sources of emissions; 
  Accelerate  reductions  of  particulate  matter  (PM2.5 
and  PM10)  emissions  and  concentration.  This  will 
require, for example, further reduction of emissions 
from  energy  production  and  heat  generation  using 
solid  fuels,  and  promotion  of  efficient  and  clean 
district heating; 

  Accelerate  reduction  of  nitrogen  oxide 

(NOx) 
emissions and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations. 
This  will  require,  for  example,  further  reducing 
transport emissions, in particular in urban areas (and 
may  require  proportionate  and  targeted  urban 
vehicle access restrictions) and/or fiscal incentives; 
  Reduce  ammonia  (NH3)  emissions  to  comply  with 
currently  applicable  national  emission  ceilings,  for 
example by introducing or expanding the use of low-
emission agricultural techniques. 

Industrial emissions 

The  main objectives of EU policy on industrial emissions 
are to: 
(i) protect air, water and soil; 
(ii) prevent and manage waste; 
(iii) improve energy and resource efficiency; and  
(iv) clean up contaminated sites.  
To  achieve  this,  the  EU  takes  an  integrated  approach  to 
the  prevention  and  control  of  routine  and  accidental 
industrial emissions. The cornerstone of the policy is the 
Industrial Emissions Directive61 (IED). 

The  below  overview  of  industrial  activities  regulated  by 
the  IED  is  based  on  the  ‘industrial  emissions  policy 
country profiles’ project62. 

60 Article 5 of Commission Implementing Decision 2011/850/EU of 
12 December 2011 laying down rules for Directives 2004/107/EC and 
2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards 
the reciprocal exchange of information and reporting on ambient air 
quality (OJ L 335, 17.12.2011, p. 86) requires Member States to provide 
Up-To-Date data. 
61 Directive 2010/75/EU covers industrial activities carried out above 
certain thresholds. It covers energy industry, metal production, mineral 
and chemical industry and waste management, as well as a wide range 
of industrial and agricultural sectors (e.g. intensive rearing of pig and 
poultry, pulp and paper production, painting and cleaning). 
62 European Commission, Industrial emissions policy country profile – 
Croatia. 

industrial  sectors 

The 
that  contributed  significant 
quantities  of  emissions  to  air  were:  the  energy-power 
sector  for  sulphur  oxides  (SOx),  nitrogen  oxides  (NOx) 
and  most  heavy  metals;  the  ‘other  activities’  sector 
(mostly  intensive  rearing  of  poultry  or  pigs  and  surface 
treatment) for non-methane volatile organic compounds 
and  ammonia  (NH3)  emissions;  and  the  energy-refining 
sector  for  nickel  (Ni)  and  smaller  proportions  of  heavy 
metals,  SOx  and  NOx.  The  breakdown  is  shown  in  the 
following graph. 

industrial  sectors 

For  emissions  to  water  the  key  industrial  sectors  were: 
chemicals,  energy  refining  and  the  energy-power  and 
non-hazardous  waste  management  sectors.  The  most 
significant 
for  hazardous  waste 
generation  were  the  energy-refining  sector,  followed  by 
the waste management sector and the metals sector. For 
non-hazardous  waste, 
largest  proportion  was 
the 
generated by the waste management sector, followed by 
the ‘other activities’ and energy-power sectors. 

The enforcement approach under the IED creates strong 
rights for citizens to have access to relevant information 
and  to  participate  in  the  permitting  process  for  IED 
installations. This empowers NGOs and the general public 
to  ensure  that  permits  are  appropriately  granted  and 
their conditions met. 

Figure 16: Emissions to air from IED sectors and all other 

63 European Commission, Industrial emissions policy country profile – 
Croatia. 

16 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

national total air emissions, Croatia (2015) 

Excessive noise from aircraft, railways and roads is one of 
the  main  causes  of  environmental  health-related  issues 
in the EU65. 

limited  set  of  data66, 
In  Croatia,  according  to  a 
environmental  noise  causes  at  least  100  premature 
deaths 
annually. 
Additionally,  some  60 000  people  suffer  from  disturbed 
sleep.  

200  hospital 

admissions 

and 

Best available techniques (BAT) reference documents and 
BAT conclusions are developed through the exchange of 
industrial 
information 
associations,  NGOs  and  the  Commission.  This  ensures 
good  collaboration  with  stakeholders  and  better 
application of the IED rules. 

involving  Member 

States, 

Thanks  to  the  national  competent  authorities’  efforts  to 
apply the legally binding BAT conclusions and associated 
BAT  emission  levels  in  environmental  permits,  pollution 
has decreased considerably and continuously in the EU. 

For  example,  by  applying  the  recently  adopted  BAT 
emission levels for large combustion plants, emissions of 
sulphur dioxide will be cut  on average by between 25 % 
and 81 %, nitrogen oxide by between 8 % and 56 %, dust 
by  between  31 %  and  78 %  and  mercury  by  between 
19 % and 71 % at EU level. 

The  Croatian  authorities  identified  implementing  BAT  in 
the waste management sector as a key challenge. 

2019 priority actions 

  Review  permits  to  ensure  they  comply  with  the 

 

newly adopted BAT conclusions; 
Strengthen  control  and  enforcement  to  ensure 
compliance with the BAT conclusions; 

  Address  the  challenge  implementing  BAT  in  the 

waste treatment sector. 

 In summer 2018 Croatia concluded its noise mapping for 
major  roads.  It  also  developed  action  plans  for  the 
relevant  urban  agglomerations  (Zagreb,  Split,  Rijeka  and 
Osijek), all major roads and all major railways.  

These  instruments,  adopted  after  a  public  consultation 
had  been  carried  out,  should  include  the  measures  to 
keep noise low or reduce it.  

Water quality and management 

EU  legislation  and  policy  requires  that  the  impact  of 
pressures  on  transitional,  coastal  and  fresh  waters 
(including  surface  and  ground  waters)  be  significantly 
reduced.  Achieving,  maintaining  or  enhancing  a  good 
status  of  water  bodies  as  defined  by  the  Water 
Framework Directive  will  ensure that EU citizens benefit 
from good quality and safe drinking and bathing water. It 
will  further  ensure  that  the  nutrient  cycle  (nitrogen  and 
phosphorus)  is  managed  in  a  more  sustainable  and 
resource-efficient way. 

The  existing  EU  water  legislation67  puts  in  place  a 
protective  framework  to  ensure  high  standards  for  all 
water  bodies  in  the  EU  and  addresses  specific  pollution 
sources  (for  example,  from  agriculture,  urban  areas  and 
industrial  activities).  It  also  requires  that  the  projected 
into  the 
impacts  of  climate  change  are 
corresponding  planning 
risk 
management  plans  and  river  basin  management  plans, 
including  programme  of  measures  which  include  the 
actions  that  Member  States  plan  to  take  in  order  to 
achieve the environmental objectives. 

instruments  e.g. flood 

integrated 

Water Framework Directive 

Noise 
The  Environmental  Noise  Directive64  provides  for  a 
common  approach  to  avoiding,  preventing  and  reducing 
the harmful effects of exposure to environmental noise. 

Croatia  adopted  and  reported  the  second  generation  of 
River  Basin  Management  Plan  under 
the  Water 
Framework  Directive  and  the  European  Commission 
assessed  the  status  and  the  development  since  the 

64 Directive 2002/49/EC. 

65 WHO/JRC, Burden of disease from environmental noise, Fritschi, L., 
Brown, A.L., Kim, R., Schwela, D., Kephalopoulos, S. (eds), World Health 
Organisation, Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2011. 
66 European Environment Agency, Noise Fact Sheets 2017. 
67 This includes the Bathing Waters Directive (2006/7/EC), the Urban 
Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) (on discharges of 
municipal and some industrial wastewaters), the Drinking Water 
Directive (98/83/EC) (on potable water quality), the Water Framework 
Directive (2000/60/EC) (on water resources management), the Nitrates 
Directive (91/676/EEC) and the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC). 

17 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

adoption  of  the  first  River  Basin  Management  Plan, 
including suggested actions in the 2017 EIR. 

The most significant pressure on surface water bodies is 
diffuse  pollution  from  agricultural  (57%  of  surface 
waterbodies) and discharges not connected to sewerage 
network  (54%).  For  groundwater  bodies  the  most 
significant  pressure 
from 
agricultural (6%).  

is  also  diffuse  pollution 

Figure 17: Ecological status or potential of surface water 
bodies in Croatia68 

Nutrient  pollution  was  the  most  significant  impact  on 
surface water bodies (43%) and on groundwater (6%).  

improvement 

Overall  there  was  an 
in  operational 
monitoring  regarding  the  ecological  status  in  surface 
water  bodies.  There  was  for  example  operational 
monitoring  in  coastal  and  transitional  waters  in  the 
second River Basin Management Plan, which was not the 
case in the first. The Water Framework Directive requires 
Member  States  to  establish  monitoring  programmes  for 
the  assessment  of  the  status  of  surface  water  and  of 
groundwater 
in  order  to  provide  a  coherent  and 
comprehensive overview of water status but only 10% of 
in 
included 
surface  water  bodies 
operational  monitoring 
surveillance 
monitoring.  

in  Croatia  were 
in 
and  6% 

42  %  of  surface  water  bodies  are  at  good  or  better 
ecological status/potential as illustrated in figure 17. This 
shows  that  Croatia  has  a  long  way  to  go  to  achieve  the 
good  status/potential  objectives  set  down  in  the  Water 
Framework Directive. 

68 EEA, WISE dashboard. 

18 

Between  the  first  and  second  River  Basin  Management 
Plan  there  has  been  a  decrease  in  the  proportion  of 
surface  water  bodies  in  Croatia  as  a  whole  with  good 
chemical status. The proportion of water bodies at good 
status has decreased from 97% to 92%. 

in 

Progress  has  been  made 
the  assessment  of 
groundwater quantitative status, but there are still areas 
which  have  limited  monitoring.  The  total  number  of 
groundwater  bodies  failing  good  quantitative  status 
decreased  (from  1.9%  to  0.5%  of  the  total  groundwater 
body area). 

Some  measures  from  the  first  Programme  of  Measures 
were  implemented,  but  there  are  still  measures  which 
were not  completed, for  example due to lack of  finance 
and governance issues.  

Improvements  seem  to  have  been  achieved  in  the  co-
operation with neighbouring countries and progress also 
seems  to  have  been  made  in  identifying  significant 
pressures and mapping national measures and Key Types 
of Measures, and in performing gap analyses. 

Nitrates Directive 

Croatia has designated approximately 9 % of its territory 
a  nitrate-vulnerable  zone  (NVZ).  This  designation  is  not 
systematically  associated  with  all  areas  subject  to  high 
agricultural pressure. Water monitoring in the context of 
the Nitrate Directive is only carried out inside the NVZ. 

Drinking Water Directive 

No new data on drinking water have been made available 
since  the  2017  EIR.  Croatia  benefits  from  a  transitional 
measure  with  respect  to  the  requirements  of  the 
Drinking Water Directive on microbiological and indicator 
parameters for a number of water supply zones. 

Bathing Water Directive 

Figure 18 shows that in 2017, of the 976 Croatian bathing 
waters,  93.5 %  were  of  excellent  quality,  1.3 %  of  good 
quality and 0.2 % of sufficient  quality (94.1 %, 1.7 % and 
0.4 % respectively in 2016). In 2017, there was no bathing 
water  of  poor  quality  in  Croatia69.  Detailed  information 
on  Croatian  bathing  waters  is  available  from  a  national 
portal70  and  via  the  European  Environment  Agency’s 
interactive map viewer71. 

Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive  

In 2018, Croatia finished transposing the requirements of 
the  Urban  Waste  Water  Treatment  Directive  into  its 
national  legal  framework.  Pursuant  to  its  Accession 
Treaty,  Croatia  should  be  fully  compliant  with  the 

69 European Environment Agency, European bathing water quality in 
2016 , p. 17, 2017. 
70 HAOP, Bathing water quality in Croatia. 
71 EEA, State of bathing waters. 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

requirements of the Directive by the end of 2023. As the 
implementation deadlines for Croatia are still pending, a 
compliance assessment for data reported by Croatia was 
not carried out in 2016. However, it is already clear that 
Croatia will need to step up its efforts if it is to meet the 
deadlines set out in its Accession Treaty. 

The  estimated  investment  needed  to  ensure  adequate 
waste  water  collection  and  treatment  in  the  remaining 
urban  agglomerations  is  EUR 2.9  billion72.  The  projects, 
listed  in  this  latest  report,  are  sufficient  to  ensure 
compliance with the Directive. 
Figure 18: Bathing water quality 2014-2017 73 

Floods Directive 

The  Floods  Directive  established  a  framework  for  the 
assessment and management of flood risks, aiming at the 
reduction  of  the  adverse  consequences  associated  with 
significant floods. 

Croatia  adopted  and  reported 
its  first  Flood  Risk 
Management Plan under the Directive and the European 
Commission conducted an assessment. 

The  Commission’s  assessment  found  that  good  efforts 
were made with positive results in setting objectives and 
devising  measures  focusing  on  prevention,  protection 
and  preparedness.  The  assessment  also  showed  that,  as 
was  the  case  for  other  Member  States,  Croatia’s  Flood 
Risk Management Plan does not yet include a baseline to 
assess  the  progress  achieved  in  implementing  measures 
(by extension the objectives  too) and an as complete as 
possible  estimation  of  the  cost  of  measures  with 
identification  of  specific  sources  of  funding.  In  addition, 
is  scope  for  clarifying  the  method  for  the 
there 

prioritisation  of  measures,  including  the  assessment  of 
costs and benefits 

2019 priority action 

 

 

 

Step  up  work  on  the  identification  of  pressures,  in 
particular in transitional and coastal waters. 
Provide  all  relevant  information  on  the  level  of 
compliance  and  the  timing  to  reach  compliance  of 
in  accordance  with  Directive 
agglomerations 
91/271/EEC:  Ensure  also  compliance  with  Article  5 
UWWTD  for  more  stringent  treatment,  especially  in 
big cities. 
Take steps to clarify the method for the prioritisation 
of  measures,  including  the  assessment  of  costs  and 
benefits  in  relation  to  the  Flood  Risk  Management 
Plan. 

Chemicals 

The  EU  seeks  to  ensure  that  by  2020  chemicals  are 
produced and used in ways that minimise any significant 
adverse  effects  on  human  health  and  the  environment. 
An  EU  strategy  for  a  non-toxic  environment  that  is 
conducive  to  innovation  and  to  developing  sustainable 
substitutes,  including  non-chemical  options,  is  being 
prepared. 

legislation74  provides  baseline 
The  EU’s  chemicals 
protection for human health and the environment. It also 
for  businesses 
ensures  stability  and  predictability 
operating within the internal market. 

In  2016,  the  European  Chemicals  Agency 
(ECHA) 
published  a  report  on  REACH  and  the  CLP  Regulation75 
that showed that enforcement activities are still evolving. 
Member  States  cooperate  closely  within  the  Forum  for 
Exchange of Information on Enforcement 76. This dialogue 
has  highlighted  that  there  is  scope  to  increase  the 
effectiveness  of  enforcement  activities,  particularly  for 
registration obligations and safety data sheets, where the 
level of non-compliance is still relatively high. 

While progress has been made, there is room to further 
improve  and  harmonise  national  enforcement  activities 
across  the  EU,  including  checks  on  imported  goods. 
Enforcement 
in  some  Member  States, 
particularly  for  checking  on  imports  and  supply  chain 
obligations.  The  enforcement  architecture  is  complex  in 
most  EU  countries  and  enforcement  projects  reveal 
differences in compliance between Member States. 

is  still  weak 

72 European Commission, Ninth Report on the Implementation Status 
and the Programmes for Implementation of the Urban Waste Water 
Treatment Directive (COM(2017)749) and Commission Staff Working 
Document accompanying the report (SWD(2017)445). 
73 European Environment Agency, European bathing water quality in 
2017, p. 21, 2018. 

74 Principally for chemicals: REACH (OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p.1.); for 
Classification, Labelling and Packaging, the CLP Regulation (: OJ L 252, 
31.12.2006, p.1.), together with legislation on biocidal products and 
plant protection products. 
75 European Chemicals Agency, Report on the Operation of REACH and 
CLP 2016. 
76 ECHA, On the basis of the projects REF-1, REF-2 and REF-3. 

19 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

A 2015 Commission study emphasised the importance of 
harmonised  market  surveillance  and  enforcement  when 
implementing REACH at Member State level. These were 
deemed to be a critical success factor in the operation of 
a harmonised single market77. 

In March 2018, the Commission published an evaluation 
of  REACH78.  The  evaluation  concludes  that  REACH 
delivers  on  its  objectives,  but  that  progress  made  is 
slower  than  anticipated.  In  addition,  the  registration 
dossiers often are incomplete. The evaluation underlines 
the need to enhance enforcement by all actors, including 
registrants,  downstream  users  and 
in  particular  for 
importers,  to  ensure  a  level  playing  field,  meet  the 
objectives  of  REACH  and  ensure  consistency  with  the 
actions envisaged to improve environmental compliance 
and  governance.  Consistent  reporting  of  Member  State 
enforcement activities  was considered important  in that 
respect. 

The responsibility for enforcing REACH and CLP in Croatia 
lies  with  the  Department  for  Chemicals  and  Biocidal 
Products in the Directorate for Sanitary Inspection79. The 
Directorate for Sanitary Inspection is part of the Ministry 
of Health. The enforcement of REACH and CLP in Croatia 
is carried out under the Chemicals Act (Narodne novine – 
Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia  – br. 18/2013) 
and implementation acts on REACH and CLP. 

Making cities more sustainable 

EU policy on the urban environment encourages cities to 
put  policies  in  place  for  sustainable  urban  planning  and 
design.  These  should  include  innovative  approaches  to 
sustainable 
urban  public 
buildings,  energy  efficiency  and  urban  biodiversity 
conservation. 

transport  and  mobility, 

Europe  can  be  seen  as  a  union  of  cities  and  towns.  The 
population living in urban areas in Europe is projected to 
rise  to  just  over  80%  by  205080.  Urban  areas  pose 
particular  challenges  for  the  environment  and  human 
health,  but  they  also  provide  opportunities  for  using 
resources  more  efficiently.  The  EU  encourages 
municipalities to become greener through initiatives such 
as  the  Green  Capital  Award81,  the  Green  Leaf  Award82 
and the Green City Tool83. 

77 European Commission, Monitoring the Impacts of REACH on 
Innovation, Competitiveness and SMEs, Final Report, 2015. 
78 COM(2018) 116. 
79 ECHA, National Inspectorates — Croatia. 
80 European Commission, Eurostat, Urban Europe, 2016, p.9. 
81 European Commission, European Green Capital. 
82 European Commission, European Green Leaf Award. 
83 European Commission, Green City Tool. 

Financing greener cities 

through 

The  concept  of  sustainable  urban  development  will  be 
implemented 
the 
in  Croatia  exclusively 
integrated  territorial  investment  (ITI)  mechanism.  The 
aim  is  to  boost  the  role  of  cities  as  drivers  of  economic 
development. 
centres  have 
The  biggest  urban 
EUR 345.35  million  from  the  2014-2020  programming 
sustainable  urban 
period  at 
development activities84. 

their  disposal 

for 

the 

the  Croatian  Partnership  Agreement, 
for 

the 
Under 
ITI  mechanism 
possibility  of  applying 
implementation will initially only be offered to the seven 
largest  urban  centres  with  the  highest  population 
concentration and capacity to implement projects under 
this  mechanism.  These  urban 
the 
agglomerations  of  Zagreb,  Osijek,  Rijeka  and  Split,  with 
more  than  100 000  inhabitants,  and  the  cities  of  Zadar, 
Slavonski  Brod  and  Pula,  with  more  than  50 000 
inhabitants85. 

centres  are 

Participation in EU urban initiatives and networks 

Croatian  municipalities  are  generally  involved  in  EU 
environment protection and climate change initiatives. 
The  Urban  Agenda  for  the  EU86  is  an  integrated  and 
coordinated approach to deal with the urban dimension 
of EU and national policies and legislation. By focusing on 
concrete  priority  themes  within  dedicated  partnerships, 
the Urban Agenda seeks to improve the quality of life in 
urban  areas.  Croatia  participates  in  the  work  of  three 
partnerships:  Air  Quality,  Sustainable  Land  Use  and 
Nature-Based Solutions, Digital Transition. 

A  total  of  nine  cities  are  involved  in  the  URBACT  III,  a 
European  Territorial  Cooperation  programme  designed 
to  support  sustainable  urban  development,  through  12 

84 Ministry of Regional Development and EU funds, Sustainable Urban 
Development. 
85 Republic of Croatia, Partnership Agreement, p. 451. 
86 European Commission, The Urban Agenda for the EU. 

20 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

thematic  networks.  Croatian  cities  acted  as  Project 
Partners within the thematic networks87. 

Figure  19:  Proportion  of  the  Natura  2000  network  in 
Functional Urban Areas (FUA)96 

Several  Horizon  2020  network  projects  have  also 
contributed  to  making  Croatian  cities  sustainable. 
CIVITAS  is  a  network  of  cities  for  cities  dedicated  to 
cleaner,  better  transport 
in  Europe  and  beyond.  It 
includes  five  cities  representing  Croatia  in  a  common 
effort to achieve this goal88. Croatian cities also take part 
in FosterReg, which aims to help the public plan, finance 
and manage integrated urban regeneration to boost  the 
uptake  of  sustainable  energy89.  SocialCar  is  a  research 
and  innovation  project  to  incorporate  carpooling  into 
existing  mobility  systems.  Zagreb  is  one  of  the  10 
European  cities  where  the  SocialCar  system  will  be 
trialled90.  

Croatian cities are also actively involved in initiatives such 
as  Eurocities  and  the  EU  Covenant  of  Mayors.  By  July 
2018,  70  Croatian  cities  had  signed  up  to  the  EU 
Covenant  of  Mayors  for  Climate  and  Energy.  As  of  July 
2018, 47 cities had submitted an action plan and 15 were 
monitoring results91. 

These  urban 
initiatives  and  networks  should  be 
welcomed and encouraged as they contribute to a better 
urban  environment.  In  2017,  10.5 %  of  the  Croatian 
population living in cities considered that their residential 
area  was  affected  by  pollution,  grime  or  other 
environmental  problems.  This  was  down  from  12.8 %  in 
2016 and closer to the amount of 10.1 % in 2015. These 
figures are lower than the respective EU-28 levels (20.0 % 
in 2017, 18.9 % in 2016, and 19.2 % in 2015 )92. 

Nature and cities 

More than 16.5 % of the Natura 2000 network in Croatia 
is  located  in  functional  urban  areas93.  This  is  above  the 
EU average of 15 % (see Figure 19). 

Urban sprawl 

Croatia  had  a  weighted  urban  proliferation  rate,  at  1.92 
UPU/m2 94 in 2009 compared to a European average (EU-
28+4)  of  1.64  UPU/m2,  having  increased  by  6.1 %  from 
2006 to 200995. 

87 URBACT, Associated Networks by country. 
88 European Commission, Horizon 2020 Civitas Project. 
89 European Commission, Horizon 2020 FosterReg Project. 
90 European Commission, Horizon 2020 SocialCar Project. 
91 Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, Country signatories. 
92 European Commission, Eurostat, Pollution, grime or other 
environmental problems by degree of urbanisation. 
93 European Commission, Definition of Functional Urban Areas. 
94 Urban Permeation Units measure the size of the built-up area as well 
as its degree of dispersion throughout the region. 
95 EEA, Urban Sprawl in Europe, Annex I, 2014, pp.4-5. 

21 

Traffic congestion and urban mobility 

transport 

Croatian  cities  suffer  most  from  congestion,  poor  air 
quality  and  noise  exposure.  Urban 
is 
responsible  for  about  a  quarter  of  CO2  emissions  from 
transport  and  69 %  of  road  accidents  occur  in  cities. 
These 
urban 
nodes/metropolitan areas of Croatia. The solutions differ 
owing  to  the  variation  in  the  infrastructure  present, 
geomorphological  characteristics  and  mobility  patterns 
(e.g.  proximity  to  the  sea  and  need  for  connections  to 
islands)97. 

the  main 

issues 

felt 

are 

in 

to 

the  national 

transport  development 
According 
strategy  for  2014-2030,  an  increase  in  the  number  of 
registered  cars,  car  mileage  and  the  general  use  of  cars 
has  been  observed.  The  predominance  of  private 
transport  is  clear  from  the  large  traffic  jams  on  access 
roads  to  urban  centres.  This  contributes  to  increased 
pollution and noise levels, lack of parking space and rising 
costs  for  the  general  public.  In  any  case,  the  number  of 
hours spent in road congestion has decreased since 2014 
in  2016  against  25.87)98.  At  present,  public 
(23.46 
transport  in  Croatia  is  not  integrated.  There  are  no 
coordinated  timetables  or  single  tickets  for  different 
modes  of  transport.  Intermodal  terminals,  which  enable 
transit from one mode of transport to another, are non-
existent or extremely rare99. 

In recent years, the number of rail and road passengers in 
Croatia has decreased. An increase has been observed in 
sea  and  coastal  water  transport  and  air  transport.  In 
2016, railway transport passengers fell by 4.34 % against 
the previous year. The decrease in road transport in the 
same period was 3.27 %. Sea and coastal water transport 
increased  by  3.39 %,  while  air  transport  increased  by 

96 European Commission, the 7th Report on Economic, Social and 
Territorial Cohesion, 2017, p. 121. 
97 Republic of Croatia, Transport Development Strategy (2014-2030), 
2014. 
98 European Commission, Hours spent in road congestion annually. 
99 Republic of Croatia, Transport Development Strategy (2014-2030), 
2014, p. 46. 

 
 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

8.7 %100. 

The  total  number  of  road  vehicles 
in  Croatia  was 
1.56 million  in  2016.  The  number  of  vehicles  per  1 000 
inhabitants  rose  from  349  in  2014  to  374  in  2016101. 
Hours spent on congested roads annually decreased from 
25.68  in  2014  to  23.46  in  2016.  This  is  below  the  EU 
average of 30 hours102. 

100 National Statistical Office, Croatia in Figures 2017, 2017, p. 25. 
101 Eurostat, Number of passenger cars per 1000 inhabitants. 
102 European Commission, Hours spent in road congestion annually. 

22 

 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

Part II: Enabling framework: implementation tools 

4. Green taxation, green public procurement, environmental 

funding and investments 

Green  taxation  and  environmentally  harmful 
subsidies 

incentives, 

Financial 
taxation  and  other  economic 
instruments  are  effective  and  efficient  ways  to  meet 
environmental  policy  objectives.  The  circular  economy 
action  plan  encourages  their  use.  Environmentally 
harmful  subsidies  are  monitored  in  the  context  of  the 
European  Semester  and  the  energy  union  governance 
process. 

Figure  20:  Environmental  tax  revenues  as  %  of  GDP 
(2017)103  

energy taxes accounted for 2.59 % of GDP, against the EU 
average of 1.84 %104. In the same year, environmental tax 
revenues  were  9.08 %  of  total  revenue  from  taxes  and 
social security contributions (above the EU-28 average of 
5.97 %). 

In  Croatia  the  proportion  of  total  revenues  from  labour 
tax  was  lower  than  the  EU  average,  at  38.1 %  in  2016, 
while  the  implicit  tax  burden  on  labour  was  31 %105. 
Consumer spending taxes remained very high (second in 
the  EU  at  49.9 %),  indicating  little  potential  for  shifting 
taxes  from  labour  to  consumption  and  in  particular  to 
environmental taxes. 

Nevertheless,  there  were  several  examples  of  sound 
fiscal measures on the environment being implemented. 
A good example is the ‘forest public benefit function fee’, 
a  charge  paid  by  companies  and  other  business 
associations  once  a  year  since  1983.  Besides  managing 
restoring  forests  in  karst  regions,  significant  funds  are 
spent on demining activities (10 %), firefighting (5 %) and 
scientific work (5 %)106. 

fuel 

fossil 

subsidies 

amounted 

to 
Meanwhile, 
EUR 400 million in 2015, and to more than EUR 1.9 billion 
when  post-tax  subsidies  are  included.  These  include  not 
only  price-gap 
the  negative 
subsidies  but  also 
externalities associated  with  the use of fossil  fuels, such 
as 
faster  climate  change  and 
congestion107. 

local  air  pollution, 

Progress  on  reducing  the  ‘diesel  differential’,  i.e.  the 
difference in the price of diesel and petrol, has not been 
measured.  However,  in  2016  there  was  still  a  26 %  gap 
between  petrol  and  diesel  tax  rates108.  Excise  tax  rates 
levied  on  petrol  and  diesel  in  2016  increased  slightly 
against  2015,  with  higher  variations  for  diesel  (EUR 0.51 
per litre for petrol or 5.5 % more; and EUR 0.50 for diesel 
or a 7 % increase)109. 

CO2-based  motor  vehicle  taxes  are  in  place  in  the 
country.  The  first  registration  of  a  motor  vehicle  in  the 
country is subject to the special tax based on the vehicle 

104 Eurostat, Environmental tax revenues, 2018. 
105 European Commission, Taxation Trends Report, 2017. 
106 Institute for European Environmental Policy, Case Studies on 
Environmental Fiscal Reform, Forest Public Benefit Fee in Croatia. 
107 European Parliament and IMF, Fossil Fuel Subsidies, 2017, pp. 10-11. 
108 European Environment Agency, Environmental taxation and EU 
environmental policies, 2017, p. 27. 
109 European Commission, Taxes in Europe Database, 2018. 

Croatia’s  revenue  from  environmentally  relevant  taxes 
remains  among  the  highest  in  the  EU.  Environmental 
taxes  accounted  for  3.43 %  of  GDP  in  2017  (EU-28 
average:  2.40 %),  as  shown  in  Figure  20.  Meanwhile, 

103 Eurostat, Environmental tax revenues, 2018. 

23 

 
 
 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

purchase price, CO2 emissions and fuel type110. Incentives 
to  encourage  people  to  buy  cars  with 
lower  CO2 
emissions  were  unbalanced  in  2016,  mainly  linked  to 
annual circulation taxes, road tolls and congestion or low 
emission  zone  charges.  They  were  also  linked  to  the 
acquisition  of  cleaner  vehicles  or  the  use  of  public 
infrastructure111.  New  vehicles  purchased  in  Croatia  are 
in line with the EU average for CO2 emissions, with 111,5 
grams per kilometre, below the EU average of 118 grams 
in 2016112. 

This report suggests that the tax system could be further 
used  for  environmental  policy  while  also  generating 
revenue.  In  particular,  further  alignment  and  equal 
treatment  of  transport  fuels  (for  example,  diesel)  would 
lead to improvements in the environment and incentives 
to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution (see Chapter 3 on Air 
Quality). 

The use of alternative fuels in new passenger cars sold in 
Croatia  has  been  increasing  over  the  past  few  years. 
However,  the  uptake  of  these  fuels  is  still  very  low.  The 
proportion of new passenger cars using alternative fuels 
was 0.20 % in 2016, down from 0.79 % in 2015113. Croatia 
has 
the 
limited 
Commission  on  future  scenarios  for  most  alternative 
fuels  in  the  transport  sector.  There  is  also  a  lack  of 
information  on  the  tax  treatment  of  company  cars  in 
Croatia114. 

communicated 

information 

to 

Green public procurement 

The  EU  green  public  procurement  policies  encourage 
Member  States  to  take  further  steps  to  apply  green 
procurement  criteria  to  at  least  50 %  of  public  tenders. 
The European Commission is helping to  increase the use 
of  public  procurement  as  a  strategic  tool  to  support 
environmental protection. 

The purchasing power of public procurement amounts to 
around  EUR 1.8  trillion  in  the  EU  (approximately  14%  of 
GDP).  A  substantial  proportion  of  this  money  goes  to 
impact  such  as 
sectors  with  a  high  environmental 
construction  or  transport.  Therefore,  green  public 
procurement  (GPP)  can  help  to  significantly  lower  the 
negative  impact  of  public  spending  on  the  environment 

and  can  help  support  sustainable  innovative  businesses. 
The Commission has proposed EU GPP criteria115. 

first  national  action  plan 

The 
for  green  public 
procurement for 2015-2017 was adopted in August 2015. 
the 
In  view  of  a  second  national  action  plan, 
implementation  of  the  first  plan  was  assessed.  This 
assessment  showed  that  9  out  of  17  activities  had  been 
successfully  implemented,  five  partially,  two  activities 
had  not  been  completed,  while  one  activity  was  still 
ongoing. The second national action plan was due to be 
adopted in 2018. The implementation report highlighted 
the obstacles of implementing green public procurement 
in Croatia and provided guidelines for overcoming them. 

criteria  are 

The  EU  green  public  procurement 
recommended for the following product groups:  
 
 
 
 

copying and graphic paper 
transport (motor vehicles) 
electricity 
cleaning products and services, telecommunication 
services and mobile phones 
office and IT equipment. 

 

In 2015, 2016 and 2017, several training programmes for 
trainers and procurers were held. A national website was 
also set up. 

In  Croatia,  the  uptake  of  green  public  procurement  is 
monitored annually through the official Electronic Public 
Procurement  Advertisement  channel.  According  to  the 
data  gathered,  in  2016  only  65  out  of  13 838  contracts 
were  concluded  using  green  public  procurement  criteria 
(0.5 %). 

A  European  Parliament  study  shows  that  Croatia  has 
partially implemented the GPP national action plan116. 

Environmental funding and investments 

European  Structural  and  Investment  Fund  (ESIF)  rules 
oblige  Member  States  to  promote  environment  and 
climate  in  their  funding  strategies  and  programmes  for 
economic, 
rural 
development and maritime policy. 

social  and 

territorial 

cohesion, 

Achieving  sustainability  involves  mobilising  public  and 
private  financing  sources117.  Use  of  the  European 

110 ACEA, CO2 based motor vehicle taxes in Europe. 
111 European Environmental Agency, Appropriate taxes and incentives 
do affect purchases of new cars, 18 May 2018. 
112 European Environment Agency, Average CO2 emissions from new 
passenger cars sold in EU-28 Member States plus Norway, Iceland and 
Switzerland in 2016. 
113 European Commission, Transport in the European Union Current 
Trends and Issues, 2018, pp.27-28. 
114 European Commission, Taxation of commercial cars in Belgium, 
2017, p. 3. 

115 In the Communication ‘Public procurement for a better 
environment’ (COM (2008) 400) the Commission recommended the 
creation of a process for setting common GPP criteria. The basic 
concept of GPP relies on having clear, verifiable, justifiable and 
ambitious environmental criteria for products and services, based on a 
life-cycle approach and scientific evidence base. 
116 European Parliament, Green Public Procurement and the Action Plan 
for the Circular Economy, 2017, pp. 79-80. 
117 See, for example, Action plan on financing sustainable growth 
(COM(2018) 97).  

24 

                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

Development  Fund  (ERDF)  and  the  Cohesion  Fund,  and 
the  other  receives  funding  from  the  European  Social 
Fund (ESF)124. 

Figure  21:  ESIF  2014-2020  –  EU  allocation  by  theme, 
Croatia (EUR billion)125 

these 

Structural  and  Investment  Funds  (ESIFs)118  is  essential  if 
countries  are  to  achieve  their  environmental  goals  and 
integrate 
into  other  policy  areas.  Other 
instruments such as Horizon 2020, the LIFE programme119 
and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI)120 
may also support the implementation and spread of good 
practices.  Additionally,  national 
contributions  are 
provided through the "polluter pays principle" and water 
use fee, from the ETS system and other resources. 

European Structural and Investment Funds, 2014-2020 

Croatia  has  been  allocated  a  total  of  EUR 10.7  billion 
from  ESIF  funds  for  2014-2020  (see  Figure  21).  With  a 
national  contribution  of  EUR 1.9  billion,  Croatia  has  a 
total budget of EUR 12.6 billion to invest in various areas:  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

research and innovation 
employment 
education and training 
social inclusion 
public administration and civil society 
infrastructure 
environmental protection121. 

The largest proportion of ESI Funds investment is focused 
on  the  thematic  objective  of  ‘Preserving  and  protecting 
the environment and promoting resource efficiency’. This 
accounts  for  over  20 %  of  all  investments  under  the  ESI 
Funds.  The  ex  ante  conditionalities122  for  all  three 
and 
environmental 
strategic 
environmental 
environmental assessment — have been fulfilled. 

areas123  —  water,  waste, 
assessment 
impact 

and 

Cohesion policy 

For  2014-2020,  Croatia  has  been  allocated  around 
EUR 8.6  billion  (current  prices)  in  total  cohesion  policy 
funding. This includes EUR 5.84 billion for less-developed 
regions  (all),  EUR 2.56  billion  under  the  Cohesion  Fund 
for  European  Territorial 
and  EUR 146.1  million 
Cooperation.  There  are  two  operational  programmes 
under EU cohesion policy. Of these, one receives funding 
from  multiple  sources,  including  the  European  Regional 

118 i.e. the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion 
Fund (CF), the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Agricultural 
Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European Maritime and 
Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The ERDF, the CF and the ESF are referred to as 
the ‘cohesion policy funds’. 
119 European Commission, LIFE programme. 
120 European Investment Bank, European Fund for Strategic 
Investments, 2016. 
121 European Commission, European Structural and Investment Funds 
(Country factsheet Croatia), 2016. 
122 The Fifth Cohesion Report identified the main purpose of ex ante 
conditionalities (ExACs) as helping ‘countries and regions to tackle the 
problems that past experience has shown to be particularly relevant to 
policy implementation. These principles could be linked to, for example, 
transposition of specific EU legislation, the financing of strategic EU 
projects, or administrative, evaluation and institutional capacity.’. 
123 The existence of arrangements for the effective application of Union 
environmental legislation related to EIA and SEA, Water and Waste. 

25 

is  devoted  to 

A substantial proportion of the ERDF and Cohesion Fund 
under  the  2014-2020  ‘Competitiveness  and  Cohesion’ 
operational  programme 
investments 
necessary to ensure compliance with EU directives. These 
include directives on the landfilling of waste, urban waste 
water treatment, the quality of drinking water and, to a 
lesser  extent,  nature  protection.  In  monetary  terms, 
almost  EUR 2  billion  from  the  ERDF  and  the  Cohesion 
Fund  has  been  allocated  to  the  environment  under 
priority axis 6 ‘Preserving and protecting the environment 
and  promoting  resource  efficiency’.  Meanwhile,  under 
priority  axis  5,  ‘Climate  change  and  risk  management’, 
EUR 215 million  has  been  allocated  from  the  ERDF, 
mostly  to  support  flood  prevention  and  monitoring. 
Under  the  Priority  Axis  4  ‘Promoting  Energy  Efficiency 
and  Renewable  Energy  Sources’,  there  EUR  311  million 
has been allocated from the ERDF for reduction of energy 
consumption  of 
the  public  sector  buildings  and 
residential buildings. 
According  to  the  Special  486  Eurobarometer126,  89 %  of 
Croats  support  more  EU  investment  in  environmental 

124 European Commission, Cohesion Policy and Croatia, 2014. 
125 European Commission, European Structural and Investment Funds 
Data By Country. 
126 European Commission, Special 486 Eurobarometer, "Attitudes of 
European citizens towards the environment", 2017. 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

protection.  This  is  slightly  above  the  EU-28  average  of 
85 %). 

can be used to fund the restoration of habitats important 
for biodiversity conservation. 

According  to  information  submitted  by  the  Croatian 
authorities,  the  funding  for  implementing  the  Habitats 
and  Birds  Directives  is  insufficient127.  As  the  prioritised 
action  framework  had  not  been  prepared  for  the  2014-
2020 financing period, an estimate of the financing needs 
was carried out when the operational programmes were 
being prepared.  The first  prioritised action framework is 
due to be drawn up for the upcoming financing period. It 
is  important  that  it  adequately  reflects  financing  needs 
and  that  it  is  done  in  cooperation  with  other  relevant 
sectors. 

In  the  2014-2020  programming  period,  EU  support  was 
approved  for  the  Collection  of  waste  water  and  waste 
water  treatment  on  the  island  of  Krk  project.  Currently, 
infrastructure  projects  under 
there  are  35  water 
implementation. Their aim is to connect everyone in the 
project's area to a modernised drinking water supply and 
waste  water  collection  and  treatment  network.  This  will 
ensure  continuous  access  to  safe  and  clean  drinking 
water and minimise the risk of uncontrolled discharge of 
untreated wastewater.  

In the 2007-2013 programming period, in terms of major 
projects,  the  EU-funded  Sisak  waste  water  programme, 
Water  Supply  and  Sewerage  System  with  wastewater 
treatment plant for Slavonski Brod, Kaštijun County waste 
management  centre  and  County  waste  management 
centre  Marišćina  projects  were  finalised.  The  main 
objective  of  the  Sisak  project  was  to  unify  the  waste 
water  collection  system 
in  Sisak  and  ensure  the 
treatment  of  collected  waste  water  in  line  with  EU 
legislation.  The  Kaštijun  project  involved  setting  up  a 
modern  waste  management  system  in  the  county  of 
Istria  in  order  to  reduce  biodegradable  and  landfilled 
municipal waste.In the light of the needs identified in this 
report, it is important to ensure funding for waste, water, 
nature protection and air quality. 

Rural development 

Croatia is receiving EUR 2.026 million from the European 
Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural  Development  (EAFRD)  over 
2014-2020.  Particular  attention  is  being  given  to  the 
sustainable  use  of  natural  resources  and  measures  to 
reduce the negative  effects of climate  change. A  further 
aim  is  to  achieve  balanced  development  throughout 
Croatia's  territory  and  reduce  economic  decline  in  rural 
areas, 
including  by  developing  alternative  economic 
activities128. The Croatian Rural Development Programme 

The  budget  for  agri-environmental-climate  measures  is 
EUR 678.7 million. This is approximately 25 % of the total 
EAFRD budget. EUR 256 million and EUR 3.1 million goes 
to  organic  farming  and  compensation  for  Natura  2000 
obligations respectively. 

integrate 
Two  key  areas 
environmental  concerns  into  the  common  agricultural 
policy (CAP) are: 

for  Croatia 

to  better 

 

 

funds 

to  pay 

land  management 

rural  development 

for 
using 
and  other 
environmental 
environmental  measures,  while  avoiding  financing 
measures which could damage the environment; and 
ensuring  the  first  pillar  of  the  CAP  is  implemented 
effectively with regard to cross-compliance and first 
pillar  ‘greening’.  Of  the  direct  payment  budget  of 
EUR 1.22  billion  for  2015-2020,  30 %  is  allocated  to 
greening  practices  beneficial  to  the  environment. 
Implementing  first  pillar  greening  effectively  would 
clearly  help  to  improve  the  environmental  situation 
in  areas  not  covered  by  rural  development.  If 
appropriate, Croatia could review how it implements 
first pillar greening. 

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 

Croatia  has  a  budget  of  around  EUR 348  million  for 
fisheries  and  the  maritime  sector.  This  includes  an  EU 
contribution  of  EUR 252  million129.  The  European 
Maritime Fisheries Fund focuses on making the Croatian 
fisheries  and  aquaculture  sector  more  competitive  and 
boosting  the  sustainable  use  of  natural  resources.  This 
includes promoting environmentally-friendly aquaculture 
and fisheries practices130. 

The operational programme provides for the financing of 
15 projects to protect and enhance marine diversity and 
ecosystems  by  cleaning  up  marine  pollution, 
i.e. 
collecting waste and litter131. 

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 

The  CEF  is  a  key  EU  funding  instrument  developed 
specifically  to  direct 
investment  towards  European 
transport,  energy  and  digital  infrastructure  to  address 
identified  missing  links  and  bottlenecks  and  promote 
sustainability. 

127 Milieu Ltd., Evaluation Study to support 
the Fitness Check of the Birds and Habitats Directives, 2016. 
128 European Commission, Summary of the Partnership Agreement for 
Croatia. 

129 European Commission, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Fact 
Sheet: Croatia. 
130 European Commission, Summary of the Partnership Agreement for 
Croatia. 
131 Republic of Croatia, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 
Operational Programme, p. 52. 

26 

                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

By  the  end  of  2017,  Croatia  had  signed  agreements  for 
EUR 424 million for projects under the CEF132. 

Horizon 2020 

Croatia  has  benefited  from  Horizon  2020  funding  since 
the programme started in 2014. As of January 2019, 204 
participants  have  been  granted  a  maximum  amount  of 
EUR 25.4 million for projects from the Societal Challenges 
environmental 
work 
issues133 134.  

dealing  with 

programmes 

In  addition  to  the  abovementioned  work  programmes, 
climate and biodiversity expenditure is present across the 
entire  Horizon  2020.  In  Croatia,  projects  accepted  for 
funding  in  all  Horizon  2020  working  programmes  until 
December  2018  included  EUR  24  million  destined  to 
climate  action  (36.8 %  of  the  total  Horizon  2020 
contribution  to  the  country)  and  EUR  3  million  for 
biodiversity-related  actions  (4.1 %  of  the  Horizon  2020 
contribution to the country)135. 

LIFE programme 

The first LIFE projects in Croatia started in 1995 under the 
LIFE  ‘third  country’  (TCY)  component.  A  total  of  15  TCY 
projects  were  financed  between  1995  and  2005.  This 
amounted to a combined investment of EUR 9 million, of 
which the EU contributed EUR 6 million. 

Croatian  applicants  have  been  eligible  to  apply  for  LIFE 
funding  since  July  2013.  Since  then,  five  projects  have 
been  financed:  one  under  the  LIFE  ‘Environment  Policy 
and  Governance’  strand,  three  under  the  LIFE  ‘Nature 
and Biodiversity’ strand and one capacity-building project 
(see  below).  These  constituted  a  total  investment  of 
EUR 15  million,  of  which  EUR 9.6  million  came  from  the 
EU136. 

For 2014-2017, the EU allocated EUR 4 million to Croatian 
projects137. An example is the LIFE EUROTURTLES project, 
which takes collective action to improve the conservation 
status of EU sea  turtle populations. The EU contribution 
was  more  than  EUR 3.8  million138.  The  DRAVA  LIFE 

132 European Commission, European Semester Country Report for 
Croatia, 2018, p. 13. 
133 European Commission own calculations based on CORDA (COmmon 
Research DAta Warehouse). A maximum grant amount is the maximum 
grant amount decided by the Commission. It normally corresponds to 
the requested grant, but it may be lower. 
134 i.e. (ii) Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine 
and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy; (iii) 
Secure, clean and efficient energy; (iv) Smart, green and integrated 
transport; and (v) Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and 
raw materials. 
135 European Commission own calculations based on CORDA (COmmon 
Research DAta Warehouse). 
136 European Commission, LIFE by country: Croatia (2017) and LIFE 
Artina (2018). 
137 Commission services based on data provided by EASME. 
138 European Commission, LIFE Euroturtles. 

is 

first 

(2015-2020)139 

the 
integrated  management 

inter-sectoral 
project 
cooperation  and 
initiative, 
focusing  on  Croatian  rivers.  It  aims  to  solve  river 
ecosystem problems and increase the number of pristine, 
dynamic  river  habitats.  It  also  seeks  to  preserve  and 
create  new  floodplain  waters, 
level 
dynamics  and  raise  awareness  of  Natura  2000  sites  in 
Croatia. 

improve  water 

European Investment Bank 

this,  EUR 93  million 

 In 2018 alone, the EIB Group  (the European Investment 
Bank  and  the  European  Investment  Fund)140  loaned 
Croatian  businesses  and  public  institutions  EUR 507.3 
million.  Of 
to 
environmental  projects  (see  Figure  22)141.The  EIB  signed 
a  framework  loan  agreement  to  support  smaller  water 
supply,  waste  water,  storm  water  and  flood  protection 
schemes in Croatian municipalities142. 
Figure 22: EIB loans to Croatia in 2018143 

(18 %)  went 

European Fund for Strategic Investments 

The  EFSI  is  an  initiative  to  help  overcome  the  current 
investment gap in the EU. By January 2019, the EFSI had 
mobilised  EUR 204  million  in  Croatia.  The  secondary 
investment  triggered  by  those  funds  is  expected  to  be 
EUR 998 million144. 

National environmental financing 

Croatia  spent  EUR 295.1  million  on  environmental 
protection  in  2016,  an  increase  of  15 %  against  2015145. 
EUR 77  million  of  this  was  allocated  to  waste  water 
management.  EUR 1.5  million  was  allocated  to  reducing 
pollution  (0.5 %  of  total).  23.9 %  of  environmental 
expenditure was allocated to protecting biodiversity and 
the  landscape  (EUR 71.6    million)146.  Between  2012  and 

139 Drava Life Project. 
140 The EIB Group includes EIB and EFSI investments and loans. 
141 EIB, Croatia and the EIB, 2018. 
142 European Investment Bank, Projects to be financed. 
143 EIB, Croatia and the EIB, 2018. 
144 European Investment Bank, EFSI project map. 
145 Eurostat, General Government Expenditure by function, 2018. 
146 No data is available on the funds used for waste management 
activities. 

27 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

2016,  total  government  funding  for  environmental 
protection amounted to EUR 1.066 billion147. 

for 

financing 

responsible 

The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund 
is 
preparation, 
implementation  and  development  of  programmes, 
the 
projects  and  similar  activities.  These 
preservation, 
and 
improvement  of  the  environment,  energy  efficiency  and 
similar areas. 

sustainable 

protection 

involve 

use, 

the 

The  Forest  Public  Benefit  Function  Fee  is  a  mechanism 
comparable  to  a  ‘payments  for  ecosystem  services’ 
system.  It  requires  companies  to  contribute  0 0265 %  of 
their  total  annual  income  to  maintaining,  restoring  and 
managing forests in Croatia148. 

147 Eurostat, General Government Expenditure by function, 2018. 
148 BISE, Green Infrastructure in Croatia. 

28 

                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 
5. Strengthening environmental governance 

Information, public participation and access to 
justice 

Citizens  can  more  effectively  protect  the  environment  if 
they  can  rely  on  the  three  ‘pillars’  of  the  Aarhus 
Convention:  
(i) access to information;  
(ii) public participation in decision making; and  
(iii) access to justice in environmental matters.  

It is of crucial importance to public authorities, the public 
and  business  that  environmental  information  is  shared 
efficiently  and  effectively149.  Public  participation  allows 
authorities  to  make  decisions  that  take  public  concerns 
into account. Access to justice is a set of guarantees that 
allows  citizens  and  NGOs  to  use  national  courts  to 
protect the environment150. It includes the right to bring 
legal challenges (‘legal standing’)151. 

Environmental information 

Croatian environmental data is distributed among various 
portals  and  services  with  two  portals.  The  national 
environmental portal haop.hr152 contains a list of links to 
all thematic portals, while the site of the Ministry of the 
Environment  and  Energy153  contains  most  of  the  legal 
information.  Some  of  these  thematic  portals  are 
excellent  sources  of  data,  information  and  studies.  In 
general, most  sites and the two big portals have a user-
friendly  structure.  Where  available,  downloads  are 
is 
offered 
such  as 
sometimes 
registration, 
the 
the 
Environmental Pollution Register (ROO).  

restricted  by 
for  example 

formats.  However,  access 

in  standard 

some 
in 

case  of 

factors, 

in 

implementing  the 

INSPIRE 
Croatia’s  performance 
Directive could be improved. It has been reviewed on the 
basis of the 2016 implementation report154 and the most 
recent monitoring data from 2017155. Good progress and 
levels  have  been  recorded  for  the 
implementation 

149 The Aarhus Convention, the Access to Environmental Information 
Directive, 2003/4/EC and the INSPIRE Directive, 2007/2 together create 
a legal foundation for the sharing of environmental information 
between public authorities and with the public. This EIR focuses on 
INSPIRE. 
150 The guarantees are explained in Commission Notice on access to 
justice in environmental matters, OJL 275, 18.8.2017 and a related 
Citizen's Guide. 
151 The 2019 EIR looks at how well Member States explain access to 
justice rights to the public, and at legal standing and other major 
barriers to bringing cases on nature and air pollution. 
152 Hrvatska agencija za okoliš i prirodu. 
153 Ministry of Environment and Energy. 
154 INSPIRE HR country sheet 2017. 
155 INSPIRE, Monitoring dashboard. 

coordination  and  documentation  of  data  and  services. 
Additional efforts are needed to (i) make data accessible 
through  services;  (ii)  improve  the  conditions  for  data 
reuse  and  (iii)  prioritise  environmental  datasets  in  the 
implementation  phase,  particularly  those  identified  as 
implementing 
spatial  data 
high-value 
environmental legislation156. 

sets 

for 

Figure  23:  Access  to  spatial  data  through  view  and 
download services in Croatia (2017)  

Public participation 

rules 

introduced 

Croatia  has 
governing  public 
participation.  These  include  the  ‘Code  of  Consultations 
with  Concerned  Public 
in  Lawmaking  and  Other 
Regulatory  Procedures’157  and  the  ‘Regulatory  Impact 
Assessment  Act158  on  Obligatory  Public  Consultations 
On New  Regulations’. These  rules are complemented by 
access  to  information  rules  and  some  sector-specific 
in 
legislation,  particularly  on  public  participation 
environmental  decision-making.  This  is  linked  to  the 
Environmental  Impact  Assessment  Directive  and  the 
Environmental 
implementation 
internet 
Assessment  Directive.  Moreover,  a  central 
portal,  e-Consultations159, help ensuring that authorities, 
as  a  minimum,  (i)  publish  relevant  information  on  their 
websites  and  in  the  media;  (ii)  organise  public  hearings 
and presentations and (iii) respond to direct information 
requests. Finally, there are several sets of guidelines (e.g. 

Strategic 

the 

of 

156 List of high value spatial data sets. 
157 Kodeks savjetovanja sa zainteresiranom javnošću u postupcima 
donošenja zakona, drugih propisa i akata, OJ 140/2009. 
158 Zakon o pravu na pristup informacijama — pročišćeni tekst, OJ 25/13 
and 85/15. 
159 Government of the Republic of Croatia, e-Consultations. 

29 

 
 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

A Guide to Consultation with the Interested Public160) and 
consultation  coordinators  have  been  appointed  and 
trained161.  Possibly  as  a  result  of  these  measures,  the 
Eurobarometer figures from 2017 indicate a strong belief 
in Croatia that an individual can play a role in protecting 
the  environment  (86 %  of  respondents).  This 
is  an 
improvement  compared  to  2014.  Nevertheless,  some 
shortcomings  still  exist  in  practice  and  consequently 
some  consider  these  consultations  to  be  a  ‘pro  forma’ 
procedure,  for  example  when  they  are  held  during 
holiday periods162. 

Access to justice 

Croatia  does  not  provide  the  public  with  clear,  user-
friendly  information  on  how  to  bring  legal  challenges  in 
environmental cases. 

In  general,  Croatia  maintains  a  restrictive  rights-based 
approach to legal standing. It can be complex and time-
consuming to establish legal standing in litigation. 

administrative 

disputes  with 

In 
environmental 
authorities,  standing  is  granted  to  the  public  concerned 
initiate  an 
and  environmental  NGOs.  Anyone  can 
actual 
for 
lawsuit 
environmental 
potential  or 
environmental  damage.  As 
regards  environmental 
breaches and violations, standing is granted only to those 
affected by the location, nature or impact of a project or 
likely  to  be  so  affected.  When  permitting  procedures 
regulated  by  special  laws,  standing  is  granted  only  to 
parties to the proceedings. In both cases, environmental 
NGOs  are  excluded  from  bringing  a  case.  It  is  not  clear 
that legal standing would be recognised in cases involving 
nature or air pollution. 

160 Bardet, C., Priručnik za savjetovanje sa zainteresiranom javnošću, 
Zagreb, prepared in the framework of EU-funded technical assistance 
project to Governmental Office for Cooperation with NGOs, 2012. 
161 Government of the Republic of Croatia, e-Consultations, List of 
consultation coordinators in public authorities. 
162 Zelena Istra, Prijedlozi za poboljšanje prakse informiranja i 
uključivanja javnosti u okolišno odlučivanje na lokalnoj i područnoj 
razini,2016, p. 4. 

30 

As a rule, a request for judicial review does not stop the 
implementation of an administrative act. It is possible to 
ask the court to grant interim relief but this appears to be 
a rare occurrence in practice163. This can result in delayed 
justice, once irreparable damage to the environment has 
already occurred. 

The ongoing infringement proceeding for non-conformity 
of  Croatian  legislation  with  the  Environmental  Impact 
Assessment  Directive  is  challenging  the  limited  standing 
in judicial review of project authorisation procedures. 

2019 priority actions 

 

 

 

the  data 

linkages  between  the 

Improve  access  to  spatial  data  and  services  by 
making  stronger 
federal 
INSPIRE  website  and  regional  portals.  Identify  and 
document all spatial datasets required to implement 
law164.  Make 
and 
environmental 
documentation  at  least  accessible  ‘as  is’  to  other 
public  authorities  and  the  public  through  the  digital 
services provided for in the INSPIRE Directive; 
Inform the public better about their access to justice 
rights. 
Ensure that there is legal standing for environmental 
NGOs  to  challenge  all  environmentally  relevant 
permits,  such  as  construction  permits,  and  to  bring 
challenges relating to nature or air. 

Compliance assurance 

to  ensure 

Environmental compliance assurance covers all the work 
undertaken  by  public  authorities 
that 
industries,  farmers  and  others  fulfil  their  obligations  to 
protect  water,  air  and  nature,  and  manage  waste165.  It 
includes  support  measures  provided  by  the  authorities, 
such as:  
(i) compliance promotion166;  
(ii) inspections and other checks that they carry out, i.e. 
compliance monitoring167; and  
(iii)  the  steps  that  they  take  to  stop  breaches,  impose 
sanctions  and  require  damage  to  be  remedied,  i.e. 
enforcement168.  
Citizen  science  and  complaints  enable  authorities  to 
liability169 
focus  their  efforts  better.  Environmental 
ensures that the polluter pays to remedy any damage. 

163 Zelena Istra, Civil Society Organisations’ Report on Aarhus 
Convention Implementation in Croatia for the period 2014-2016, p. 20. 
164 European Commission, INSPIRE, Main page for the MIWP action 
2016.5 "Priority list of datasets for e-Reporting". 
165 The concept is explained in detail in the Communication on ‘EU 
actions to improve environmental compliance and governance’ 
COM(2018)10 and the related Commission Staff Working Document, 
SWD(2018)10. 
166 The 2019 EIR focuses on the help given to farmers to comply with 
nature and nitrates legislation. 
167 The 2019 EIR focuses on inspections of major industrial installations. 
168The 2019 EIR focuses on the availability of enforcement data and co-
ordination between authorities to tackle environmental crime. 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

Compliance promotion and monitoring 

The  quality  of  online  information  to  farmers  on  how  to 
comply  with  nitrates  and  nature  obligations 
is  an 
indicator of how actively authorities promote compliance 
in  areas  with  serious  implementation  gaps.  A  dedicated 
site  for  farmers,  the  Agricultural  Extension  Service, 
provides  one  guidance  document  on  fertiliser  use  and 
manure storage in nitrate-vulnerable zones170. In general, 
there  is  a  lack  of  practical  online  information  on  nature 
obligations aimed at farmers. 

industrial 

inspect  these 

Major 
installations  can  present  serious 
pollution  risks.  Public  authorities  are  required  to  have 
plans  to 
installations  and  to  make 
individual  inspection  reports  available  to  the  public171. 
The  Ministry’s  website  publishes  annual  programmes172 
and  annual  and  quarterly  reports  on  the  inspections 
carried out173. 

Citizen science and complaint handling 

Engaging  the  general  public  through  citizen  science  can 
promote knowledge about the environment and help the 
authorities  in  their  work.  User-friendly  apps  have  been 
developed  to  help  the  public  interact  with  the  Croatian 
administration  and  online  information  is  available  about 
the use of citizen science in Croatia174.  

The  availability  of  clear  online  information  on  how  to 
make  a  complaint  is  an  indicator  of  how  responsive 
authorities  are  to  complaints  from  the  public.  The 
Ministry  of  Environment  and  Energy  website  provides 
contact information for submitting a report/complaint on 
environmental nuisances and damage to protected areas. 

Enforcement 

on 

inspections 

environmental 

When  monitoring 
identifies  problems,  a  range  of 
responses  may  be  appropriate.  Annual  and  quarterly 
provide 
reports 
information  on  follow-up  where  non-compliance 
is 
detected. Statistics on the prosecution of environmental 
crimes  are  found  in  the  annual  report  of  the  State 
(Državno  odvjetništvo  Republike 
Attorney's  Office 
Hrvatske175). However, no information is published about 
follow-up  on  cross-compliance  breaches  relating  to 
nitrates and nature. 

Tackling  waste  crime,  wildlife  crime  and  other 
environmental crime is especially challenging. It requires 
close  cooperation  and  coordination  between  inspectors, 
customs authorities, police and prosecutors. Croatian law 
inspectors,  police  and  the  State  Attorney  a 
gives 
potential 
in  combating  environmental  crime. 
Cooperation  between  authorities  has  been  improved 
through  implementing  the  project  „Capacity  building  of 
relevant 
the  environmental 
authorities  and  institutions  for  preventing,  recognizing, 
investigating 
against 
prosecuting 
environment (CRO ENOFFENCE)“ IPA 2011. 

inspections  and  other 

offences 

role 

and 

Environmental liability 

The  Environmental  Liability  Directive  (ELD)  establishes  a 
framework  based  on  the  ‘polluter  pays’  principle  to 
prevent  and  remedy  environmental  damage.  The  2017 
EIR  focused  on  better  information  on  environmental 
damage, financial security and guidance. The Commission 
is still collecting evidence on the progress made. 

2019 priority actions 

 

 

 

the  public  better  about 

Inform 
compliance 
promotion,  monitoring  and  enforcement.  As  a 
minimum,  this  should  involve  providing  Croatian 
farmers with online practical information on how to 
comply with nature obligations. It should also involve 
publishing  information  on  any  follow-up  on  cross-
compliance breaches relating to nitrates and nature; 
Improve  financial  security  for  liabilities  and  ELD-
guidance  and  publish  information  on  environmental 
damage. 
Provide more information on the practical aspects of 
co-operation  and  co-ordination  between  inspectors, 
police,  the  State  Attorney  and  others  in  order  to 
combat environmental crime. 

Effectiveness of environmental 
administrations 

in 

involved 

implementing 

Those 
environmental 
legislation at EU, national, regional and local levels need 
to have the knowledge, tools and capacity to ensure that 
the  legislation  and  the  governance  of  the  enforcement 
process bring about the intended benefits. 

169 Directive 2004/35/CE, creates the framework. 
170 Government of the Republic of Croatia, e-Consultations – Croatian 
agricultural and forestry counselling service, Guidance document on 
fertilizer use and manure storage in nitrate vulnerable zones. 
171 Article 23, Directive, 2010/75/EU. 
172 Ministry of Environment and Energy, Programme of coordinated 
inspections for 2018. 
173 Ministry of Environment and Energy, Quarterly reports on 
inspections carried out — Q1 2018. 
174 Hrvatska agencija za okoliš i prirodu, Reporting System and Web 
Form. 
175 State Attorney Office. 

Administrative capacity and quality 

In  order  to  ensure  effective  environmental  governance, 
environmental  authorities  must  have  staff  with  the 
appropriate administrative and technical knowledge and 
skills.  With  the  2017  EIR,  the  Commission  introduced 
TAIEX-EIR  P2P  as  a  new  instrument  facilitating  peer 
from  Member  States’ 
learning  between  experts 
environmental authorities. 

31 

                                                                                                        
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

In  April  2018,  environmental  experts  from  Croatia 
participated  in  a  TAIEX-EIR  multi-country  workshop  on 
monitoring  the  impact  of  air  pollution  on  ecosystems. 
The  workshop  provided  a  platform 
sharing 
experiences and know-how on implementing Article 9 of 
the new National Emissions Ceilings Directive. 

for 

A  TAIEX-EIR  P2P  workshop  held  in September  2018  in 
Graz brought together environmental authorities, regions 
and  cities  from  Austria,  Croatia,  Estonia,  Germany, 
Hungary,  Italy,  Lithuania,  Poland,  Romania,  the  Slovak 
Republic,  Spain  and  Sweden.  The  aim  was  to  exchange 
experiences and good practice on reducing air pollution. 
The  workshop  also  looked  at  the  effectiveness  of  air 
quality  plans  in  areas  where  the  levels  of  pollutants  in 
ambient air exceed targets. 

Experts  from  Croatia’s  EU  Timber  Regulation  (EUTR) 
competent authority participated in a TAIEX-EIR peer-to-
peer  workshop.  This  was  designed  to  strengthen 
cooperation among the competent authorities from eight 
EU  countries 
improve  and  harmonise 
in  the  Mediterranean 
implementation  of  the  EUTR 
region.  Experts  from  the  Netherlands  and  Denmark 
contributed  experiences  from  the  Nordic-Baltic  network 
of EUTR competent authorities.  

in  order  to 

According  to  the  World  Bank’s  2018  Systematic  Country 
Diagnostic,  reforms  are  needed  in  Croatia  in  order  to 
address the following: 

 
 
 
 
 
 

rigid organisational structures 
overlapping functions 
the politicisation of the civil service 
poor coordination 
unclear accountability 
fragmented 
government structures.  

and 

unsustainable 

subnational 

Frequent  changes  of  government  are  said  to  have 
reduced  momentum  for  reform  and  the  consistency  of 
government policies over time176. 

Coordination and integration 

As stated in the 2017 EIR, the transposition of the revised 
Environmental  Impact  Assessment  Directive  (EIA)  177 
provides  an  opportunity  to  streamline  the  regulatory 
framework  on  environmental  assessments.  Despite  a 
delay  in  full  transposition,  Croatia  has  transposed  the 
revised  Directive.  The  Commission  is  currently  assessing 
the quality of this transposition and checking conformity. 

streamlining  of 
The  Commission  encourages 
environmental  assessments 
reduce 
duplication.  Streamlining  helps  reduce  unnecessary 

in  order 

the 

to 

176 World Bank, The Republic of Croatia systematic country diagnostic, 
2018, p. 10, 69. 
177 Directive 2014/52/EU. 

32 

administrative  burden  and  accelerates  decision-making, 
without  compromising  the  quality  of  the  environmental 
assessment procedure178. 

Croatia has introduced the streamlining of environmental 
assessments  under  the  EIA  Directive,  the  Habitats 
Directive and the Water Framework Directive. 

Adaptability, 
(eGovernment) 

reform 

dynamics 

and 

innovation 

eGovernment  and  e-services  play  a  significant  role  in 
modernising  the  provision  of  services  in  Croatia.  The 
central  eGovernment  portal  was  set  up  as  a  one-stop 
shop  presenting  the  structure,  function  and  roles  of  all 
It  allows  straightforward 
governmental  authorities. 
access  to  all  public  administration 
information  and 
services  which  are  searchable  by  service  type,  topic  and 
sector.  It  also  makes  it  possible  to  follow-up  policy 
activities. 

All  environmental  administration  authorities  have 
functioning websites. They communicate with the public 
and other stakeholders online, via email and through the 
e-Consultations  portal,  as  required  under  the  Right  of 
Access to Information Act. Other electronic services, such 
as  providing  online  environmental  data  directly  from 
registers  and  databases,  have  been  developed  by  some 
authorities  such  as  the  National  Agency  for  Nature 
Protection. 

The  public  administration  reform  strategy  for  2015-
2020179  provides  for  the  preparation  of  analyses  and  a 
proposal 
for  territorial  reform,  regionalisation  and 
substantive decentralisation by 2019 at the latest. 

The  adoption  of  the  2017-2021  national  strategy  for 
creating  an  enabling  environment  for  civil  society 
development  has  been  delayed.  The  strategy  envisages 
several  improvements.  These  include  improving  the  e-
Consultations  portal  to  incorporate  the  requirements  of 
the regulatory impact assessment (RIA). Although Croatia 
has  introduced  the  RIA,  most  legislation  does  not  use  it 
due to fast-track legislative processes. Even when carried 
out,  the  RIA  is  often  not  properly  implemented  due  to 
weak 
high-level 
commitment180. The Governmental Office for NGOs plans 
to  set  up  online  e-consultation  systems  for  decision-
making  at  local  and  regional  level  in  cooperation  with 

control 

quality 

lack 

and 

of 

178 The Commission issued a guidance document in 2016 regarding the 
setting up of coordinated and/or joint procedures that are 
simultaneously subject to assessments under the EIA Directive, Habitats 
Directive, Water Framework Directive, and the Industrial Emissions 
Directive, OJ C 273, 27.7.2016, p. 1. 
179 Government of the Republic of Croatia, Public Administration 
Reform Strategy 2015-2020, OJ 70-2015. 
180 World Bank, The Republic of Croatia systematic country diagnostic, 
2018, p. 26. 

                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

national  associations  of  towns,  municipalities  and 
counties. 

In the DESI Report 2018, Croatia had a score of 45 out of 
100 on digital public services, lower than the EU average 
of 58181. 

Enabling financing and effective use of funds 
Through  its  portal182  and  media  campaigns,  the  Ministry 
of  Regional  Development  and  EU  Funds  promotes 
funding  possibilities  using  ESI  Funds.  It  also  coordinates 
the  development  of  projects  by  sectoral  authorities  and 
regional  development  agencies.  In  addition,  it  provides 
technical  assistance  for  drawing  up  investment  project 
applications  that  can  be  funded  through  EU  structural 
instruments.  

2019 priority actions 

 

 

the 

assessment 

Consider  the  possibilities  for  further  streamlining  of 
environmental 
procedures,  while 
ensuring  proper  public  participation  processes. 
of 
fragmented 
Address 
environmental topics. 
Croatia can further improve its overall environmental 
governance 
citizen 
engagement,  compliance  and  enforcement,  as  well 
as administrative capacity and coordination). 

transparency, 

governance 

(such 

as 

International agreements 

The  EU  Treaties  require  the  EU  environmental  policy  to 
promote  measures  at  international  level  to  deal  with 
regional or worldwide environmental problems. 

The EU is committed to strengthening environmental law 
and its implementation globally. It therefore continues to 
support  the  Global  Pact  for  the  Environment  process, 
which  was  launched  by  the  United  Nations  General 
Assembly  in  May  2018183.  The  EIR  is  one  of  the  tools  to 
ensure  that  the  Member  States  set  a  good  example  by 
respecting  European  Union  environmental  policies  and 
laws and international agreements.  

181 European Commission, Digital Economy and Society Index Report 
2018, Digital Public Services. 
182 European structural and investment funds, Croatia. 
183 UN General Assembly Resolution 72/277 and Organizational session 
of the ad hoc open-ended working group.  

33 

Forests:  EU  Timber  Regulation  (EUTR)184/  Forest  Law 
Enforcement,  Governance 
(FLEGT) 
Regulation185 

Trade 

and 

Between March 2015 and February 2017, Croatia did not 
plan or carry out  checks on domestic timber businesses, 
stating  that  70 %  of  the  domestic  forest  was  state-
owned.  However,  of  the  estimated  5 000  businesses 
importing  timber,  all  46  checks  that  were  planned  were 
interim  measures  or  penalties  for 
carried  out.  No 
breaches  of  the  EUTR  were  reported  regarding  these 
cases.  On  the  cooperation  obligation,  Croatia  reported 
collaborating  with  national  customs  and  tax  agencies, 
and  other 
and  with  national  CITES, 
governmental  agencies.  Furthermore,  Croatia  is  now 
involved  in  building  a  Mediterranean  network  on  EUTR 
implementation, together with other EU countries in the 
Mediterranean region. 

regional 

Genetic  resources:  Nagoya  Protocol  on  Access  to 
Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of 
Benefits Arising (ABS)186  

The  EU’s  ABS  Regulation  transposes  the  compliance 
measures  required  under  the  Nagoya  Protocol  into  EU 
law.  Croatia  has  identified  its  competent  authorities  as 
required by the ABS Regulation187. 

International  wildlife 
the  Convention  on 
trade: 
International  Trade  in  Endangered  Species  of  Wild 
Fauna and Flora (CITES)188 
The Basic Regulation189 transposes the major obligations 
stemming from the Convention on International Trade in 
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) into 
EU law. In line with this Regulation, Croatia has set up the 
relevant  national  authorities  and  regularly  processes 
requests for import, export, re-export and intra-EU trade 
documents.  Reports  on  seizures  of  illegal  shipments  – 
particularly  those  reported  every  six  months  to  TRAFFIC 
its  contract  with  the  Commission  and  those 
under 
exchanged through the EU-TWIX platform – testify to the 
activity of customs authorities. 

To  ensure  full  implementation  of  the  2016  EU  wildlife 
action  plan  and  improve  the  rate  of  detection  of  illegal 
activities,  Croatian  competent  national  and 
local 
authorities  have  introduced  regular  checks  on  traders, 

184 Regulation (EU) No 995/2010. 
185 Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005. 
186 Regulation (EU) No 511/2014 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 16 April 2014 on compliance measures for users from the 
Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and 
Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation in the Union 
Text with EEA relevance. 
187 Law on implementation of Regulation 511/2014, OJ 20/2018. 
188 European Commission, The Convention on International Trade in 
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). 
189 Regulation (EC) No 338/97. 

                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 — Croatia 

breeders  and  keepers,  in  addition  to  border-crossing 
points. 

Sustainable 
implementation of the UN SDGs 

development 

and 

the 

Sustainable development links environmental, social and 
economic policies in a coherent framework and therefore 
legislation  and 
helps  to 
policies. 

implement  environmental 

body 

advisory 

responsible 

The  concept  of  sustainable  development  is  integrated 
into public policy making by virtue of the implementation 
of  the  cross-sectoral  2009  sustainable  development 
strategy190.  Several  sectoral  strategies  and  plans  further 
integrate goals, measures and actions from this strategy 
into  their  framework.  In  2010  and  2014,  two  national 
reports  on  education  for  sustainable  development  were 
submitted  to  the  UN/ECE.  In  2018,  the  Government  set 
up  the  National  Sustainable  Development  Council191,  an 
inter-ministerial 
for 
monitoring  and  reporting  on  the  implementation  of  the 
new  UN  Agenda  2030,  sustainable  development  goals 
(SDGs)  and  international  cooperation  on  these  issues. 
Funding  sources  for  implementing  the  SDGs  have  not 
been  clearly  identified.  However,  as  they  need  to  be 
incorporated  into  individual  sectoral  action  plans,  it  can 
be  assumed  that  funding  resources  should  be  provided 
by  implementation  of  relevant  sectoral  activities.  These 
typically  include  national  budget  funds,  extra-budgetary 
institutions such as Environmental Protection and Energy 
Efficiency Fund and Croatian Waters, EU structural funds 
and 
is 
international  cooperation  programs.  Croatia 
scheduled  to  submit  its  voluntary  national  review  for 
Agenda  2030  in  2019192,  which  is  supposed  to  contain 
information  on  the  necessary  steps  to  implement  the 
Agenda 2030 and SDGs on national level. 

190 Government of the Republic of Croatia, Sustainable Development 
Strategy, OJ 30/2009. 
191 Government of the Republic of Croatia, Odluka o osnivanju 
nacionalnog vijeća za održivi razvoj, OJ 7/2018. 
192 UN, Voluntary National Reviews Database. 

34