Croatia
Croatia performs in the high range for Representation and exhibits mid-range performance in the other three Global State of Democracy (GSoD) categories of democracy. It ranks amongst the top 25 per cent of countries in all factors of Representation as well as in several factors of Rights and the Rule of Law. Over the last five years, it has not experienced any significant change in performance. In 1991, after its declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia, Croatia’s fledgling democratic regime was attacked by the Yugoslav People’s Army, who backed a domestic uprising among the Croatian Serb minority. The war that followed led to massive loss of life, created a surge in refugees and internally displaced people, and dampened much-needed foreign investment flows as the economy underwent privatization and restructuring. The economy is open to international trade, with two-thirds conducted with other EU members.
Over the past decade, Croatia has suffered from a suite of damaging corruption scandals involving political elites, particularly with regard to public procurement related to energy infrastructure contracts. These developments have coincided with weak accountability mechanisms and politicization of institutions. Civil society actors have expressed concern over court judgments between 2019-2021 that curtailed powers of the Conflicts of Interest Committee, a body born of the EU accession process. Perceived independence of the justice system remains low. Critically, media independence has been diminished by a combination of government pressure on public broadcasters, attacks on the press, and use of lawsuits to silence journalists.
Croatian politics and society have been characterized by ideological divisions since independence, including over historical interpretation of Croatia’s World War II legacy. Furthermore, several public figures have rejected Croatia’s position as an aggressor in the Bosnian war. Croatia is an ethnically and religiously diverse country, and Serbs continue to be Croatia’s largest ethnic minority, though their numbers were reduced in the aftermath of the war of independence. Discrimination against minority groups, including Serbs and Roma, persists in the form of hate crimes and hate speech in political discourse. The problem is particularly acute in post-conflict areas, undermining progress towards reconciliation. The Catholic Church, which represents Croatia’s most sizeable religious community, plays a significant role in society. Recent years have seen a wave of doctors refusing to perform abortions, linked to religious pressure. Migration has introduced another important societal cleavage in Croatia, and there have been cases of mistreatment and pushbacks of migrants in regions bordering Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, an important migratory route into Europe.
GSoD Indices data show that Croatia has consistently performed at mid-to-high range on gender equality. The moderate and continuous progress achieved over the past decade can be attributed to the development of legislative, strategic and institutional frameworks on gender equality. Yet, inequality in the labour market, sexism, domestic violence and femicide remain, and are among the most salient impediments to attaining gender equality.
The 2020 parliamentary election saw relations with national minorities improve, but at least three areas require monitoring. First, high-level corruption should be watched, especially regarding implementation of GRECO recommendations. Second, Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Expression merit close attention, particularly in view of the important role of journalistic investigations in uncovering corruption scandals. Finally, particular attention to safeguarding migrant rights is required as Croatia pursues further EU integration.
Monthly Event Reports
March 2024 | President Milanović defies Constitutional Court's ban on his PM candidacy
After President Zoran Milanović declared his intention to run for Prime Minister in the 17 April elections on behalf of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Constitutional Court asserted that Milanović could only pursue this candidacy if he resigned from his presidential position first. This decision was based on Article 96 of the Constitution, which prohibits the president from engaging in any other public or professional duties, emphasizing the non-partisan nature of the role and the prohibition of involvement in political party activities. President Milanović said that the Constitutional Court cannot do anything to him, that he would disregard its warning and that a potential annulment of elections by the Court would amount to a coup. Subsequently, he faced accusations of employing campaign rhetoric, prompting the State Election Commission to urge the President to abstain from direct involvement in election campaigning.
February 2024 | PM Andrej Plenković proposes penalizing leaks from investigations
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković proposed amendments to the Criminal Code, which would make unauthorized disclosure of materials from criminal proceedings punishable by up to three years in prison. President Zoran Milanović, media and law experts have condemned the amendments. The Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) said the legislation will silence journalists and their sources and see it as an attack on freedom of speech and the public interest. The International Press Institute said that this proposal, along with the July 2023 draft of the new media law, are a step backward for press freedom ahead of the 2024 elections. The legislation comes following a recent leak of text messages from a legal procedure that led to Prime Minister Plenković being accused of involvement in corruption.
May 2023 | Reports spotlight Croatia’s migrant pushbacks
A Human Rights Watch report revealed that the Croatian police are systematically and forcefully pushing refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants of different origins back to Bosnia and Herzegovina, disregarding their asylum claims and protection needs. According to the report, the practice includes mistreatment of vulnerable groups and violation of human rights norms as border police are involved in theft and destruction of personal belongings and are subjecting individuals to humiliating and racist treatment. Balkan Insight has also reported on the matter, citing local NGOs and experts who question the legality of these procedures under European law. Croatian authorities argue that these actions are governed by a bilateral agreement and should be classified as returns rather than expulsions.
January 2023 | Croatia joins Eurozone and the Schengen Area
A decade after joining the EU, on 1 January 2023, Croatia became the 27th country to join Europe's Schengen Area, and the 20th country to have adopted the euro as its currency. Both memberships are expected to facilitate the country’s greater integration into the EU and strengthen its economy. Croatia will also be able to access Schengen monitoring, control and data exchange mechanisms. The replacement of the kuna with the euro is intended to improve the standard of living and strengthen the economy, particularly sectors such as tourism and manufacturing. While 55 per cent of Croatian citizens support the currency replacement, 80 per cent fear a rise in prices. The Governor of the Central Bank, Boris Vujcic, has said that the benefits of the Eurozone can already be felt. There were, however, reports of price gouging.
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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
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Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
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