| Government of the Republic of Croatia | |
|---|---|
| Vlada Republike Hrvatske (Croatian) | |
 | |
| Overview | |
| Established | 30 May 1990; 35 years ago (1990-05-30) |
| State | Republic of Croatia |
| Leader | Prime Minister |
| Main organ | Croatian Parliament |
| Ministries | 18 (2024) |
| Headquarters | Banski dvori St. Mark's Square 2,Zagreb, Croatia |
| Website | vlada |
TheGovernment of Croatia (Croatian:Vlada Hrvatske), formally theGovernment of the Republic of Croatia (Vlada Republike Hrvatske), commonly abbreviated toCroatian Government (hrvatska Vlada), is the mainexecutive branch inCroatia. It is led by thepresident of the Government (predsjednik Vlade), informally abbreviated topremier (premijer) orprime minister. The prime minister is nominated by thepresident of the Republic from among those candidates who enjoymajority support in theCroatian Parliament (Sabor); the candidate is then chosen by the Parliament. There are 20 other government members, serving asdeputy prime ministers, government ministers or both; they are chosen by the prime minister and confirmed by the Parliament. The Government of the Republic of Croatia exercises its executive powers in conformity with theCroatian Constitution and legislation enacted by the Croatian Parliament. Thecurrent government is led by Prime MinisterAndrej Plenković.
Following theCroatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868, theKingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and the Government of the Land or officially the Royal Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian Government of the Land (Zemaljska vlada orKraljevska hrvatsko-slavonsko-dalmatinska zemaljska vlada)—headed by a crown-appointedban—were established. This government existed until theAustria-Hungary breakup and theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes' creation in 1918. In 1939, theBanovina of Croatia was established and a head of the Banovina of Croatia (Ban) was appointed by the crown, but no effective government was formed beforeWorld War II. In 1943, theZAVNOH established an executive board to act as a new government. TheSocialist Republic of Croatia, as a part of federalYugoslavia, had a separate government (from 1953 to 1990 known as the Executive Council, appointed by the Sabor) with limited powers (excluding defence and foreign relations; this was similar to all the previous governmental forms). Following thefirst multi-party elections and the adoption of the presentConstitution of Croatia in 1990, the present governmental form was adopted andStjepan Mesić became the first person to lead a non-communist government (underGovernment of Yugoslavia), whileJosip Manolić was the first prime minister of anindependent Croatia. Since the introduction of multi-party democracy, the Republic of Croatia has had fourteen governments headed by twelve different prime ministers. Nine governments have been formed by theCroatian Democratic Union, three by theSocial Democratic Party of Croatia, one was headed by anon-partisan prime minister and one was anational unity government (formed during theCroatian War of Independence's peak).
The term "government" in Croatia (Vlada) primarily refers to theexecutive branch, as used by the government itself, the press and colloquially, as that branch of the government (vlast) is responsible for day-to-day governance of the nation (uprava); this sense is intended when it is said that a political party forms the government.[1][2][3]
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The government, the main executive power of the Croatian state, is headed by theprime minister (PM). The PM currently has four deputies (elected by theCroatian Parliament), who also serve as government ministers; there are 16 otherministers, who are appointed by the prime minister with the approval of the Sabor (by absolute majority vote). The government ministers are each in charge of a particular sector of activity such asForeign Affairs. The prime minister and all the deputies form an inner cabinet, tasked with coordinating and supervising the work of government ministers on behalf of the PM; the inner cabinet also prepares materials for meetings of the full government cabinet (consisting of the inner cabinet and the remaining 16 ministers). The first deputy prime minister also discharges the duties of the prime minister when the latter is incapacitated or absent.[4]State secretaries (Croatian:državni tajnici) are the highest officials below each minister. There are one or more State secretaries in the ministries. Each State secretary is appointed by the government for the term of the minister, and is responsible to the minister. They act as deputy ministers and attend meetings only exceptionally. State secretaries are also heads of the Central State Offices (see below).
The executive branch is responsible for proposing legislation and a budget, executing the laws and guiding the foreign and internal policies of the republic. The government'sofficial residence is at theBanski dvori inZagreb.[5] Although the cabinet normally meets at the Banski dvori, occasionally its meetings are held elsewhere in the country.[6]
The Government of the Republic of Croatia exercises its executive powers in conformity with theCroatian Constitution and legislation enacted by the Croatian Parliament, the Sabor (Croatian:Hrvatski sabor). Its structure, operational procedures and decision-making processes are defined by the Government of the Republic of Croatia Act (2011 with 2014 and 2016 amendments) and the Government Rules of Procedure (2015 with 2015 amendments). The Constitution mandates that the government proposes legislation and other documents to the parliament, proposes thebudget and gives financial reports, implements Acts and other decisions of the parliament, enacts any regulations required to implement the Acts, definesforeign and internal policies, directs and oversees the operation of state administration, promotes the economic development of the country, directs the activities and development of public services and performs other activities conforming to the provisions of the Constitution and applicable legislation. The government also passes regulations and administrative acts and orders appointments and removals of appointed officials and civil servants within the scope of its powers. It makes rulings in cases of conflicts of jurisdiction between governmental institutions, responds to questions asked parliamentary majority and opposition representatives,[7] prepares proposals of new legislation and other regulations, gives opinions on legislation and other regulations and adopts strategies for the economic and social development of the country.[8][9]
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The government managesstate property of the Republic of Croatia unless special legislation provides otherwise. It may appoint special committees to manage the property on its behalf; this process is implemented through appointed members ofsupervisory boards andmanaging boards of companies partially or wholly owned by the Republic of Croatia. The government also determines these appointees' salaries. It maintains specialized bodies, agencies and offices—including the Legislation Office, the Office for Human Rights and the Rights of National Minorities and Public Relations Service—that are required by the Government Act of 2011, as well as committees to decide administrative matters. Various branches of government may establish joint services.[8] There are further entities established by the government as companies designed to support the aims of the Government, such as theCroatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development that strives to fund the reconstruction and development of theeconomy of Croatia.[10]
Local (city/municipality) and regional (county)governments are separate from the central government; the latter maintains a State Administration Office in each county, under the Ministry of Public Administration.[11]
This is aresponsible government to the Croatian Parliament, which may recall it as a whole or in part by anabsolute majority vote (majority of all MPs) following a request for a confidence vote by one fifth of the parliament members or by the prime minister. The prime minister and other members are jointly responsible for decisions passed by their government and individually responsible for their respective portfolios (areas of responsibility). The President of the Republic appoints the prime minister, who must then secure a vote of confidence from the Croatian Parliament (majority of all MPs); the appointment is therefore counter-signed by the speaker of the parliament to signify this. The prime minister appoints members approved by the Croatian Parliament (again signified via a counter-signature by the speaker of the parliament). The rules of procedure and regulations enacted by the government must be published inNarodne novine—the official gazette of Croatia—to bind.[8][9]
| Government offices and professional services[A][13] | |
|---|---|
| Name | Responsibilities |
| Office of thePresident of the Government | Advisory, analytical and administrative services for the President of the Government (prime minister)[14] |
| Legislation Office | Furnishes opinions on the compliance of proposed legislation with the Constitution |
| Office for theProtocol | Organisational and technical tasks required by the Government or the President of Croatia related to preparation for official visits of Croatian government officials abroad and foreign officials in Croatia; planning and control of expenditures related to these visits and other related tasks |
| InternalAudit Office | Internal audit services for Government bodies and offices (and other entities financed through the budget) |
| Directorate for the Use of Official Aircraft | Service organised as the operator of aircraft owned by the Republic of Croatia for occasional independent air transport for the needs of state authorities in national and international civilian air transport |
| Office for General Affairs of theCroatian Parliament and theGovernment of the Republic of Croatia | Administrative, analytical, financial and other tasks required by the Parliament or the Government |
| Office of the Committee for Relations withReligious Communities | Performs expert, administrative and other tasks related to relations with religious communities |
| Office of the Representative of the Republic of Croatia before theEuropean Court of Human Rights | Manages activities of the Croatian representative (agent) before theECHR |
| Office for NGOs | Cooperates withNon-governmental organisations (NGOs) |
| Office forGender Equality | Administrative tasks promotinggender equality |
| Office forHuman Rights and the Rights ofNational Minorities | Develops, implements and monitorshuman rights protection and promotion systems. Implements policies for nationalminority rights |
| Expert Service of the Council for National Minorities | Performs professional, analytical, administrative, general, technical and support tasks of the Council[15] |
| State Administration Bodies[B][16][17] | |
|---|---|
| Name | Responsibilities |
| Central State Office forCroats Abroad | Coordination and monitoring of the activities between the competent authorities for cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Croatians outside the Republic of Croatia |
| Central State Office forPublic Procurement | Purchases for the central Government |
| StateInspectorate | Performs inspection tasks in various areas[18] |
| StateMetrology Bureau | Metrological administrative services, testing and supervision[19] |
| StateGeodetic Administration | Geodetic survey,cartography (mapmaking),cadastral andphotogrammetric services[20] |
| Croatian Firefighters Association | Firefighting services[21] |
| Meteorological and Hydrological Service | Meteorological andhydrological services[22] |
| StateIntellectual Property Bureau | Protectsintellectual property rights[23] |
| Croatian Bureau of Statistics | Surveys,statistical analysis, and publication of survey data and analysis[24] |
| Public Sector Bodies[C][25] | |
|---|---|
| Name | Responsibilities |
| Croatian Agency for the Environment and Nature (HAOP) | Nature conservation. Collects, integrates and processes environmental data; promotes sustainable development |
| Central Depository & Clearing Company | Manages the central depository of securities, clearing system and transaction settlement—coordinates scheduled executions of transactions between banks and maintains the registry of company stock ownership[26] |
| Central Finance and Contracting Agency | Purchases using money from EU funded programmes: Budgeting, tendering, contracting, payments, accounting and financial reporting[27] |
| Central Registry of Insured Persons (REGOS) | Tracks individuals and their funds forpensions[28] |
| Croatian Health Insurance Fund | Health insurance[29] |
| Croatian Institute ofPublic Health | Public health promotion and education, disease prevention,microbiology,environmental health,mental health care and addiction prevention |
| Croatian Employment Service | Employmentmediation,unemployment benefits,vocational guidance and training[30] |
| Croatian Standards Institute | Nationalstandards body; promotes safety, quality, and interoperability of products, services and processes[31] |
| Croatian Pension Insurance Institute | Pension insurance fund[32] |
| Hydrographic Institute of the Republic of Croatia | Safety of water navigation and development of the maritime economy[33] |
| Croatian Mine Action Centre | Demining surveys and planning, cleared area acceptance,mined area marking, quality assurance, demining research and development, and mine victim assistance[34] |
| Croatian Accreditation Agency | Accredits inspectors to keep European and international standards[35] |
| Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNet) | Manages internet services, promotes online development, and educates[36] |
| Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (HANFA) | Maintains financial system stability and supervises trade transactions for legality[37] |
| Croatian Agency for Small Business (HAMAG) | Develops the economy of Croatia viaentrepreneurship, supportssmall and medium enterprises,guarantees entrepreneurial loans, and educates and develops an advisory service for small businesses[38] |
| Fund for the Compensation of Expropriated Property | Compensates for property seized during Communist rule[39] |
| Financial Agency (FINA) | Financial administrative and technical services[40] |
| State Agency for Deposit Insurance and Bank Rehabilitation | Bankdeposit insurance[41] |
| Human Rights Centre | Arranges for human rights-related public events, education, volunteer programmes and implementation of human rights projects[42] |
| Croatian Competition Agency | Antitrust and merger control; monitors competition regarding agricultural and fisheries aid[43] |
| Personal Data Protection Agency | Supervises personal data protection, reports personal data protection status recorded in the country and abroad, and maintains the central register of personal data[44] |
| Agency for Transactions and Mediation in Immovable Properties | Supervises the purchase and trading ofreal estate in Croatia, except where legislation defines the authority of another body; subsidizes real estate development[45] |
| StateAudit Office | Constitution based institution that performs financial audits of the state and local governments (and other entities with majority government ownership)[46] |
Government meetings are typically public. It may close any part of its sessions (or entire sessions) to the public. The prime minister may authorise any deputy to represent the PM and otherwise take over any particular task assigned to the PM. Thequorum for government sessions is a majority of government members. Most decisions are reached by a simple majority vote; atwo-thirds majority vote is required for decisions about changes to the Croatian Constitution, uniting with other states or transferring any part of Croatiansovereignty tosupranational organisations, changes to Croatian borders, dissolution of the parliament, or calling areferendum.[8]
The inner or core cabinet (the prime minister and the PM's deputies) monitors and discusses the operation of the government, and may hold preliminary discussions on any matter performed by the government. The core cabinet may act as the government in emergencies when the government is unable to meet. Its decisions must be verified at the next government session to remain in force. TheGovernment Secretary coordinates agencies, offices and other services subordinated to the government.[8]
Short-lived Croatian Royal Council (1767–79), appointed by queenMaria Theresa, was a central authority administering economic, political and military matters inKingdom of Croatia.[48]Ban's Council (Croatian:Bansko vijeće) of 1848–1850 was the first executive council established in Croatia. It acted as an administrative body governing Croatia (and Slavonia) within theAustrian Empire as a government, later to be replaced by theBan's Government (1850–1854), Royal Lieutenancy for Croatia and Slavonia (1854–1861), and Royal Lieutenancy Council (1861–1868) in Zagreb (with Royal Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian Chancellery in Vienna, 1862–1868).[49]
Following theAustro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the subsequentCroatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868, theKingdom of Croatia-Slavonia was established, along with the Government of the Land, officially the Royal Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian Government of the Land (Croatian:Zemaljska vlada orKraljevska hrvatsko-slavonsko-dalmatinska zemaljska vlada) headed by a crown-appointed ban. The establishment was carried out during the administration of BanLevin Rauch.[50][51] This government form continued until the breakup ofAustria-Hungary and creation of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918. In total, 15 Bans acted as heads of the government in this period.[52] The Royal Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian Government was not aparliamentary government, as its cabinet ministers and its head (Ban) were not appointed or confirmed by theCroatian Parliament (Sabor), but byHungarian-Croatian government in Budapest.
In theKingdom of Yugoslavia, theCvetković–Maček Agreement was made in 1939; it established theBanovina of Croatia andIvan Šubašić was appointed as ban to head the Croatian government (Ban's Government,Croatian:Banska vlast).[53] Still, an effective government was not formed before the onset ofWorld War II.[54]
In June 1943, theNational Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Croatia (ZAVNOH) established an 11-member executive board to act as the new government of Croatia.[55] The first People's Government of theFederal State of Croatia (led byVladimir Bakarić) was founded at the extraordinary session of the Presidency of theNational Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Croatia (ZAVNOH), which was held on April 14, 1945, inSplit.
People's Republic of Croatia, from 1963Socialist Republic of Croatia, a part ofYugoslavia, maintained its own government (of limited powers, excluding defence and foreign relations). The government was appointed by and responsible to theSabor. During the Communist era, there were 14 governments of Croatia. From 1953 to 1990 the official name of the government was the Executive Council of the Sabor (Croatian:Izvršno vijeće Sabora).[56]
Following theparliamentary elections and the adoption of the presentConstitution of Croatia in 1990, the present form of government was begun. On 30 May 1990,Stjepan Mesić became the first person to hold the title of Prime Minister of Croatia, andFranjo Gregurić was the first prime minister of anindependent Croatia, as he held the office on 8 October 1991 when the declaration of independence came into effect.[57][58]
Since 30 May 1990 (the first multi-party parliamentary election held following the 45-year Communist rule), the Republic of Croatia has had a total of fourteen governments headed by twelve different prime ministers. The prime minister in the first government after the first multi-party election was Stjepan Mesić, who would later go on to become thePresident of Croatia. That government was formed by theCroatian Democratic Union (HDZ), as were seven other governments of Croatia. Three governments have been formed by theSocial Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP), and one was anational unity government (representing a wide coalition of political parties) formed during theCroatian War of Independence's peak, between July 1991 and August 1992, with Franjo Gregurić as the prime minister.[57]
