The national report on the state of civic space in Croatia has been published, prepared within the project “Empowering Ecosystems of Civil Society Organisations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia and Slovenia” (PROSECO).
This national report assesses the current state of civic space in Croatia as of October 2025, applying the PROSECO methodology developed jointly by Glopolis, Maly Berlin, Mirovni Inštitut and Croatian Platform for International Citizen Solidarity (CROSOL). The purpose of the report is to evaluate the enabling environment for civil society organisations (CSOs) across five key monitoring areas: Regulatory Environment, Finance and Funding, Right to Participation in Decision-Making, Safe Space, and Capacity and Resilience of Organisations. The assessment aims to provide credible, evidence-based insights for both national dialogue and European-level comparison, contributing to the protection and promotion of EU values, democracy, and the rule of law.
The findings of the report are based on qualitative evidence collected through an expert panel composed of nine national experts representing diverse segments of Croatian civil society:
- Lejla Šehić Relić (Volunteer Centre Osijek),
- Cvijeta Senta (Centre for Peace Studies – CMS),
- Matija Mrakovčić (Clubture Network),
- Bernard Ivčić (Green Action / Friends of the Earth Croatia),
- Natalija Havelka (Centre for Peace, Non-Violence and Human Rights Osijek),
- Daniel Martinović (Rainbow Families Croatia),
- Lidija Pavić-Rogošić (ODRAZ – Sustainable Community Development)
- Josip Miličević (Croatian Youth Network)
- Sanja Salkić (Croatian Ombudswoman’s Office)
Each expert independently completed a structured questionnaire, scoring indicators on a 1–5 scale (where 1 represents the highest standard and 5 the most restrictive environment). Scores were subsequently discussed in a joint panel session, moderated by CROSOL, and complemented by secondary research from national and international sources.
The average composite scores per monitoring area were as follows:
- Regulatory Environment: 2.5
- Finance and Funding: 2.7
- Right to Participation in Decision-Making: 3.3
- Safe Space: 2.69
- Capacity and Resilience of Organisations: 2.94
These scores reflect a civic environment that remains formally open and legally protected but increasingly challenged by political polarization, financial precarity, and administrative pressures.
The report can be downloaded here:
The PROSECO project is co-funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme and coordinated by Glopolis (CZ), in partnership with STEM (CZ), Malý Berlín (SK), the Peace Institute (SL), and CROSOL (HR).
The project is co-funded by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.
