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EACEA National Policies Platform
Croatia

Croatia

1. Youth Policy Governance

1.4 Youth policy decision-making

Last update: 28 March 2024
On this page
  1. Structure of decision-making
  2. Main themes
  3. The national agency for youth
  4. Policy monitoring and evaluation
On this page
  1. Structure of Decision-making
  2. Main Themes
  3. The National Agency for Youth
  4. Policy monitoring and evaluation

 

 

Structure of decision-making

 

National level

Youth Policy decision-making primarily occurs at a central government level, with main responsibilities assigned to:

Established in August 2020 through the Regulation on Internal Structure of the Central State Office for Demography and Youth, this office assumed the primary responsibilities of the former Ministry for Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy related to youth. 

At the same time, youth representatives— eight representatives from associations of and for youth, the Croatian youth UN delegate, and representatives of the National Council of Students and the Croatian Student Council—are part of the Advisory Board for Youth of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, an interdepartmental advisory body that includes representatives of state administrative bodies, the Croatian County Association, the Croatian Municipalities Association, and the Association of Cities, all contributing to shaping youth policies.

The Advisory Board for Youth of the Government of the Republic of Croatia:

  • participates in continuous monitoring and analysis of public policies related to and/or influencing youth in the Republic of Croatia
  • provides opinion to the Croatian Government on draft regulations of particular significance for improving the status of youth
  • monitors the work of ministries and other public administration bodies in implementing, monitoring, and evaluating youth policies within their jurisdiction, providing opinions and recommendations in that regard
  • monitors the development of youth and for youth associations and provides recommendations for the improvement of their work and support system
  • provides recommendations for the development of youth policies and the inclusion of youth at the local, regional, national, and international levels in delivering these policies
  • monitors societal phenomena important for youth and recommends related measures
  • ensures continuous dialogue among state bodies, public administration bodies, civil society organisations, youth councils, the academic community, media, and other representatives of the interested public on the improvement of the status of youth in the Republic of Croatia
  • undertakes missions aimed at achieving the main purpose of the Council's agency, creating a supportive environment for the improvement of the status of youth

 

Local and regional self-government

Apart from central government, regional and local self-government units also coordinate regional and local youth policy, although this coordination is not explicitly mandated by the  Local and Regional Self-Government Act.

The Republic of Croatia comprises 21 counties (including the City of Zagreb), 128 towns, and 428 municipalities. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and the Local and Regional Self-Government Act, counties, cities, and municipalities have independence in deciding on matters within their self-governing sphere.

Counties, towns, and municipalities autonomously allocate financial resources annually for various youth-targeted activities.

However, the CSODY has allocated specific funds in recent years for the preparation of local and regional youth programmes tailored to the particular interests and needs of young people in designated areas.

The implementation of recommendations by counties, towns, and municipalities is included in the annual report on the implementation of the National Youth Programme, submitted by the CSODY to the Government of the Republic of Croatia for approval.

 

Youth advisory boards

Youth advisory boards are advisory bodies of regional and local self-government units that promote and advocate for the rights, needs, and interests of young people at regional and local levels. They are established in accordance with the Act on Youth Advisory Boards, and their members and deputy members are elected for a term of three years.

 

 

Main themes

The National Programme is based on the results of the Analysis of the Situation in the Youth Sector in the Republic of Croatia conducted in December 2021. The analysis included a review of existing literature based on key concepts from scientific and professional research on young people, public databases on young people, and documents on public policies for young people. It covered priority areas related to employment, housing, young people in tourism (support for deficit occupations), and financial literacy of young people. 

The National Programme areas are aligned with the goals of the:

Additionally, some measures will be achieved through the implementation of reforms and investments within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026 which have demographic effects, including the position and quality of life of young people. 

 

The national agency for youth

The Republic of Croatia has no National Agency for Youth. However, there is a national Erasmus+ agency, the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes, which actively participates in the youth policy framework.

 

Policy monitoring and evaluation

Local self-government units are required by the Youth Advisory Boards Act to annually submit a report on the youth advisory boards programme.

The only evaluation ever conducted for the National Youth Strategy (Baketa, 2017), performed by an independent youth researcher in December 2017, pertained to the former National Youth Strategy 2014-2017. The evaluation revealed that only 36.4% of the measures were implemented.