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1. How Youth policy is funded

2. What is funded?

3. Use of EU Funds

How youth policy is funded

Funding for youth policy comes from a specific budget line within the State Budget. The Government, not later than 15 November of the current year, submits the budget proposal to the Parliament for adoption. After reviewing and discussing the proposal, the Parliament adopts the State Budget before the year’s end. Once approved, the Government can use the allocated budget funds.  

Other ministries responsible for specific measures in the National Youth Programme do not have separate funds for the implementation of these measures. Instead, funds are allocated within the ministry’s budget position, in accordance to its jurisdiction.

Additional financial resources for the implementation of the National Youth Programme are provided through the Decree on the Criteria for Defining Beneficiaries and Ways of Allocating a Portion of Proceeds from the State Lottery Funds. The Government of the Republic of Croatia adopts this decree at the beginning of each year for that year’s implementation.

What is funded?

The 2025 Call for Proposals for Youth-Oriented Projects funded 142 projects across five priority areas:

1. Active participation of young people in society
   1.1. Encouraging young people to actively participate in society (13 projects were awarded a total of €393.000.00).

        1.2. Local and regional programs for youth (4 projects were awarded a total of €98. 000.00).

         1.3. Youth and sustainable community development (7 projects were awarded a total of  €187.500.00).

         1.4. Employability and competitiveness of young people on the labor market and prevention of entry into NEET status (7 projects were awarded a total of                        €189.500.00).

2. Youth counselling and information, organisation of leisure activities for youth, and support for community youth initiatives
   2.1. Youth information centres (7 projects were awarded a total of €199.000.00).
   2.2. Organising youth leisure activities through youth clubs (5 projects were awarded a total of €162.500.00).
   2.3. Youth centres (14 projects were awarded a total of €285.000.00 ).
3. Implementation of youth oriented activities in rural areas (28 projects were awarded a total of €725.500.00)
4. Prevention of violence against and among young people (37 projects were awarded a total of €1.116.500.00)
5. Prevention of all forms of youth addiction (53 projects were awarded a total of €650. 000.00)

The specific objectives of the above-mentioned tenders are:

• encouraging the creation of local and regional programs for young people
• encouraging sustainable development and raising awareness among young people about the impact of their actions on the climate and the consequences of climate change on the environment and society
• raising the level of information among young people about their rights and opportunities, about programs and services
• ensuring quality leisure time for young people
• improving skills and employability and reducing the risk of entering NEET status
• improving the quality of life and opportunities in rural areas
• reducing all forms of violence against and among young people
• preventing all forms of addiction and behavioral addictions among young people (alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, gambling, games of chance, computer games, social networks, the Internet).

The target groups of the tender included, among others, unemployed young people, young people in NEET status and young people in rural areas.

Use of EU funds

The CSODY has implemented the project ‘Support to the Development and Expansion of Youth Work in Croatia’. The funding is envisaged from the European Social Fund through direct assignment. The total amount of the funding was HRK 1 717 046.8, or about €227 890.

The project aimed to analyse the existing conditions in the field of youth work in Croatia and to identify needs and possibilities for further development and improvement of the quality of youth work.

The main objectives of the project were:

• increasing the level of knowledge and the amount of information on availability and the state of development of youth work
• influencing the professionalization of youth work and raising the awareness among the public, especially experts and young people, about the relevance of youth work

The results of the project are presented in the Analysis of the current state of youth work in the Republic of Croatia and preparation of recommendations and guidelines for its development report. The results indicate that, alongside a relatively high quality of youth work in Croatia, there is a need for additional information for young people regarding opportunities to participate in activities. The results highlight challenges in working and volunteering conditions of individuals engaged in activities with young people. These challenges encompass issues related to  financing, the state of physical infrastructure, the availability of education programs, training for youth workers, and the enhancement of youth work. 

Regarding infrastructure for youth work activities, this encompasses physical spaces, youth organisations, organisations for young people, state and public bodies engaged in youth work, and relevant documents addressing these aspects.

Youth work in Croatia is primarily conducted by youth organisations and organisations for young people. These entities vary in their management structures; for instance, youth organisations implementing programmes for young people and youth associations must have more than half of their management body composed of individuals under the age of 30 (50%).

Some youth and for-youth associations utilise EU funds.

The EU funds utilised are:

Erasmus+

The Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes (AMEUP) was established by the Act on the Agency for Mobility and European Union Programmes. This act designates the AMEUP as a public institution with the jurisdiction to implement European Union (EU) programmes, specifically the Lifelong Learning Programme and Youth in Action Programme, in accordance with the negotiating position under the Accession Negotiations of the Republic of Croatia and the European Union in Chapter 26, Education and Culture.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the Republic of Croatia and the European Union on the participation of the Republic of Croatia in the Youth in Action Programme and the Lifelong Learning Program 2007-2013, signed on 7 December 2010, marking the completion of the preparatory phase, came into effect on 30 March 2011. Since 2011, the Republic of Croatia has been a full participant in these programmes, with equal rights and opportunities as the EU and other countries with full participation in the programme. 

The budget for the youth field in the Erasmus+ programme was €4 499 631 in 2021 and €5 130 764 in 2022. The budget for 2023 is €33 817 906.