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EACEA National Policies Platform
Croatia

Croatia

2. Voluntary Activities

2.10 Current debates and reforms

Last update: 24 February 2023

In the event that volunteer activity is carried out in direct contact with some of the vulnerable social groups, additional information on the volunteer must be attached to the contract. According to the Act on Volunteering, it is necessary to obtain an extract from criminal or misdemeanour records. The extract from the criminal record serves as proof that the volunteer has not committed a criminal offense against life and body, against sexual freedom and sexual maturity, and against marriage, family and youth. Likewise, the extract from the criminal records is a guarantee that a volunteer does not pursue a security measure of compulsory psychiatric treatment or treatment of addiction or measures of prohibition of performing a vocation, activity or duty in connection with the volunteering s/he wishes to perform. The excerpt from the misdemeanour record is evidence that the volunteer has not been subjected to the misdemeanour sanction prescribed by the Act on Protection against Family Violence. Given that this is a very strict regime for the issuance of such certificates and confidentiality of personal data prescribed by the Criminal Code and the rules on criminal or misdemeanour records, current regulations do not allow the majority of volunteer organizers to obtain information required by the Act on Volunteering, which in practice prevents the proper application of that Act.

Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, at the proposal of the National Committee for the Development of Volunteerism presents a State Award for Volunteering. The State Award for Volunteering for 2016 was not presented. Also, there are no official minutes of the National Committee for the Development of Volunteerism's meetings for the whole of 2016. The last nomination of members of the National Committee for the Development of Volunteerism was in November 2019 for next two years.

 

There is still a lack of legal basis for recognizing the qualifications gained through volunteering or recognition and evaluation of informal and informal learning.

Most of the documents actually deal with volunteering in general, a very small proportion of them being specifically targeted at young people who are engaged in volunteering activities.