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EACEA National Policies Platform
Croatia

Croatia

2. Voluntary Activities

2.10 Current debates and reforms

Last update: 14 February 2024

If volunteer activities involve direct contact with vulnerable social groups, additional information about the volunteer must be attached to the contract. According to the Volunteering Act, obtaining an extract from criminal or misdemeanour records is mandatory. The extract from the criminal record serves as evidence that the volunteer has not committed criminal offenses against life and body, against sexual freedom and sexual maturity, and against marriage, family, and youth. It also guarantees that the volunteer is not subject to security measures such as compulsory psychiatric treatment, addiction treatment, or measures prohibiting the performance of a vocation, activity, or duty related to the volunteering they wish to undertake. The misdemeanour record excerpt demonstrates that the volunteer has not faced sanctions under the Act on Protection against Family Violence. Due to stringent regulations governing the issuance of such certificates and the confidentiality of personal data, as outlined in the Criminal Code and rules on criminal or misdemeanour records, current regulations do not allow the majority of volunteer organisers to obtain information required by the Act on Volunteering. This, in practice, hinders the proper application of that Act.

The Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, based on the recommendation of the National Committee for the Development of Volunteerism (NCDV), presents the State Award for Volunteering. The State Award for Volunteering for 2016 was not conferred. Additionally, there are no official minutes available for the meetings of the NCDV for the entire year of 2022. The last nomination of NCDV members for the next four years took place in February 2022. 

There still lacks legal basis for recognising qualifications acquired through volunteering or for the recognition and evaluation of non-formal and informal learning.

The majority of documents primarily address volunteering in general, with only a minimal portion specifically focused on young people involved in volunteering activities.