2.5 Cross-border mobility programmes
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EU programmes
In the Republic of Croatia, the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes (AMEUP) administers the Erasmus+ programme and the European Solidarity Corps, which started in 2018. According to the available data, under the last programme in the period from 2018 to 2020, there were 174 completed volunteering projects and only one Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas project.
The AMEUP monitors the participation of end-users in the Erasmus+ programme (including ESC) through the EU Survey, the RAY Standard Survey, as well as through EU programme monitoring tools such as the Mobility Dashboard, Mobility Tool, etc.
Other programmes
The Republic of Croatia does not participate in other cross-border programmes funded by at least 50% by the state.
Legal framework applying to foreign volunteers
The principle of volunteering trans-nationality is defined in Article 17 of the Volunteering Act. The regulations governing the volunteering of foreigners in the Republic of Croatia include the following: foreigners and persons recognised as having asylum status may volunteer in the Republic of Croatia in accordance with the provisions of the Volunteering Act, the Aliens Act, the Asylum Act, and other national regulations, as well as assumed international legal obligations.
According to the Volunteering Act (Article 26), organisers of volunteering who use the services of a volunteer/foreigner must have a written contract on volunteering with the volunteer/foreigner.
Foreigners may volunteer in the Republic of Croatia by regulating their stay in accordance with the provisions of the Aliens Act (Articles 2, 3, 75, 110, and 125).
A contract on volunteering, concluded in writing by a volunteer/foreigner and in accordance with the Volunteering Act, shall be considered as evidence of the justification of a temporary stay.
According to the Aliens Act, aliens may work in the organisation of Croatian associations or institutions for up to 90 days in the calendar year based on a work registration certificate. They are also allowed to perform volunteering work in work camps and similar working programs. Similarly, volunteers may be engaged to work in non-profit associations and institutions in the Republic of Croatia in accordance with special regulations, i.e. based on international volunteer exchange and cooperation programmes. For these volunteers, a permit for stay and work outside the annual quota can be issued if they are between 18 and 65 years of age and a contract on volunteering has been concluded. The organisation in which an alien volunteers must take full responsibility for the alien during the period of volunteering, including the costs of subsistence, accommodation, nutrition, health insurance, and return costs.
According to the same law, anyone who volunteers within the framework of the Community Programmes, the Lifelong Learning Programme, and the Youth in Action Programme, as well as other international programs and initiatives implemented by the body competent for education and science, and bodies under which jurisdiction volunteering falls, may do so based on a work registration certificate.
In Croatia, volunteer work is classified as regular work. Volunteers coming from European Union (EU) member states do not need work permits to volunteer anywhere in the EU. However, based on reciprocity, restrictions on access to the Croatian labour market apply to volunteers from certain EU member states. Therefore, they they need residence and work permits to be able to volunteer in Croatia.
The residence and work permit must be requested for volunteers/foreigners coming from Austria and third countries in the period from 2018 to 30 June 2020. The list of countries subjected to this requirement is issued by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy.
A visa is a permit for the entry and stay of a volunteer/foreigner for up to three months in the Republic of Croatia. It is issued for one, two, or more entries for the purposes of transit, tourist, business, private, or other travel. On the basis of visa, a volunteer, an alien cannot engage in volunteering in the Republic of Croatia. The volunteer/foreigner is obliged to submit an application for a work registration certificate or a temporary residence permit application and an application for the issuance of a stay and work permit, depending on the duration of the volunteer engagement. Aliens and persons recognised as asylum seekers may volunteer in the Republic of Croatia in accordance with the provisions of the Volunteering Act, the Aliens Act, and other regulations of the Republic of Croatia as well as assumed international obligations.
Pursuant to the Act on Confirmation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Union and the Republic of Croatia on the Participation of the Republic of Croatia in the Youth in Action Programme and the Lifelong Learning Action Programme (2007-2013), participants in the Youth in Action Programme are obliged to pay contributions whereby foreign nationals regulate mandatory health insurance in Croatia. For the purpose of their temporary residence in the Republic of Croatia, the right to health insurance is exercised based on policies concluded between the European Commission and the insurance company for certain programme actions. For this category of aliens, the proof of health insurance does not need to be attached to the application for a stay and work permit.
[1]The Volunteering Act (Article 17) referred to the Asylum Act, which was in force until 1 July 2015. Afterward, a new Act on International and Temporary Protection was adopted.