Croatia 2026

Country overview

 

The Croatian media system in 2025 experienced several legal and regulatory developments, primarily connected to the implementation of European regulatory frameworks and new transparency mechanisms. A major legal development was the adoption of the EMFA Implementation Act (March 2026), which expands the regulatory mandate of the Agency for Electronic Media and the Council for Electronic Media to include print media and introduces a framework for assessing media pluralism and concentration across sectors. However, the risk assessment in this report focuses only on 2025 and does not include the EMFA Implementation Act. Revisions of the Media Act and the Electronic Media Act are planned for 2026.

Another key regulatory change was the launch of the Media Ownership and Financing Database in April 2025, financed through the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, which aggregates information on ownership structures, beneficial owners, revenues and public funding flows. In the field of digital governance, Croatia continued the early-stage implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA), with the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) acting as Digital Services Coordinator; however, enforcement instruments remained largely non-operational in 2025, with no certified trusted flaggers and only a small number of formal complaints.

Amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act (OG 136/25) further expanded reporting channels and strengthened judicial protection mechanisms. In practice, several structural trends continued: persistent SLAPP litigation and criminal defamation provisions continued to affect journalistic autonomy; digital media markets remained highly concentrated and poorly monitored; and implementation gaps persisted in areas such as accessibility, media literacy policy coordination and minority-language representation in the media system.

Fundamental Protection

The Fundamental Protection area fell within the medium-low risk band. Key points include:

• Continued misuse of criminal provisions on insult and defamation (Arts. 147–149 Criminal Code), with significant SLAPP litigation against media actors.
• Implementation of the Digital Services Act remained limited: Croatia’s Digital Services Coordinator received only a small number of complaints and did not certify trusted flaggers.
• Amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act (OG 136/25) expanded reporting channels to police and the State Attorney’s Office and introduced faster judicial procedures.
• Threats and harassment against journalists persisted in practice, while labour precarity and freelance insecurity remained widespread.

 

Market Plurality

The Market Plurality area fell within the medium-high risk band. Key points include:

• Launch of the Media Ownership and Financing Database (April 2025) improved accessibility to ownership structures and financial flows.
• Adoption of the EMFA Implementation Act (OG 27/26) in March 2026 expanded regulatory oversight to print media.
• Market concentration remained extremely high in audiovisual markets and largely unmonitored in digital advertising and online news distribution.
• Negotiations between publishers’ associations (e.g. UNIP) and global platforms continued, but remuneration arrangements remain undisclosed.

 

Political Independence

The Political Independence area fell within the medium-high risk band. Key points include:

• No major legislative reforms occurred; existing safeguards under the Prevention of Conflict of Interest Act (OG 143/21) remain formally in place.
• Institutional concerns persist regarding the capacity and authority of the Committee for Resolving Conflicts of Interest.
• Governance structures of HRT and HINA, including parliamentary appointment procedures, continue to raise concerns about political influence.
• Increased and direct political pressure towards minority media and their funding mechanisms.

 

Social inclusiveness

The Social inclusiveness area fell within the medium-high risk band. Key points include:

• Implementation gaps persisted despite existing legislation on minority rights, accessibility and gender equality.
• Minority-language representation in mainstream media remained limited despite incremental improvements within the public broadcaster.
• Media literacy policy continued to rely largely on project-based initiatives coordinated by the Agency for Electronic Media.
• Accessibility obligations for persons with disabilities remained inconsistently implemented across broadcasters and digital services.