The Government of Croatia (Croatian: Vlada Hrvatske), formally the Government of the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Vlada Republike Hrvatske), commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government (Croatian: hrvatska Vlada), is the main executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the president of the Government (Croatian: predsjednik Vlade), informally abbreviated to premier (Croatian: premijer) or prime minister. The prime minister is nominated by the president of the Republic from among those candidates who enjoy majority support in the Croatian Parliament; the candidate is then chosen by the Parliament. There are 20 other government members, serving as deputy prime ministers, government ministers or both; they are chosen by the prime minister and confirmed by the Parliament (Sabor). The Government of the Republic of Croatia exercises its executive powers in conformity with the Croatian Constitution and legislation enacted by the Croatian Parliament. The current government is led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
Following the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868, the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and the Government of the Land or officially the Royal Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian Government of the Land (Croatian: Zemaljska vlada or Kraljevska hrvatsko-slavonsko-dalmatinska zemaljska vlada)—headed by a crown-appointed ban—were established. This government existed until the Austria-Hungary breakup and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes' creation in 1918. In 1939, the Banovina of Croatia was established and a head of the Banovina of Croatia (Ban) was appointed by the crown, but no effective government was formed before World War II. In 1943, the ZAVNOH established an executive board to act as a new government. Communist Croatia, while a part of Communist Yugoslavia, had a separate government (from 1953 to 1990 known as the Executive Council, appointed by the Sabor) with limited powers (excluding defence and foreign relations; this was similar to all the previous governmental forms). Following the first multi-party elections and the adoption of the present Constitution of Croatia in 1990, the present governmental form was adopted and Stjepan Mesić became the first person to lead a non-communist government (under Yugoslavia's government), while Josip Manolić was the first prime minister of an independent Croatia. Since Communist rule's end, the Republic of Croatia has had fourteen governments headed by twelve different prime ministers. Nine governments have been formed by the Croatian Democratic Union, three by the Social Democratic Party of Croatia, one was headed by a non-partisan prime minister and one was a national unity government (formed during the Croatian War of Independence's peak).
Terminology
The term "government" in Croatia (Vlada) primarily refers to the executive branch, as used by the government itself, the press and colloquially, as that branch of the government (vlast) is responsible for day-to-day governance of the nation (uprava); this sense is intended when it is said that a political party forms the government.[1][2][3]
Banski dvori, headquarters of the Government of the Republic of Croatia
Ban Jelačić Hall, the main hall for bilateral meetings in Banski dvori complex
The government, the main executive power of the Croatian state, is headed by the prime minister (PM). The PM currently has four deputies (elected by the Croatian Parliament), who also serve as government ministers; there are 16 other ministers, who are appointed by the prime minister with the approval of the Sabor (by absolute majority vote). The government ministers are each in charge of a particular sector of activity such as Foreign Affairs. The prime minister and all the deputies form an inner cabinet, tasked with coordinating and supervising the work of government ministers on behalf of the PM; the inner cabinet also prepares materials for meetings of the full government cabinet (consisting of the inner cabinet and the remaining 16 ministers). The first deputy prime minister also discharges the duties of the prime minister when the latter is incapacitated or absent.[4]State secretaries (Croatian: državni tajnici) are the highest officials below each minister. There are one or more State secretaries in the ministries. Each State secretary is appointed by the government for the term of the minister, and is responsible to the minister. They act as deputy ministers and attend meetings only exceptionally. State secretaries are also heads of the Central State Offices (see below).
The executive branch is responsible for proposing legislation and a budget, executing the laws and guiding the foreign and internal policies of the republic. The government's official residence is at the Banski dvori in Zagreb.[5] Although the cabinet normally meets at the Banski dvori, occasionally its meetings are held elsewhere in the country.[6]
The Government of the Republic of Croatia exercises its executive powers in conformity with the Croatian Constitution and legislation enacted by the Croatian Parliament, the Sabor (Croatian: Hrvatski sabor). Its structure, operational procedures and decision-making processes are defined by the Government of the Republic of Croatia Act (2011 with 2014 and 2016 amendments) and the Government Rules of Procedure (2015 with 2015 amendments). The Constitution mandates that the government proposes legislation and other documents to the parliament, proposes the budget and gives financial reports, implements Acts and other decisions of the parliament, enacts any regulations required to implement the Acts, defines foreign and internal policies, directs and oversees the operation of state administration, promotes the economic development of the country, directs the activities and development of public services and performs other activities conforming to the provisions of the Constitution and applicable legislation. The government also passes regulations and administrative acts and orders appointments and removals of appointed officials and civil servants within the scope of its powers. It makes rulings in cases of conflicts of jurisdiction between governmental institutions, responds to questions asked parliamentary majority and opposition representatives,[7] prepares proposals of new legislation and other regulations, gives opinions on legislation and other regulations and adopts strategies for the economic and social development of the country.[8][9]
The government manages state property of the Republic of Croatia unless special legislation provides otherwise. It may appoint special committees to manage the property on its behalf; this process is implemented through appointed members of supervisory boards and managing boards of companies partially or wholly owned by the Republic of Croatia. The government also determines these appointees' salaries. It maintains specialized bodies, agencies and offices—including the Legislation Office, the Office for Human Rights and the Rights of National Minorities and Public Relations Service—that are required by the Government Act of 2011, as well as committees to decide administrative matters. Various branches of government may establish joint services.[8] There are further entities established by the government as companies designed to support the aims of the Government, such as the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development that strives to fund the reconstruction and development of the economy of Croatia.[10]
Local (city/municipality) and regional (county)
governments are separate from the central government; the latter maintains a State Administration Office in each county, under the Ministry of Public Administration.[11]
This is a responsible government to the Croatian Parliament, which may recall it as a whole or in part by an absolute majority vote (majority of all MPs) following a request for a confidence vote by one fifth of the parliament members or by the prime minister. The prime minister and other members are jointly responsible for decisions passed by their government and individually responsible for their respective portfolios (areas of responsibility). The President of the Republic appoints the prime minister, who must then secure a vote of confidence from the Croatian Parliament (majority of all MPs); the appointment is therefore counter-signed by the speaker of the parliament to signify this. The prime minister appoints members approved by the Croatian Parliament (again signified via a counter-signature by the speaker of the parliament). The rules of procedure and regulations enacted by the government must be published in Narodne novine—the official gazette of Croatia—to bind.[8][9]
Organisational and technical tasks required by the Government or the President of Croatia related to preparation for official visits of Croatian government officials abroad and foreign officials in Croatia; planning and control of expenditures related to these visits and other related tasks
General Administration Office of the Croatian Parliament and Croatian Government
Administrative, analytical, financial and other tasks required by the Parliament or the Government
Internal audit services for Government bodies and offices (and other entities financed through the budget)
Directorate for the Use of Official Aircraft
Service organised as the operator of aircraft owned by the Republic of Croatia for occasional independent air transport for the needs of state authorities in national and international civilian air transport
Public Relations Service
Informs the public about the activities of the Government
Coordination and monitoring of the activities between the competent authorities for cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Croatians outside the Republic of Croatia
Central State Office for Sports
Performs administrative and expert tasks in the field of development and promotion of sports and its role in society
Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing
Planning, preparation, organization and supervision of housing and reconstruction for refugees, displaced persons and returnees, former tenancy rights holders and other beneficiaries of housing programmes in accordance with a special regulation
Central State Office for Digital Society Development
Coordinates the development and implementation of information and communication technology in public digital services. Performs technical tasks of establishing and maintaining a digital Central catalog of official documents of the Republic of Croatia, publication of data on the Central State Portal
Croatian Agency for the Environment and Nature (HAOP)
Nature conservation. Collects, integrates and processes environmental data; promotes sustainable development
Central Depository & Clearing Company
Manages the central depository of securities, clearing system and transaction settlement—coordinates scheduled executions of transactions between banks and maintains the registry of company stock ownership[26]
Central Finance and Contracting Agency
Purchases using money from EU funded programmes: Budgeting, tendering, contracting, payments, accounting and financial reporting[27]
Central Registry of Insured Persons (REGOS)
Tracks individuals and their funds for pensions[28]
Safety of water navigation and development of the maritime economy[33]
Croatian Mine Action Centre
Demining surveys and planning, cleared area acceptance, mined area marking, quality assurance, demining research and development, and mine victim assistance[34]
Croatian Accreditation Agency
Accredits inspectors to keep European and international standards[35]
Arranges for human rights-related public events, education, volunteer programmes and implementation of human rights projects[42]
Croatian Competition Agency
Antitrust and merger control; monitors competition regarding agricultural and fisheries aid[43]
Personal Data Protection Agency
Supervises personal data protection, reports personal data protection status recorded in the country and abroad, and maintains the central register of personal data[44]
Agency for Transactions and Mediation in Immovable Properties
Supervises the purchase and trading of real estate in Croatia, except where legislation defines the authority of another body; subsidizes real estate development[45]
Constitution based institution that performs financial audits of the state and local governments (and other entities with majority government ownership)[46]
Operations
Government meetings are typically public. It may close any part of its sessions (or entire sessions) to the public. The prime minister may authorise any deputy to represent the PM and otherwise take over any particular task assigned to the PM. The quorum for government sessions is a majority of government members. Most decisions are reached by a simple majority vote; a two-thirds majority vote is required for decisions about changes to the Croatian Constitution, uniting with other states or transferring any part of Croatian sovereignty to supranational organisations, changes to Croatian borders, dissolution of the parliament, or calling a referendum.[8]
The inner or core cabinet (the prime minister and the PM's deputies) monitors and discusses the operation of the government, and may hold preliminary discussions on any matter performed by the government. The core cabinet may act as the government in emergencies when the government is unable to meet. Its decisions must be verified at the next government session to remain in force. The Government Secretary coordinates agencies, offices and other services subordinated to the government.[8]
Short-lived Croatian Royal Council (1767–79), appointed by queen Maria Theresa, was a central authority administering economic, political and military matters in Kingdom of Croatia.[48]Ban's Council (Croatian: Bansko vijeće) of 1848–1850 was the first executive council established in Croatia. It acted as an administrative body governing Croatia (and Slavonia) within the Austrian Empire as a government, later to be replaced by the Ban's Government (1850–1854), Royal Lieutenancy for Croatia and Slavonia (1854–1861), and Royal Lieutenancy Council (1861–1868) in Zagreb (with Royal Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian Chancellery in Vienna, 1862–1868).[49]
People's Republic of Croatia, from 1963 Socialist Republic of Croatia, a part of Yugoslavia, maintained its own government (of limited powers, excluding defence and foreign relations). The government was appointed by and responsible to the Sabor. During the Communist era, there were 14 governments of Croatia. From 1953 to 1990 the official name of the government was the Executive Council of the Sabor (Croatian: Izvršno vijeće Sabora).[56]
Following the parliamentary elections and the adoption of the present Constitution of Croatia in 1990, the present form of government was begun. On 30 May 1990, Stjepan Mesić became the first person to hold the title of Prime Minister of Croatia, and Franjo Gregurić was the first prime minister of an independent Croatia, as he held the office on 8 October 1991 when the declaration of independence came into effect.[57][58]
Since 30 May 1990 (the first multi-party parliamentary election held following the 45-year Communist rule), the Republic of Croatia has had a total of fourteen governments headed by twelve different prime ministers. The prime minister in the first government after the first multi-party election was Stjepan Mesić, who would later go on to become the President of Croatia. That government was formed by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), as were seven other governments of Croatia. Three governments have been formed by the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP), and one was a national unity government (representing a wide coalition of political parties) formed during the Croatian War of Independence's peak, between July 1991 and August 1992, with Franjo Gregurić as the prime minister.[57]
^These are supporting offices of (services for) the cabinet; each is run by a Head of the Office (Director).
^These support the central government as a whole in terms of strategy coordination and infrastructure; each is headed by a State Secretary.
^In general, these supervise other government bodies such as the Public Sector Bodies (below); each is headed by a Director of the Office/Bureau/Directorate.
^These are public sector organisations established for various tasks.
^"Ured za razminiranje" [Office for Demining] (in Croatian). Croatian Government. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
^"Državni uredi" [Central State Administrative Offices] (in Croatian). Croatian Government. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
^"Državne upravne organizacije" [State Administration Bodies] (in Croatian). Croatian Government. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"Osnivanje zavoda" [Founding of the Office] (in Croatian). State Office for Radiological and Nuclear Safety. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
^"SIPO Croatia". State Intellectual Property Office. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"About us". Meteorological and Hydrological Service. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"About us". National Protection and Rescue Directorate. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"O nama" [About us] (in Croatian). State Geodetic Directorate. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
^"Javni sektor" [Public Sector] (in Croatian). Croatian Government. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"O SKDD-u" [About the CDCC] (in Croatian). Central Depository & Clearing Company. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"About us". Central Finance and Contracting Agency. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"About Regos". Central Registry of Insured Persons. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"Osnivanje i djelokrug poslova" [Founding and scope of operations] (in Croatian). Croatian Institute for Health Insurance. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"Human Rights Center". State Agency for Deposit Insurance and Bank Rehabilitation. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"Mission". Croatian Competition Agency. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"About the Agency". Personal Data Protection Agency. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"Djelatnost APN-a" [Activities of the Agency] (in Croatian). Agency for Transactions and Mediation in Immovable Properties. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^Josipa Bosiljka Paver (November 1989). "O arhivskoj građi ZAVNOH-a u Arhivu Hrvatske" [On Archive Materials on the ZAVNOH in the Archives of Croatia]. Arhivski vjesnik (in Croatian) (33). Croatian State Archives: 87–92. ISSN0570-9008. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
^Budislav Vukas, ml. (December 2006). "Prijedlozi i nacrti konfederalizacije Jugoslavije 1990./91. – posljednji pokušaji "spašavanja" zajedničke države" [Proposals and Drafts for Confederalisation of Yugoslavia in 1990/1991 – the Last Attempts to Salvage the Common State]. Zbornik Pravnog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Rijeci (in Croatian). 27 (2). University of Rijeka, Faculty of Law: 761–803. ISSN1330-349X.
^ abc"Prethodne vlade RH" [Previous governments of the Republic of Croatia] (in Croatian). Croatian Government. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
^"Kronologija Vlade" [Chronology of the Government] (in Croatian). Croatian Information-Documentation and Referral Agency – HIDRA. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
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