Croatia - Digital Transformation Strategy

Overview

The Digital Croatia Strategy 2032 is the Republic of Croatia’s formal ten-year framework for coordinated digital transformation of society, public administration and the economy. Adopted by the Croatian Parliament on 16 December 2022 and published in the official gazette on 4 January 2023, the Strategy sets a national vision and four strategic goals backed by priority action areas and performance indicators. The Strategy emphasises investments in national information infrastructure, interoperability, open/anonymised data for innovation, accelerated deployment of very-high-capacity networks, and large-scale development of digital competences. The Strategy aligns with the EU Digital Decade and other European instruments; see the published text in the official gazette for the full measures and indicators: Strategija digitalne Hrvatske (Narodne novine).

Definitions

Key terms used in the Strategy include: digital transformation (systemic adoption of digital technologies across public and private sectors), interoperability (ability of systems and organisations to exchange and use information), state shared services centre (CDU or "state cloud"), very high capacity networks (VHCN, e.g., fibre/5G/6G-ready infrastructures), digital competences (skills for life and work in the digital age), and "do no significant harm" (DNSH) principle linking digital deployment to environmental and social sustainability. The Strategy also refers to EU terms such as the Digital Decade targets and uses OECD/EU definitions for measures and indicators.

Governance and Institutional Framework

Implementation is led by the Central State Office for the Development of Digital Society (SDURDD) with governance and oversight through inter-institutional coordination mechanisms, including the National Council for Digital Transformation and designated project/working groups. Ministries, regional and local authorities and sectoral agencies are assigned specific implementation roles and responsibilities, supported by reporting, monitoring and an evaluation plan. The Strategy explicitly ties into the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) reform measures and foresees use of EU technical assistance and RRF funding for selected preparatory and investment projects. For official descriptions of responsibilities and institutional arrangements see the SDURDD portal: Središnji državni ured za razvoj digitalnog društva and the Ministry implementation pages at Ministry of Justice and Public Administration.

Key Focus Areas

The Strategy structures actions across four strategic goals, each containing priority areas and indicative measures. First, developing an innovative digital economy involves supporting digital innovation centres, SME digitalisation grants, regulatory and tax measures to boost ICT sector contribution to GDP, and access to anonymised datasets for research and business. Second, digitalising public administration focuses on full interoperability, expansion of the state shared services centre (CDU), one-stop e-service portals for citizens and businesses, consolidation of health information systems (CEZIH), and improved user experience for e-Građani digital identity and services. Third, deploying very-high-capacity networks includes changes to spatial planning, incentives and subsidies for commercially unattractive areas, intervention measures to lower real-estate-related deployment costs, and promotion of broadband uptake. Fourth, digital skills and workforce development targets basic and advanced digital literacy across the population, targeted retraining and scaling up ICT education and research collaboration to increase the pool of ICT professionals. Cross-cutting priorities are cybersecurity, data protection, green ICT practices and digital inclusion.

Implementation Framework

The Strategy provides a phased implementation approach with assigned lead bodies, project portfolios and funding sources. Implementation leverages NRRP and other EU funds, national budget allocations and public-private partnerships. Key instruments include regulatory reforms to facilitate network roll-out, procurement frameworks and technical standards for shared services, grant schemes for SME digital upgrades, and national campaigns for digital literacy. A dedicated coordination secretariat within SDURDD is charged with integrating activities, maintaining an implementation register, and coordinating inter-ministerial technical working groups. The Strategy also anticipates developing standardised indicators and dashboards for real-time program tracking linked to EU reporting mechanisms.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Strategy sets measurable indicators and mandates a mid-term evaluation (planned for 2027) to assess progress, identify implementation gaps and propose adjustments. Final evaluation is planned after the end of the Strategy’s period (2033). Monitoring responsibilities rest with SDURDD supported by external or internally independent evaluators selected per the evaluation plan. Progress reports and evaluation results are to be made publicly available on the SDURDD website and national reporting portals to ensure transparency and stakeholder scrutiny.

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

As a strategic planning act rather than a primary law, the Strategy does not by itself create new criminal sanctions but requires implementing agencies to observe existing legal regimes (administrative sanctions, procurement rules, cybersecurity and data protection obligations). Where applicable, non-compliance by public bodies with mandated implementation measures or reporting obligations may trigger administrative follow-up, budgetary repercussions or judicial review under administrative law. Liability for data protection breaches remains governed by the GDPR and national data protection rules, with supervisory procedures operated by the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency. Appeal mechanisms for administrative acts generated during implementation remain those established under Croatian administrative procedure law.

Relationship to Other Instruments

The Strategy explicitly aligns with the National Development Strategy to 2030 and implements NRRP reforms; it is consistent with EU-level instruments such as the Digital Decade/Digital Compass and the European Digital Strategy. Sectoral alignment includes health (CEZIH consolidation), education and labour policies for skills development, telecommunications law for network roll-out, cybersecurity frameworks and public procurement reforms. The Narodne novine publication provides cross-references to relevant national acts and EU guidance: Official text (Narodne novine).

International Alignment

The Strategy is aligned with key EU targets and initiatives (Digital Decade/Digital Compass 2030), the European Green Deal and EU cybersecurity priorities. It declares intent to follow EU regulatory developments (e.g., on AI, data governance, electronic communications) and to use EU co-financing instruments (RRF, technical assistance). The document references EU resources and obligations and indicates Croatia’s intention to contribute to European digital objectives through interoperable standards, cross-border e-services and adherence to EU data protection and cybersecurity frameworks. See the EU Digital Decade reference in the official publication: European Commission – Digital Decade.

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References