Croatian Parliament

CROATIAN PARLIAMENT AT GLANCE

The Croatian Parliament is a representative body of citizens and is vested with the legislative power in the Republic of Croatia. It has been a democratic, multiparty legislature since 1990.

MPs are elected directly by secret ballot based on universal suffrage for a term of four years. Parliamentary terms of office are not binding, while members have legal immunity. Currently the Croatian Parliament has 151 members.


EU MATTERS

In the pre-accession period the Croatian Parliament participated in the preparations of the Republic of Croatia for the EU membership through the European Integration Committee. The political dialogue between the Republic of Croatia and the European Union was conducted through the Croatia-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, while monitoring of the accession negotiations was in the scope of the National Committee.

With the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union the European Affairs Committee became the central parliamentary point for EU matters and is in charge of conducting parliamentary scrutiny and subsidiarity checks.

Croatian Parliament participates in European affairs on the basis of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, the Law on Co-operation of the Croatian Parliament and the Government of the Republic of Croatia in European Affairs and the Standing Orders of the Croatian Parliament.

European Affairs Committee composes annual parliamentary Work Programme containing draft European acts that are to be scrutinised. Specialised parliamentary Committees are involved in the scrutiny from the beginning of the process, as they may propose draft acts from their scope of work to be included in the Work Programme. Once the draft act in question, along with the corresponding Position of the Republic of Croatia is delivered to the Croatian Parliament, specialised committees may debate them and send their opinions to the European Affairs Committee. The latter, taking into consideration opinion(s) of specialised committees, than draws a Conclusion on the Position of the Republic of Croatia based on which the Government acts in the European institutions.

Subsidiarity checks are conducted in the European Affairs Committee but the process may be initiated my each Member of Parliament, parliamentary committee, parliamentary party group, the Government or on the initiative of the European Affairs Committee.

(Information updated on 11.03.2019)

Radni program za razmatranje stajališta Republike Hrvatske za 2019. godinu 92 KB / 11/03/2019

Work Programme for the Consideration of the Positions of the Republic of Croatia for the Year 2019 286 KB / 21/03/2019