Croatian Parliament Passes Controversial Bačić Construction Laws

The news in Croatian

1. prostoran
   koji se odnosi na prostor, raspored i uređenje prostora ↩︎
2. planiranje  (n.)
   određivanje ciljeva i koraka unaprijed kako bi se nešto organiziralo ili ostvarilo ↩︎
3. energetski
   koji se odnosi na energiju, njezinu potrošnju, proizvodnju ili štednju ↩︎
4. učinkovitost  (f.)
   svojstvo da se s malo utrošenog vremena, truda ili sredstava postigne željeni rezultat ↩︎
5. modernizirati
   učiniti nešto suvremenijim, prilagoditi novom vremenu i novim tehnologijama ↩︎
6. investitor  (m.)
   osoba ili tvrtka koja ulaže novac u neki posao kako bi ostvarila dobit ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: According to the text, what are the three main topics of the new laws passed by the Croatian Parliament?

Question 2: Why are some opposition members and experts worried about the new laws?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
prostoran	spatial
planiranje  (n.)	planning
energetski	energy-related
učinkovitost  (f.)	efficiency
modernizirati	to modernise
investitor  (m.)	investor

Read the full story

The Croatian Parliament (Hrvatski sabor) has approved a package of three laws widely known as the “Bačić laws”, named after Deputy Prime Minister and Construction Minister Branko Bačić. The laws cover construction, spatial planning and energy efficiency in buildings. They were passed by a clear majority, but they have triggered strong resistance from opposition parties and parts of the professional planning and architecture community.

The package includes the Law on Spatial Planning, the Law on Construction and the Law on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. All three are scheduled to come into force on 1 January 2026. Supporters in the ruling centre‑right party HDZ describe the package as the largest reform of construction and spatial planning in a decade, intended to modernise procedures, protect space more effectively and encourage investment. Opposition MPs, however, argue that the changes favour big capital at the expense of ordinary citizens and local communities.

According to the government, a key goal of the reform is full digitalisation. From 2026, all spatial and urban plans must be prepared in a national digital system called ePlanovi. The plans should follow the same technical standard, be transparent and publicly accessible online, and be directly linked with the electronic permitting platform eDozvole. The Law on Construction also introduces the use of BIM (Building Information Modelling) and an obligatory building maintenance plan for each structure, which did not previously exist in Croatian law.

The government argues that these tools will significantly speed up building permits. Under the new rules, issuing a construction permit should not normally take longer than 30 days. Officials emphasise that this is particularly important for family houses, which account for around 90 per cent of all building permits in Croatia. Supporters say faster, clearer procedures will help citizens build homes more easily and reduce bureaucracy.

The most discussed changes relate to spatial planning and land use. Croatian municipalities and cities will have three years to adopt an urban development plan for areas that they themselves have already designated as construction land. In many places, building has not been possible until now because such detailed plans were missing. If a local authority fails to approve a plan within the three‑year deadline, the Ministry of Construction can step in at the request of the landowner‑investor. In that case, the ministry would prepare a traffic study, define the route of required roads and open the way for the investor to obtain a building permit.

The laws also allow investors to finance local infrastructure, such as roads in new building areas, with the possibility of reducing the communal contributions they owe to municipalities and cities by the same amount. Supporters present this as a pragmatic way to provide basic infrastructure faster. Critics fear it could increase the influence of private investors over public planning decisions.

A notable element is the re‑introduction of urban land consolidation (urbana komasacija), a mechanism abolished in 2014. Under the new framework, more than half of the owners in an area (50 per cent plus one) can initiate consolidation, while the detailed scope is defined by the local government. Backers in HDZ and the right‑wing Domovinski pokret say that this will not result in the loss of private property, but will make it easier to create larger, usable plots and develop new housing zones for young families. Opposition MPs link this provision to alleged risks of “land grabbing” and concentration of control.

The laws introduce several restrictions and special rules for the coast and tourism, which is central to Croatia’s economy and identity. The Law on Spatial Planning defines camp mobile homes as “modular, prefabricated movable houses”. For these, investors will no longer need a full construction permit or main project, but only a location permit. At the same time, coastal protection distances are specified: in camps within settlements, no buildings or mobile homes may be placed within 25 metres of the shoreline, and beyond that line they can cover at most 30 per cent of the camp area. Camps have five years to adapt. In camps outside settlements, mobile homes are banned within 100 metres of the coast. The law also brings an almost complete ban on splitting tourist buildings into separate apartment units (known as “etažiranje”), except in high‑category hotel zones, which is meant to preserve hotels as unified tourism infrastructure.

Another rule says that existing building zones cannot be expanded as long as there are still plots without basic infrastructure within the existing boundaries. In addition, new affordable housing units must be planned in a way that integrates them into existing neighbourhoods, instead of creating isolated developments. The Law on Energy Efficiency in Buildings sets a long‑term target that by 2050 all buildings should be zero‑emission, aligning Croatia with broader European climate and energy goals.

Despite these technical and environmental elements, the political reaction has been highly polarised. The left and centre‑left opposition – including SDP, Možemo!, Centar, GLAS and associated groups – voted against the laws and announced immediate steps to challenge them. They argue that the entire package is conceptually wrong and cannot be improved by amendments. According to them, the reforms open the door to the “final sell‑off” of Croatian land, weaken local authorities, and put the interests of large investors before those of citizens and the common good.

Opposition leaders say they will submit the laws to the Constitutional Court and have asked the judges to decide within around three months. If the Court does not act in what they consider a reasonable time, they promise to launch a national referendum with the aim of overturning the legislation and, potentially, pressuring the government to resign. Parties such as Možemo! and SDP report that they have started mobilising citizens across the country, distributing information about the laws in the streets and encouraging people to send emails to MPs from the ruling coalition. According to their statements, tens of thousands of such messages have already been sent.

Representatives of the architecture profession and other experts have expressed mixed views. Minister Bačić states that the laws were prepared over three years with professional input and that nine out of ten proposals from architects were accepted. However, the president of the Croatian Chamber of Architects, Rajka Bunjevac, has publicly said that the promised deep reform of the system did not take place. In her view, only some parts of the profession’s proposals were included, and the final result does not meet long‑standing expectations for comprehensive planning reform.

Some experienced politicians with a background in urban planning have also been highly critical. Former construction minister Anka Mrak Taritaš describes the new framework as a step in the wrong direction and a danger for the country’s territory, while MP Marijana Puljak calls the parliamentary debate on these laws one of the most important in Croatia’s recent history, arguing that space is the country’s most valuable resource. They accuse the government of insufficient dialogue with experts and civil society before pushing the laws through Parliament.

On the other side, MPs from the ruling HDZ and their partners in the Domovinski pokret firmly reject accusations of “land theft” or special treatment for particular investors. They present the laws as modern, citizen‑oriented regulations that will simplify procedures, make planning more transparent and improve protection of the environment and public space. HDZ representatives say opposition claims about mass expropriation or the destruction of local autonomy are unfounded and misleading.

Parties outside the main government–opposition divide, such as the conservative movement Most and independent MP Marija Selak Raspudić, criticise both sides. They accuse the government of seeking broader control over space, while also arguing that part of the left‑wing opposition is using spatial planning primarily as a political tool in cities like Zagreb. According to these critics, the intense political conflict leaves less room for a calm, technical discussion about how Croatia should manage its limited territory.

For international observers and learners of Croatian, the debate illustrates how spatial planning and construction policy have become central political issues in a small, tourist‑oriented EU member state. Croatia’s coastline, land resources and urban space are widely seen as crucial to its future. While the government emphasises digitalisation, faster permits and green targets, many opponents focus on the risks of over‑development, investor pressure and weakened local control. The final impact of the Bačić laws will depend not only on their legal text, but also on how they are implemented in practice, how local authorities respond, and whether the announced constitutional challenges and possible referendum move forward in the coming months.

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