| SE strategy / action plan 1.2.1 S167S2100S367S4100S567 Criteria and evidence- S1 · Status: 67 (adopted, lapsed before 31 Dec 2025, not renewed)
The Strategy for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship 2015-2020 (adopted April 2015) ran to 2020; no successor was adopted by 31 Dec 2025 (Halilović 2022: drafting of a new strategy 'još nije pokrenut'; IRMO 2023: a new strategic framework only proposed; ESF+ 2026 plan still foresees building the SE framework): 'adopted but lapsed before 31 Dec 2025, not renewed'. · source 1 - S2 · Dedication: 100 (dedicated national SE strategy or action plan)
The Government adopted the dedicated Strategy for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship 2015-2020 in April 2015 (Cvitanović 2018): 'dedicated national SE strategy or action plan (adopted)'. · source 1 - S3 · Operational content: 67 (measures with named responsible bodies)
The strategy has four measures (legal/institutional framework, financial instruments, education, visibility) with a budget of HRK 270.65m allocated by measure, mainly ESF (Cvitanović 2018); named responsible bodies and quantified targets per measure were not seen in an opened source: 'measures with named responsible bodies' kept, not raised to 100. · source 1 - S4 · Monitoring: 100 (progress or evaluation report published in 2021–2025)
The Ministry of Labour commissioned an evaluation of social entrepreneurship (Ministry/WYG, 2021, Group 7 of the OP Efficient Human Resources evaluation) whose findings on the strategy's measures are reported by IRMO (2023): 'progress or evaluation report published in the period'. · source 1 - S5 · Participation of SE organisations: 67 (SE organisations named as members of the drafting group or of the monitoring body)
The Government decision setting up the working group to draft (and monitor) the strategy includes the Croatian Cooperative Alliance and eleven civil-society representatives proposed by the Council for Civil Society Development; SE organisations in a separate monitoring body were not verified: 'SE organisations named as members of the drafting group'. · source 1
| 80.0 |
| Institutional structure & dialogue 1.2.2 I1100I2100I367I467 Criteria and evidence- I1 · Lead responsibility: 100 (a dedicated unit, directorate or agency for SE)
The Decree on the internal organisation of the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy (NN 64/2025, art. 37) sets up a 'Služba za društveno poduzetništvo i projekte' within the Directorate for Labour Market and Employment, which keeps the register of social entrepreneurs and proposes SE measures: 'a dedicated unit, directorate or agency for SE'. · source 1 - I2 · Breadth of mandate: 100 (the social economy / SE broadly)
The Service's remit is social entrepreneurship as such (register of social entrepreneurs of any legal form, monitoring and evaluating its effects, strategic documents), and the Directorate 'monitors and analyses' the SE field: 'the social economy / SE broadly'. · source 1 - I3 · Consultative body with SE organisations: 67 (set up)
The strategy working group set up by Government decision (Ministry of Labour lead; Croatian Cooperative Alliance and eleven CSO representatives) drafted the strategy and was to monitor it; no 2024-2025 meeting record and no separate SE council were found (OECD fact sheet: stakeholder engagement 'Not available'): 'set up'. Thin evidence on continuation. · source 1 · low confidence - I4 · Inter-ministerial coordination: 67 (a standing mechanism, or a one-off coordination body)
The same working group brought together about twelve ministries and state bodies with the Ministry of Labour in the chair: 'a standing mechanism in place, or a one-off coordination body'. No 2024-2025 meeting found. · source 1 · low confidence
| 83.3 |
| Social clauses in public procurement 2.3.2 P167P20P30P40 Criteria and evidence- P1 · Legal basis: 67 (contracts reservable for a subset (sheltered workshops, WISE, disadvantaged workers; Directive 2014/24 Art. 20) or preferences for cooperatives/SMEs that include SE)
The Public Procurement Act (NN 120/2016) allows contracts reserved for sheltered workshops and operators whose main aim is the social and professional integration of disabled or disadvantaged persons (Directive Art. 20); no reservation for SE as such: 'contracts reservable for a subset'. · source 1 - P2 · National policy push: 0 (none)
No national socially responsible procurement guidance or plan was found (national plans concern green procurement); the opened sources are silent: 'none'. Unverified. · source 1 · low confidence - P3 · Evidence of use: 0 (none)
The national statistical report on public procurement (Ministry of Economy; 2016 edition opened) reports green criteria but no figures on reserved contracts or social clauses; later editions were not opened: 'none'. · source 1 · low confidence - P4 · Capacity support: 0 (none)
No government training or helpdesk documented to cover social clauses or reserved contracts was found: 'none'. Unverified. · source 1 · low confidence
| 16.7 |
| Official SE definition 3.1 D167D2100 Criteria and evidence- D1 · Where defined: 67 (in an adopted national strategy or policy document)
Social enterprise is defined by nine criteria in the adopted 2015-2020 strategy (OECD fact sheet); there is no law, and the criteria remain the reference for ESF calls and the planned register (Halilović 2022); only a lapsed draft counts as 'nowhere': 'in an adopted national strategy or policy document'. Note: the previous coarse code (0) treated the lapsed strategy as no definition. · source 1 - D2 · Content (social aim; participatory governance; limits on profit distribution): 100 (all three)
The strategy's criteria include balancing social, environmental and economic goals, investing at least 75% of profit in the business purpose (and transferring remaining assets to a similar SE) and 'democratic decision-making' with stakeholder involvement (OECD fact sheet; the 75% rule also in the ESF call 'Jačanje poslovanja za društveno poduzetništvo'): 'all three'. · source 1
| 83.3 |
Legal recognition of SEs 3.2.1 · level 0 of 3None (disability-employment regime excluded: Act on Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities (Za) · sources 1 2 3L10L20L30L40L50 Criteria and evidence- L1 · Adoption stage: 0 (none, announced, or consultation draft)
- L2 · Scope: 0 (none)
- L3 · Implementing rules: 0 (none adopted, or law not in force)
- L4 · Status or register: 0 (foreseen with no entity recognised, or law not in force)
- L5 · Bodies foreseen by the law: 0 (foreseen, not set up, or law not in force)
| 0.0 |
| SE support ecosystem 4.3.6 E133E267E333E467E567 Criteria and evidence- E1 · National programme: 33 (project-based only (donor, EU or NGO projects without government lead))
Business support for SEs is provided by civil-society programmes (ACT Group's Social Impact Academy and Čakovec competence centre for social innovation, CEF, CID) without a government programme: 'project-based only (donor, EU or NGO projects without government lead)'. · source 1 - E2 · Territorial coverage: 67 (several regions)
Support providers are spread over several regions: ACT Group (Čakovec, Međimurje), Impact Hub and the Croatian Social Entrepreneurship Network (Zagreb), CEDRA cluster and others (EC Gateway); no national network: 'several regions'. · source 1 - E3 · Public funding of support: 33 (mainly donor or EU funded)
Funded by EU projects, foundations and private donors: 'mainly donor or EU funded'. · source 1 - E4 · Continuity: 67 (two to four years)
The civil-society programmes have run for several years, but uninterrupted operation of one programme for five years to 2025 was not documented in the sources opened: 'two to four years'. Thin evidence. · source 1 · low confidence - E5 · Range of services: 67 (two)
The Gateway documents incubation and acceleration (Impact Hub), capacity building on impact measurement and business models, mentoring and consultation (CEDRA) and training: incubation/acceleration and impact measurement, 'two' (finance, legal and market-access services not documented). · source 1
| 53.3 |
| EU funds mobilised for SE 5.1.1 F1100F233F367F433 Criteria and evidence- F1 · Programming: 100 (a dedicated SE measure or priority with an allocated budget)
The ESF+ programme Efficient Human Resources 2021-2027 (approved 11 Oct 2022) earmarks 'Podrška društvenom poduzetništvu (12M EUR)' under Priority 1, plus EUR 50m of financial instruments for micro and small enterprises 'with emphasis on social enterprises' (managing authority presentation): 'a dedicated SE measure or priority with an allocated budget'. · source 1 - F2 · Calls and instruments: 33 (general calls whose themes name social economy or social entrepreneurship, or documented SE grantees in general calls)
No ESF+ call dedicated to SE was found for 2021-2025: the 2026 call plan lists only a planned direct award 'Uspostava i jačanje institucionalnog okvira za društveno poduzetništvo' (EUR 1m) to a state body; SEs apply to general calls: 'general calls whose themes name social economy or social entrepreneurship'. · source 1 - F3 · Channel: 67 (government as co-partner)
The SE line sits in the nationally managed ESF+ programme (Ministry of Labour as managing authority and SE service preparing operations), but no national SE strategy was in force to implement: 'government as co-partner'. · source 1 - F4 · Evidence of take-up: 33 (anecdotal)
No count of SE beneficiaries of 2021-2027 funds was found; only individual projects are known: 'anecdotal'. Thin evidence. · source 1 · low confidence
| 58.3 |
| Dedicated national funding 5.2.2 N133N20N30N40 Criteria and evidence- N1 · Dedicated line: 33 (only general SME/employment programmes open to SE)
No national line dedicated to SE was found: the OECD fact sheet describes no dedicated programme and the Gateway lists only SME loan guarantees, innovation grants and employment subsidies; SE support runs through ESF+ (EU), and city or county calls (Zagreb, Istria) are municipal or regional: 'only general SME/employment programmes open to SE'. · source 1 - N2 · Instrument types: 0 (none)
N1 at 33: 'none, or N1 ≤ 33'. · source 1 - N3 · Continuity: 0 (none)
N1 at 33: 'none, or N1 ≤ 33'. · source 1 - N4 · Execution: 0 (no evidence)
N1 at 33: 'no evidence, or N1 ≤ 33'. · source 1
| 8.3 |
