Croatia

Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Republika Hrvatska), is a unitary, indivisible democratic, social, and parliamentary constitutional republic. After Croatia formally declared its independence and dissolved its association with Yugoslavia in 1991, the Croatian War of Independence started. The war ended in 1995. The present day borders of Croatia were established in 1998. Croatia is a member of the European Union, the United Nations, the Council of Europe, NATO, the World Trade Organization, and a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean.

The majority of the population (86.28%) in Croatia identifies as Roman Catholic. After that, 4.44%, identify as Eastern Orthodox Protestants, and 1.47% as Muslim. 3.81% of the population define themselves as atheist or non-religious, and 0.76% people are agnostic or sceptic.[ref]https://www.dzs.hr/hrv/censuses/census2011/results/htm/usp_04_HR.htm[/ref] In the Eurostat Eurobarometer Poll of 2005, 67% of the population of Croatia responded that “they believe there is a God” and 7% said they do not believe “there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force,” while 25% expressed a belief in “some sort of spirit or life force.”[ref]https://web.archive.org/web/20060524004644/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf[/ref]

Constitution and government Education and children’s rights Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination
There is systematic religious privilege
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
Official symbolic deference to religion
Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious
Constitution and government
There is systematic religious privilege
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general
State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions
Official symbolic deference to religion
Education and children’s rights
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

Countries: Botswana, Greece, Serbia, United States of America

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

Countries: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Legend
 
Severe Discrimination
Systemic Discrimination
Mostly Satisfactory
More information about rating table

Constitution and government

Following the first multi-party parliamentary elections held in April 1990, the Croatian Parliament adopted a liberal-democratic Constitution.[ref]constituteproject.org/constitution/Croatia_2010.pdf?lang=en[/ref]

Whilst the Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of conscience and religion, the free expression of religion or other beliefs (Article 40) and states that all religious communities are equal before the law and separate from the state (Article 41),[ref]https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/1990_12_56_1092.html[/ref] because of other laws, policies, agreements and social pressures, these rights and equalities are not always upheld in practice.

Relationship with the Catholic Church

Historically, Croatia was known throughout Europe as Antemurale Christianitatis, a bulwark against Ottoman invasion and a defender of Europe’s Christianity. In that spirit, in December 1996 three agreements (“concordats”) were signed between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia. These were: the Accord on cooperation in the field of education and culture (“Ugovor o suradnji na području odgoja i kulture”);[ref]https://hbk.hr/ugovor-o-suradnji-na-podrucju-odgoja-i-kulture/[/ref] the Accord on Pastoral Care of Catholics in the armed forces and law enforcement agencies (“Ugovor o dušobrižništvu katoličkih vjernika pripadnika oružanih snaga i redarstvenih službi Republike Hrvatske”);[ref]https://hbk.hr/ugovor-o-dusobriznistvu-katolickih-vjernika-pripadnika-oruzanih-snaga-i-redarstvenih-sluzbi-republike-hrvatske/[/ref] and the Accord on Legal Questions (“Ugovor o pravnim pitanjima.)”[ref]http://www.concordatwatch.eu/topic-14211.843[/ref] A fourth agreement, on Economic Affairs, (“Ugovor između Svete Stolice i Republike Hrvatske o gospodarskim pitanjima”) was signed and ratified in 1998.[ref]https://hbk.hr/ugovor-o-gospodarskim-pitanjima/[/ref]

These agreements were entered into without any public debate or proper information given to the Croatian population. Although the agreements proved controversial owing to great one-time and continuous financial and other burdens the agreements put on the Croatian state (relative to the Croatian government budget), no government of Croatia has attempted to amend them. The agreements put obligations chiefly on the Croatian state, and give the Catholic Church a privileged position with respect to other religious and belief groups. According to the Commission for Relations with Religious Communities, the concordats with the Vatican grant the Catholic Church more than 43 million USD in annual government funding for religious education and other operational costs.

The Catholic Church is recognized as a public entity in Croatia, which results in guaranteed funding from the state budget. The exact amount paid annually by the government is not publicly known; but some have estimated that the amount exceeds one billion Kuna (around 175 million USD or roughly 1% of annual state budget), not including the financing of projects of legal entities incorporated by the Church.[ref]https://www.24sata.hr/news/crkvi-smo-u-zadnje-tri-godine-dali-cak-1-925-milijardi-kuna-556107[/ref]

All contributions, charity donations and gifts received by the Church are explicitly exempt from taxation and do not affect financial obligations of the government.

The State, via its cities, municipalities and counties, additionally allocates money for churches in their areas, on the argument that the government recognizes socially valuable work of the Catholic Church in cultural, educational, social and ethical matters. The amounts given out are not known, and the Church, as a recipient of these funds, is under no obligation to justify its expenditure and therefore it may not be verified.[ref]https://www.24sata.hr/news/crkvi-smo-u-zadnje-tri-godine-dali-cak-1-925-milijardi-kuna-556107[/ref] From the state project “Investing in (local) communities” the Church received 53 million kunas out of a total of 58 million kunas in 2020.[ref]https://www.novilist.hr/novosti/hrvatska/od-58-milijuna-crkva-dobila-53-pavic-kaze-da-je-posebno-ponosan-na-razvoj-civilnog-drustva/?meta_refresh=true[/ref]

The status of other religious groups

In addition to the concordats and other agreements with the Catholic Church, the government has formal agreements with 19 of the registered religious communities that more clearly define activities and cooperation, such as in the areas of marriage and of religious education in public schools. These groups may access state funds for religious activities. A registered religious community may enter into agreements with the government if it had been in existence in Croatia in 1941, or if it has at least 6,000 members. According to the US State Department’s 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom, the government budgeted 22.7 million kuna (3,440,000 USD) during that year to non-Catholic religious groups in amounts proportional to their size (which amounts to less than 8% of the funding Croatia gives the Catholic Church).[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/croatia/[/ref]

Education and children’s rights

Catholic Catechism classes

The preamble of the Croatian Constitution recognizes the “irreplaceable role (of the Catholic Church) in upbringing of Croatian people and its historic and current role in cultural and moral education of people, as well as its role in the field of education and culture.”

Catholic Catechism classes are elective, and in theory, children of non-religious parents have the right to opt out of the classes. In practice however this is often not the case. There is no alternative to Catholic education during the first three years of elementary school, and (pursuant to the Accord on cooperation in the field of education and culture, mentioned above) Catholic education must be treated equally to all other subjects “especially in respect to schedule of classes” which effectively prevents schools from scheduling these classes at the same time as other options. Therefore, children who do not wish to attend Catholic Catechism classes are usually left unattended in school hallways or are, despite their right to opt out, asked to stay in classrooms during religious classes since no members of school staff are available to look after them.[ref]http://www.forum.tm/vijesti/kip-gospe-lurdske-u-skoli-u-zadru-nije-problem-jer-je-pohada-97-katolika-2240[/ref]

Catholic Catechism classes have also been introduced in many public elementary schools throughout the country, regardless of the religion or belief affiliation of the local population. In most cases this is not a part of any official program; however, in some places Catholic Catechism has officially become a part of curriculum. For instance, in the city of Dubrovnik, Catholic Catechism is an official part of the public elementary school curriculum, and no adequate alternative programs are offered for children of non-Catholics.[ref]tportal.hr/vijesti/znanost/385400/Vjerski-odgoj-razara-zadnje-oaze-jednakosti-u-vrticima.html[/ref]

Lack of adequate care for pupils who do not attend elective religion classes was further aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to students no longer being allowed to remain in school hallways or common areas (e.g.libraries), a large number of pupils were required to stay in the classroom during religious education classes and to listen to the subject they did not choose as an elective.[ref]https://www.civilcourage.hr/blog-post/alternativni-predmet-skolskom-vjeronauku/[/ref]

In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that children who do not attend Catholic Catechism classes are not discriminated against, and that the Ministry of Education is not under any obligation to provide them with any alternative subject, such as a more comprehensive religious education, including secular worldviews, or any broader philosophical approach to morals and belief.[ref]https://www.portalnovosti.com/vjeronauk-ili-hodnik[/ref]

However, the number of children opting out of Catholic Catechism in public schools is increasing, particularly in urban areas. It has been suggested that people are increasingly willing to speak out against religious proselytizing, as well as to demand termination of accords with the Holy See under which such education is mandated.[ref]novilist.hr/Vijesti/Hrvatska/Trecina-klupa-na-nastavi-prazna-Sve-manji-interes-primorskih-i-istarskih-ucenika-za-vjeronauk[/ref]

Some civil society groups organize humanist workshops for elementary school children. These workshops were created as an alternative to Catholic Catechism in public schools but also provide education on a number of scientific subjects. The number of children attending these workshops is slowly but steadily increasing and workshops based on the same model are now available in several Croatian cities besides Zagreb.[ref]http://www.civilcourage.hr/academy/[/ref]

In 2019, the NGO, Center for Civil Courage, was approached by some parents concerned about the violation of their children’s right to freedom of belief in primary schools. Their children had been forced to participate in blessings and prayers on so-called “Bread Days.”[ref]https://www.civilcourage.hr/blog-post/dani-kruha/[/ref]

Prejudice against minorities in the classroom

Catholic Catechism textbooks for elementary school use material from Pope John Paul II which imply that atheists were responsible for “Auschwitz”. These textbooks also contain instructions on how to talk with atheists and make them realize their mistakes.[ref]http://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/ogorcena-mama-na-vjeronauku-djecu-uce-da-je-ateizam-neprihvatljiv-i-da-su-nevjernici-bezumni/778474.aspx[/ref]

According to UNICEF-sponsored research among students (“Opinions and attitudes of children and youth in Croatia”) young people themselves believe that their peers are most likely to discriminate against young people with disabilities, and next most likely against members of religious and national minorities. In fact, children estimated that in 7% of cases they act “very badly” toward peers who do not attend Catholic Catechism, and a further 10% of cases they act “badly”.[ref]http://www.unicef.hr/upload/file/351/175805/FILENAME/StavovidjeceimladihuHrvatskoj.pdf[/ref]

Family, community and society

Croatia’s independence marked the beginning of Catholic Reconquista with the Church and its numerous associations, with initiatives sponsored by the Church aimed at reversing the secular character of the state. At the level of national legislation and political practice, religious institutions systematically undermine the rights of women. For example, by representing discriminatory ideas in public discourse,[ref]https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/zene-su-danas-neposlusne-i-uporno-traze-jednakost-one-su-drugotne-dok-su-muskarci-prvotni-4609460[/ref] by strengthening gender stereotypes and patriarchal “values” within religious education,[ref]https://arhiva.prs.hr/attachments/article/633/VJERONAUK%20istra%C5%BEivanje%20-%20Rodni%20aspekt%20u%20ud%C5%BEbenicima.pdf[/ref] and by infiltrating into the health education system and public health care.[ref]https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/ovo-su-upute-za-borbu-protiv-seksualnog-odgoja-bozanic-poslao-mail-vjernicima-1156337 ; https://balkaninsight.com/2019/04/29/critics-decry-role-of-religion-in-croatian-healthcare/; https://balkaninsight.com/2019/04/01/catholic-church-encroaches-on-higher-education-in-croatia/; https://www.srednja.hr/faks/medicinski-ipak-podrzao-medicinu-katolickom-sveucilistu-potpisali-sporazum-ne-zele-pokazati/; https://studentski.hr/studenti/vijesti/studenti-uglavnom-ne-podrzavaju-medicinu-na-hks-u-ovo-je-samar-svim-studentima-medicine-drzavnih-fakulteta[/ref] Women’s rights are exposed to intense economic and ideological pressure[ref]https://balkaninsight.com/2021/03/30/shocking-survey-stirs-debate-over-period-poverty-in-croatia/[/ref] after years of attacks, including via threats to the right to have gender and sex education taught in schools, medically assisted insemination regulations, and LGBTI+ rights and marriage equality.[ref]https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/hrvatski-sabor-usvojio-novi-zakon-o-mpo-u-unatoc-protivljenju-katolicke-crkve-1540515; https://www.equaltimes.org/croatia-and-the-backlash-against?lang=en#.YUCUyNMzagQ;
https://webdoc.france24.com/abortion-women-croatia-malta-germany/croatia-talked-out-of-having-an-abortion/index.html
[/ref]

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Whilst on paper, abortion has been legal in Croatia since 1978, in practice a woman seeking an abortion faces numerous obstacles.

In recent years, religious groups with an anti-abortion agenda have become increasingly prominent, staging the annual “March for Life” rallies which have drawn thousands onto the streets as well as holding candlelit prayer vigils outside hospitals.[ref]https://balkaninsight.com/2020/12/01/brave-sisters-tackle-croatias-growing-stigma-over-abortion/[/ref] These groups also pursue aggressive online disinformation campaigns, which spread unscientific claims and lies and seek to influence hospitals to stop providing abortion services. They have also opened fake abortion clinics providing disinformation and generating confusion to women seeking abortion services, with no apparent intervention by the state.[ref]http://www.lupiga.com/vijesti/lazne-klinike-za-abortus-koliko-smo-daleko-od-tog-mokrog-sna-nasih-ljubitelja-srednjeg-vijeka; https://balkaninsight.com/2020/12/01/brave-sisters-tackle-croatias-growing-stigma-over-abortion/[/ref]

In 2003 doctors were given the right to refuse to provide abortion services on grounds of “conscious objection,” and since that time access to abortion has become less easy with religious pressure pushing doctors increasingly to refuse abortions on moral grounds. Currently, nearly 60% of doctors in public hospitals are not performing abortions on the grounds of their religion, and some entire hostpitals refuse.[ref]https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/croatia/session_36_-_may_2020/amnesty_international_-_croatia_.pdf, https://www.france24.com/en/20190328-legal-but-abortion-access-under-threat-catholic-croatia[/ref] While hospitals are under a legal duty to make a referral in such cases, the practice is very unregulated. Many women are forced to have terminations in private clinics or to travel abroad, at extraordinary cost and possible danger to themselves.

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

The constitution guarantees freedoms of expression and the press, and these rights are generally respected. However, Croatia has not fully decriminalized defamation,[ref]Defamation and Insult Laws in the OSCE Region: A Comparative Study, by Scott Griffen (March 2017) https://www.osce.org/fom/303181?download=true[/ref] and there have been pervasive efforts on the part of both State and non-state actors to discourage and even prevent journalists from exercising their freedom of expression.[ref]https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/croatia/session_36_-_may_2020/js6-_croatia.pdf; https://balkaninsight.com/2019/03/01/croatia-journalists-take-to-streets-over-court-pressures/.[/ref] Journalists investigating corruption and organized crimes report that they are subject to political pressure, intimidation and assaults.[ref]https://monitor.civicus.org/updates/2017/08/16/croatian-journalists-face-intimidation-harassment-and-death-threats/[/ref]

Croatian State Radio and Television, the state-run broadcaster, has a formal agreement with the Catholic Church to provide regular, extensive coverage of Catholic events (as many as 10 hours per month). Other religions and denominations receive approximately 10 minutes broadcast time per month or less. All religious communities that have entered into agreements with the government are guaranteed a certain allocation of time in public media. No such right is guaranteed to secular belief groups. Similarly, no such right is guaranteed to members of religious communities that do not have an agreement with the government.