Resource information
Croatia, the newest member-state of the
European Union (EU), undertook significant justice reforms
during the last decade. Many were part of its
justice-related EU accession process, including the
enactment and implementation of new laws and amendment of
others, improved case management and enforcement and
computerization of land registers. Benchmarking
Croatia's justice sector indicates that it compares
well with other European countries on several aspects of
performance including resource indicators important for a
functioning justice sector. However, the positive
achievements and the deployment of significant resources
have been offset by less-than-expected levels of overall
performance, with high and growing demand for justice
services facing an inadequate supply response. This report
tries to lift the veil on the reasons behind justice sector
underperformance despite relatively adequate budgetary
allocations, comparatively high staffing levels, and a dense
network of courts and prosecution offices. It provides a
snapshot of Croatia's justice sector and of different
aspects of its performance. It reviews the evolution of and
trends in justice sector expenditures. It gives an
assessment of sector expenditure management policies and
practices. The report examines demand and supply issues in
depth, juxtaposing data on caseloads, case disposals, and
expenditures to identify implications for efficiency
improvements. The report uses a supply-demand approach to
assess the real challenges to improving sector performance,
focusing on resource management, and allocation issues on
the supply side and on case inflow on the demand side.
