Abstract
The activities of the Republic of Croatia related to the COVID-19 pandemic can be monitored in three phases. The first began in January 2020, when primarily preventive measures were taken to restrict international flights and sea transport, as well as to manage incoming passengers. The second phase began with the first patients’ appearance at the end of February 2020 and lasted until June 2020 (so-called first wave). In that period, in addition to the Government of the Republic of Croatia, a number of measures were adopted by the National civil protection headquarters, regional civil protection headquarters, as well as local authorities at the proposal of local civil protection headquarters. A nation-wide “lockdown” was also introduced. Finally, the third phase began in autumn 2020 and is ongoing (so-called second wave). In the last phase, the measures have been much milder compared to the second phase, and it has not yet been declared, nor is it planned to declare, another “lockdown.” This chapter aims to identify: (1) the crisis management strategies and mechanisms implemented by Croatia, (2) the organizational and functional adjustments required for crisis management, and (3) the measures taken by local and regional units to combat the pandemic. Empirical research was conducted using the data content analysis (strategic documents, legal regulations, and soft law documents).
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Notes
- 1.
Arrangements for an integrated political response to the crisis support the rapid and coordinated decision-making at the EU political level in the event of large and complex crises, including terrorist acts. The need for a crisis-response mechanism at the EU level arose in the early 2000s after several tragic events, including the 9/11 attacks, the 2004 and 2004 London bombings, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the December 2004 tsunami. In 2018, the Council adopted an implementing decision codifying the IPCR arrangements as a legal Act (EU Council, L320/28, 17 December 2018).
- 2.
Protection Act, OG 85/15, 118/18, 31/20.
- 3.
Decision on the appointment of the Chief, Deputy Chief, and members of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia, OG 20/20.
- 4.
Act on the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases, OG 79/07, 113/08, 43/09, 130/17, 114/18.
- 5.
Decision on declaring the COVID-19 epidemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, https://zdravstvo.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/2020%20CORONAVIRUS/ODLUKA%20O%20PROGLA%C5%A0ENJU%20EPIDEMIJE%20BOLESTI%20COVID-19.pdf.
- 6.
Conclusion on quarantine measures for the Municipality of Murter-Kornati and the Municipality of Tisno, http://www.tisno.hr/clanci/zakljucak-o-mjerama-karantene-za-opcinu-murter-kornati-i-opcinu-tisno/1155.html; Conclusion on the abolition of quarantine measures for the Municipality of Murter-Kornati and the Municipality of Tisno, http://www.tisno.hr/clanci/zakljucak-o-ukidanju-mjera-karantene-za-opcinu-murter-kornati-i-opcinu-tisno/1185.html.
- 7.
A list and more detailed information on all Government measures are available at: https://www.koronavirus.hr/vladine-mjere/101.
- 8.
Decisions on the abolition of the necessary measure of prohibiting leaving the place of temporary residence and permanent residence, https://civilna-zastita.gov.hr/vijesti/odluke-o-ukidanju-nuzne-mjere-zabrane-napustanja-mjesta-prebivalista-i-stalnog-boravka/2417.
- 9.
Decision on repealing the Decision on the abolition of the necessary measure prohibiting leaving the place of temporary residence and permanent residence, OG 56/20.
- 10.
Final election results, https://www.izbori.hr/sabor2020/rezultati/1/data/mrezultati.html.
- 11.
For example, on April 3, the number of infected people was 1079, and only 8 died (Official Government website for timely and accurate information on the coronavirus, https://www.koronavirus.hr/). Thus, mortality was 0.741%.
- 12.
More detailed analyses are available at: Deep Knowledge Group, https://www.dkv.global/covid-safety-assessment-200-regions.
- 13.
- 14.
Decision on the necessary epidemiological measures restricting assemblies and introducing other epidemiological measures and recommendations to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 through gatherings, OG 117/20.
- 15.
Official website of the Government for timely and accurate information on the coronavirus, https://www.koronavirus.hr/.
- 16.
Decision on the amendment to the Decision on temporary prohibition and restriction of border crossings of the Republic of Croatia, OG 139/20.
- 17.
Decision on the prohibition of leaving the county based on the place of permanent residence or temporary stay in the Republic of Croatia, OG 141/20.
- 18.
This calculation matches the data on the website: Our World in Data (Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people, December 16, 2020, https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=2020-12-16&country=HRV~BEL~AUT~CZE~CYP~DNK~FIN~FRA~DEU~GRC~HUN~ITA~LUX~LTU~MLT~NLD~NOR~ROU~PRT~SVN~SVK~ESP~SWE~BGR~IRL~POL~EST®ion=World&casesMetric=true&interval=total&hideControls=true&perCapita=true&smoothing=0&pickerMetric=location&pickerSort=asc).
- 19.
Hypertension or high blood pressure are listed as the main concomitant or underlying diseases in these patients, while obese people, those with lung diseases, other cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes are among the most at-risk groups.
- 20.
European Committee of the Regions (2020), The coronavirus crisis and the role of EU regions and cities, https://cor.europa.eu/en/our-work/EURegionalBarometerDocs/CoR_Presentation%20v_final.pdf.
- 21.
Civil Protection Act, OG 82/15, 118/18, 31/20; Act on the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases, OG 79/07, 113/08, 43/09, 130/17, 114/18, 47/20, 134/20.
- 22.
CPA, Art. 5, para. 2.
- 23.
CPA, Art. 12.; 13. para. 1.
- 24.
CPA, Art. 22 and 22a.
- 25.
At the proposal of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, the Minister of Health may order the following protection measures: (1) implementation of mandatory anti-epidemic disinfection, disinsection, and deratization, (2) establishment of quarantine, (3) travel ban to a country where there is an epidemic, (4) prohibition of movement of persons, i.e., restriction of movement in infected or directly endangered areas, (5) restriction or prohibition of trade in certain types of goods and products, (6) mandatory participation of health institutions and other legal entities, private health workers, and natural persons in disease control, (7) prohibition of the use of facilities, equipment, and means of transport, (8) isolation of persons in their own home or other appropriate space – self-isolation, (9) obligation to properly wear a face mask or medical mask, (10) prohibition or restriction of public events and/or gatherings, (11) a ban or restriction on holding private gatherings, and (12) other necessary measures (APPID, Art. 47, para. 1. and Art. 4).
- 26.
Operational forces include civil protection headquarters, fire brigade, Croatian Red Cross, Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, associations, units, and commissioners of civil protection, site coordinators, and legal entities in the civil protection system (CPA, Art. 20, para. 1).
- 27.
In municipalities, political bodies are the municipal council and the commissioner, in cities, the city council and the mayor, and in counties, the county assembly and the prefect. Representative bodies adopt statutes, decisions, and other general acts, establish and elect members of working bodies of councils/assemblies, regulate the structure and scope of administrative bodies, establish public institutions and other legal entities to perform economic, social, communal, and other activities of interest to units of local, i.e., regional self-government. On the other hand, executive bodies are authorized to represent the local unit and are responsible to state administration bodies for performing state administration tasks transferred to the scope of the unit body. They prepare proposals for general acts, execute, or ensure the execution of general acts of the representative body, direct the activities of the administrative bodies of the unit, manage real estate and movables owned by the unit, appoint and dismiss representatives of units in public institutions and companies performing activities of interest to the unit, and so on. In the performance of the tasks within the scope of self-government, they have the right to suspend the application of the Council of Representatives' general act if they assess that this act has violated the law. However, executive leaders are obliged to submit semi-annual reports on their work to the representative body, and the members of the council/assembly are authorized to request reports on certain issues within their competence and ask questions about their work (Blažević et al. 2020).
- 28.
CPA, Art. 17. para. 1 and 3.
- 29.
CPA, Art. 18. para. 1, 2, 4, and 6.
- 30.
Counties, https://www.koronavirus.hr/zupanije/139.
- 31.
Information was collected on the official websites of local units and in their official gazettes.
- 32.
European Committee of the Regions (2020), The coronavirus crisis and the role of EU regions and cities, https://cor.europa.eu/en/our-work/EURegionalBarometerDocs/CoR_Presentation%20v_final.pdf.
- 33.
Personal userbox, https://pretinac.gov.hr/KorisnickiPretinac/eGradani.html.
- 34.
City measures in the fight against the coronavirus, https://gradonacelnik.hr/u-fokusu/pandemija-korone-zatvaraju-se-skole-i-vrtici-u-istri-gradovi-otkazuju-sva-javna-dogadanja-zatvaraju-se-gradski-bazeni-i-dvorane/.
- 35.
Government of the Republic of Croatia, Bill on amendments to the Act on the protection of the population from infectious diseases with the Final Bill (PZ n. 921), 9 April 2020.
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Civil Protection Act, OG 82/15, 118/18, 31/20
Conclusion on quarantine measures for the Municipality of Murter-Kornati and the Municipality of Tisno. http://www.tisno.hr/clanci/zakljucak-o-mjerama-karantene-za-opcinu-murter-kornati-i-opcinu-tisno/1155.html
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Decision on declaring the COVID-19 epidemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. https://zdravstvo.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/2020%20CORONAVIRUS/ODLUKA%20O%20PROGLA%C5%A0ENJU%20EPIDEMIJE%20BOLESTI%20COVID-19.pdf
Decision on repealing the Decision on the abolition of the necessary measure prohibiting leaving the place of temporary residence and permanent residence, OG 56/20
Decisions on the abolition of the necessary measure of prohibiting leaving the place of temporary residence and permanent residence. https://civilna-zastita.gov.hr/vijesti/odluke-o-ukidanju-nuzne-mjere-zabrane-napustanja-mjesta-prebivalista-i-stalnog-boravka/2417
Decision on the amendment to the decision on temporary prohibition and restriction of border crossings of the Republic of Croatia, OG 139/20
Decision on the appointment of the Chief, Deputy Chief, and members of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia, OG 20/20
Decision on the necessary epidemiological measures restricting assemblies and introducing other epidemiological measures and recommendations to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 through gatherings, OG 117/20
Decision on the prohibition of leaving the county based on the place of permanent residence or temporary stay in the Republic of Croatia, OG 141/20
EU Council, Decision on the EU Integrated Political Crisis Response Arrangements L320/28, 17 December 2018
Government of the Republic of Croatia, Bill on amendments to the Act on the protection of the population from infectious diseases with the Final Bill (PZ n. 921), 9 April 2020
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Jambrović, D.D. (2022). COVID-19 Crisis Management in Croatia: The Contribution of Subnational Levels of Government. In: Nunes Silva, C. (eds) Local Government and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Local and Urban Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91112-6_16
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