Border Management and Migration Controls in Croatia

Abstract

After independence in 1991, Croatia adopted an important migration legislation, addressing issues such as Croatian citizenship, aliens, and border protection. Owing to the development of democratic institutions and the war in the early 1990s, migration regulation was not extended until the early 2000s, when accession to the European Union (EU) became the most important strategic objective. Consequently, migration governance started to develop with the EU accession process. During the massive migrations in 2015 and 2016, Croatia was a part of the Balkan corridor, especially after Hungary closed its southern border with Serbia and then Croatia. Croatia adopted a temporary humanitarian approach while providing transfers to the borders of the neighbouring country. After the closure of the Balkan corridor, the Republic of Croatia prioritised the protection of its outer borders, prioritising the region’s border protection after accession to the Schengen region. This paper provides an overview of the border management and migration controls in Croatia. In addition to the most relevant legislation regulating migration governance, the paper provides available statistical data on the activities of the Croatian authorities—the Ministry of Interior and the courts. It provides an analysis of the relevant case law of the Administrative Courts and the Constitutional Court and of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights against Croatia. In its final part, the author discusses the findings and offers some concluding remarks regarding border management and migration controls in Croatia.