Croatia

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

Last updated: 02 August 2018

Summary: State Party Croatia was among the first 30 ratifications to trigger the convention’s entry into force on 1 August 2010. It has participated in every meeting of the convention and hosted the convention’s First Review Conference in Dubrovnik in 2015. Croatia voted in favor of a United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention in December 2017. It has firmly condemned the use of cluster munitions and elaborated its views on certain important issues relating to the convention’s interpretation and implementation.

Croatia completed the destruction of its stockpile of 7,235 cluster munitions and 178,318 submunitions at the end of July 2018.

Policy

The Republic of Croatia signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008 and ratified on 17 August 2009. It was among the first 30 ratifications that triggered the convention’s entry into force on 1 August 2010.

In 2015, Croatia enacted comprehensive mine action legislation that it says “states that each failure in treatment of cluster munitions is subject to misdemeanor sanction.”[1] The law does not impose sanctions to prevent and suppress any activity prohibited under the convention on territory under its jurisdiction or control, however Croatia’s Penal Code does apply.[2]

Croatia’s armed forces include the convention’s obligations in an expanded curriculum on agreements and treaties that Croatia has joined.[3] The Office for Mine Action acts as a focal point for coordination and monitoring of mine action related activities in Croatia, including the operation of the Croatian Mine Action Center (CROMAC).[4]

Croatia provided its initial Article 7 report for the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 10 April 2011 and has submitted annual updated reports since then, most recently on 24 April 2018.[5]

Croatia made many notable contributions throughout the Oslo Process that led to the creation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and, from its experience as an affected state, advocated for the strongest possible provisions on victim assistance.[6] Croatia enacted a moratorium on the use, production, and transfer of cluster munitions in 2007, prior to the conclusion of the process.[7]

Croatia has participated in every Meeting of States Parties of the convention and attended every intersessional meeting held in 2011–2015. It hosted the convention’s First Review Conference in Dubrovnik on 7–11 September 2015.[8] Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović served as president of the First Review Conference, which adopted an action plan and the “Dubrovnik Declaration” committing to “work towards a world free of the suffering, casualties and socio-economic impacts caused by cluster munitions.”[9] Croatia has also hosted and participated in regional workshops on the convention.

Croatia voted in favor of a key UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution promoting implementation of the convention in December 2017.[10] As the convention’s president, Croatia successfully co-sponsored and introduced the first UNGA resolution on the convention in 2015 and voted in favor of the second one in 2016.

Croatia has condemned the use of cluster munitions in Libya, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.[11] In 2017, Croatia repeated its call to all states to refrain from the use of cluster munitions, particularly in Syria.[12]

Croatia voted in favor of recent UNGA resolutions expressing outrage at the use of cluster munitions in Syria, most recently in December 2017.[13] It also voted in favor of Human Rights Council (HRC) resolutions condemning the use of cluster munitions in Syria, most recently in March 2018.[14]

Croatia is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Interpretive issues

Croatia has elaborated its views on several important issues relating to the interpretation and implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It considers transit of cluster munitions across, or foreign stockpiling of cluster munitions on, the national territory of States Parties to be prohibited by the convention and also views investment in the production of cluster munitions as prohibited by the convention’s prohibition on assistance.[15] Croatia has stated, “As for the interoperability and use of cluster munitions by countries that are not signatories to the [convention], and are serving within joint military operations, Republic of Croatia will act in accordance with provisions stipulated in Article 21 of the Convention.”[16]

In 2012, Croatia stated that it agrees with concerns raised by the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) about how the convention’s phrase “minimum number of cluster munitions absolutely necessary” for the retention of cluster munitions would be interpreted and said it is “crucial that states comply fully with the detailed reporting requirement on cluster munitions retained for development and training.”[17]

Use, production, and transfer

Croatia has stated that it does not produce cluster munitions, never imported them, and that the armed forces of Croatia have not used them, including in missions under UN auspices.[18]

Croatia informed the Monitor that “no Yugoslav production facilities for cluster munitions or their components were formerly located in Croatia,” but it has acknowledged that until 1999 a Croatian company named SUIS d.o.o. in Kumrovec produced a cluster munition called the M93 120mm mortar projectile.[19] Croatia has reported that the production facilities were officially decommissioned when bankruptcy proceedings for the company were completed in 2006.[20]

On 2–3 May 1995, forces of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina (Republika Srpska Krajina, RSK)under the leadership of Milan Martić attacked Zagreb with M87 Orkan cluster munition rockets, killing at least seven civilians and injuring more than 200.[21] Additionally, the Croatian government has claimed that Serb forces dropped BL755 cluster bombs in Sisak, Kutina, and along the Kupa river.[22]

Stockpiling

Following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia inherited a stockpile of 7,235 cluster munitions and 178,318 submunitions, as listed in the following table.[23]

Croatia’s cluster munition stockpile (as of 1 August 2017)[24]

Type

Cluster munitions (submunitions)

M93 120mm mortar projectile, each containing 23 KB-2 submunitions

7,127 (163,921)

M87 262mm Orkan rocket, each containing 288 KB-1 submunitions

27 (7,776)

BL755 bomb, each containing 147 Mk1 submunitions

23 (3,381)

RBK-250 bomb, each containing 42 PTAB-2.5M submunitions

9 (378)

RBK-250-275 bomb, each containing 150 AO-1SCh submunitions

5 (750)

RBK-250 bomb, each containing 48 ZAB-2.5M submunitions

44 (2,112)

Total

7,235 (178,318)

 

Stockpile destruction

Under Article 3 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Croatia was required to destroy all its stockpiled cluster munitions as soon as possible, but not later than 1 August 2018.

Croatia informed the Monitor on 31 July 2018 that it has completed destruction of its stockpiled cluster munitions.[25] The convention’s president welcomed this development in a statement.[26]

In April 2018, Croatia reported that all active cluster munitions in the Croatian armed forces stockpile were decommissioned by a Chief of Defense order dated 25 October 2017 and would be destroyed during the first half of 2018.[27] On 9 July 2018, a government official told the Monitor thatdestruction process had been delayed by “unfavorable weather conditions at the beginning of the 2018, which cannot be controlled by human action.” He however affirmed that the destruction process was taking place and “on its way to meet the set deadline.”[28]

During 2017, Croatia destroyed 6,596 cluster munitions and separated the 154,118 submunitions they contained for subsequent destruction.[29] It essentially destroyed their capacity to function by decommissioning or disassembling each individual cluster munition, which included destroying or recycling the bomb bodies, tail units, burster charges, and the mechanical-time fuze for the nose. The submunitions were destroyed by 31 July 2018.

Previously, Croatia destroyed 639 cluster munitions and 24,200 submunitions in 2015, but none in 2016.

Croatia’s stockpile destruction could not commence until it completed the clearance of a former military ammunition depot at Pađene, where a September 2011 explosion caused by a forest fire destroyed at least 153 stockpiled cluster munitions and resulted in other unexploded ordnance.[30] Croatian armed forces destroyed the cluster munition stocks at the Eugen Kvaternik military training ground near the town of Slunj through a combination of disassembly, recycling, and open burning/detonation.[31]

Croatia has reported its aim to minimize contamination and environmental impact by maximizing the re-use, recycling, and reprocessing of materials wherever possible.[32] It has estimated the cost of destroying the stocks at approximately €200,000.[33]

Retention

Croatia is not retaining any live cluster munitions or submunitions for training and development purposes as permitted by Article 3 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Croatia has retained six inert cluster munitions and 813 inert submunitions for training, educational purposes, and for static displays at a military museum that have been disarmed and rendered free from explosives.[34] It has encouraged other States Parties to follow its example by retaining inert rather than live cluster munitions.[35]



[2] Email from Hrvoje Debač, Deputy Director, Croatia Office for Mine Action, 29 June 2016.

[3] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Reports, Form A, 5 May 2014, 2 May 2013, and 10 April 2012; and document provided to the Monitor by email from Hrvoje Debač, Directorate for Multilateral Affairs and Global Issues, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 21 May 2012.

[4] The office also cooperates with relevant authorities on the implementation of international treaty obligations relating to conventional weapons, including landmines and cluster munitions. “Decree on the Office for Mine Action (“OG,” 21/12),” Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form A, 2 May 2013.

[5] The initial Article 7 report covers the period from 1 August 2010 to 1 January 2011, while each annual updated report covers the preceding calendar year.

[6] For details on Croatia’s cluster munition policy and practice up to early 2009, see Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Landmine Action, Banning Cluster Munitions: Government Policy and Practice (Ottawa: Mines Action Canada, May 2009), pp. 64–66.

[7] Statement of Croatia, Vienna Conference on Cluster Munitions, 5 December 2007. Notes by the CMC/Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

[8] Convention on Cluster Munitions First Review Conference, List of Participants, 1 October 2015.

[9] Documents from the First Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Dubrovnik, 7–11 September 2015 are available here.

[10] “Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions,” UNGA Resolution 70/54, 7 December 2015.

[11] Statement of Croatia, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 23 June 2015. Notes by HRW.

[12] Statement of Croatia, Convention on Cluster Munitions Seventh Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 6 September 2017.

[13] “Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic,” UNGA Resolution 72/191, 19 December 2017. Croatia voted in favor of similar resolutions in 2013–2016.

[14] “The human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic,” HRC Resolution 37/29, 19 March 2018.

[15] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Hrvoje Debač, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 23 March 2011.

[16] Ibid., 29 March 2010.

[17] Statement of Croatia, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, Geneva, 18 April 2012.

[18] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Hrvoje Debač, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 29 March 2010; and statement of Croatia, Lima Conference on Cluster Munitions, 23 May 2007. Notes by the CMC/WILPF.

[19] The last batch, series SUK-0298, was delivered to the Ministry of Defence in 1999. The company went bankrupt in 2006 and the owners established a new company Novi SUISd.o.o,that produces fire extinguishers. Response to Monitor questionnaire by Hrvoje Debač, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 23 March 2011.

[20] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form E, 10 April 2012.

[21] Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, “Summary of Judgment for Milan Martić,” Press Release, The Hague, 12 June 2007. From 4 January 1991 to August 1995, Martić held various leadership positions in the unrecognized offices of the Serbian Autonomous District Krajina, and the RSK.

[22] Statement of Croatia, Fourth Session of the Group of Governmental Experts to Prepare the Review Conference of the States Parties to the CCW, Geneva, January 1995.

[23] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Hrvoje Debač, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 23 March 2011.

[24] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 24 April 2018. Croatia did not complete the quantity of cluster munitions stockpiled column, and only reported on the submunition quantities, which remain unchanged from the previous year. Croatia also has stocks of 44 RBK-250 bombs and 2,112 ZAB-2.5M incendiary submunitions. These incendiary weapons are not covered by the Convention on Cluster Munitions as their submunitions contain flammable content that ignites as opposed to explosives that detonate. In 2018, Croatia reported that it included them in the report for “purpose of transparency.” The May 2015 report listed 467 fewer submunitions than previously reported after a review of the stocks found that some cluster munitions contained fewer submunitions than originally estimated. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 30 May 2015.

[25] Email from Hrvoje Debač, Deputy Director, Croatia Office for Mine Action, 31 July 2018.

[26] Implementation Support Unit, “Croatia completes the destruction of its cluster munition stocks,” 31 July 2018.

[27] Croatia previously reported that it had “all capabilities and facilities to destroy remaining stockpiles” by the end of 2017. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Reports, Form B, 24 April 2018, 19 May 2017, and 9 May 2016; Convention on Cluster Munitions 7 Meeting of States Parties Progress Report, Geneva, 10 July 2017.

[28] Email from Hrvoje Debač, Croatia Office for Mine Action, 9 July 2018.

[29] Croatia did not provide the number destroyed, but removed 6,596 cluster munitions from the report’s section listing cluster munitions that it still stockpiles. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 24 April 2018.

[30] Sixty-eight BL755 bombs, 77 RBK-250 PTAB-2.5M bombs, and eight RBK-250 ZAB-2.5M bombs, as well as all their submunitions. Statement of Croatia, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, 17 April 2013; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Reports, Form B, 2 May 2013, and 10 April 2012. There were no casualties at the time of the incident, but on 10 July 2013 an engineer from the Croatian armed forces was killed and two others injured when a MK-1 submunition exploded during clearance operations at the site. Statement of Croatia, Convention on Cluster Munitions Third Meeting of States Parties, Lusaka, 11 September 2013; Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form H, 5 May 2014; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Reports, Form B, 19 May 2017, and 9 May 2016.

[31] Statement of Croatia, Convention on Cluster Munitions Fifth Meeting of States Parties, San Jose, 3 September 2014; statement of Croatia, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, 17 April 2013; and Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 2 May 2013. In 2012 and 2013, Croatia reported that the Ministry of Defense “is contemplating the best destruction options for the reduction of the remaining stockpiles.” In May 2013, Croatia reported that it is considering undertaking the “industrial demilitarization” in cooperation with the company Spreewerk d.o.o., from Gospić. Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 2 May 2013; and document provided to the Monitor in email from Hrvoje Debač, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 21 May 2012.

[32] Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form B, 5 May 2014.

[33] Ibid., 9 May 2016, and 19 May 2017.

[34] Ibid., Form C,24 April 2018. Between 2011 and 2017, Croatia retained 14 inert cluster munitions and 1,737 inert submunitions.

[35] Statement of Croatia, Convention on Cluster Munitions Intersessional Meetings, April 2012.


Impact

Last updated: 26 March 2021

Jump to a specific section of the chapter:

Treaty Status | Management & Coordination | Impact (contamination & casualties) | Addressing the Impact (land release, risk education, victim assistance)

Country Summary

The Republic of Croatia is affected by landmines and, to a much lesser extent, explosive remnants of war (ERW), as a legacy of four years of conflict after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Cluster munition remnants contamination was fully cleared in 2020.

Croatia has requested two extensions to its Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 clearance deadline, and has a current deadline of 1 March 2026. Croatia has considerably reduced the number of hazardous areas, which had originally affected 14 of its 21 counties, but only affect eight counties as of end 2019. Clearance of the remaining contamination is challenging as much of Croatia’s contaminated land is in forested, mountainous areas, where the terrain and conditions pose a challenge to demining.

Under Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Croatia had an obligation to clear all areas contaminated with cluster munition remnants by 1 August 2020. On 31 July 2020, Croatia reported that it had completed the clearance of all cluster munition-contaminated areas under its jurisdiction and control, thereby complying with its Article 4 obligations.[1] In 2010–2020, Croatia reported the release of 5.31km2 and destruction of more than 3,100 cluster munition remnants.[2]

The Civil Protection Directorate (CPD) has estimated that there were 2,008 mine/ERW casualties in Croatia between 1991 and the end of 2019, including 523 killed.[3] Since 1998, and particularly after 2008, the number of mine/ERW victims in the country has significantly reduced.[4]

Croatia reports that from 2010–2019, over 140,000 persons received risk education. Public awareness campaigns, and the marking of contaminated areas with warning signs, and have also contributed to reducing casualties over time. The last unexploded submunition casualties recorded in Croatia were in 2013.

Victim assistance services in Croatia function primarily with national funding, but were not always available on an equal basis to all mine/ERW survivors in the country. Social insurance covers most healthcare costs, yet employment opportunities and psychosocial support are not always adequate. Croatia needs stronger implementation of disability legislation. Since 2012, a decrease in survivor assistance funding has led to a reduction in services provided by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Action Plan to Help Victims of Mines and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) 2010–2014 has expired, and has not yet been revised and updated, or replaced. By the end of 2019, the majority of services for victims provided by civil society organizations had ceased, while data collection on mine survivors as part of a four-year Swiss-Croatian cooperation program had yet to start.

Treaty status

Treaty status overview

Mine Ban Treaty

State party

Article 5 clearance deadline: 1 March 2026 (second request)

Convention on Cluster Munitions

State Party

Article 4 clearance obligations completed in July 2020

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

State Party

 

Clearance Deadline Extension requests

Croatia fulfilled its Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 4 clearance obligations in July 2020, ahead of its 1 August 2020 deadline.

Croatia has submitted two Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline extension requests, one in 2008 and one in 2018. Failure to meet past clearance targets was attributed primarily to insufficient funding (especially during 2010–2014 after the global economic crisis), but also due to overly ambitious targets with regard to the planned release of forested areas, insufficient CROMAC capacity to implement non-technical and technical survey, restriction of certain demining methods in national parks or “Natura 2000” protected areas for environmental reason; and insufficient quality control capacity after the 2015 Law on Mine Action. From 2008–2017, 91.3km2 of new mined area was also identified.[5]

In its 2018 Article 5 deadline extension request, Croatia has prioritized the remaining mined areas according to those that: affect safety, pose barriers to the socio-economic development, and impact ecology. Croatia’s goal was to clear all areas intended for agriculture by the end of 2018 and to demine all known minefields by the end of 2024.[6] As of the end of 2019, 98.6% of land that remained contaminated were forest areas, 1.1% were agricultural areas, and 0.3% were other areas such as swamps or rocky soils.[7]

Croatia has developed annual timelines for land release, which will provide a benchmark for it to report to States Parties about progress made in implementing its Article 5 commitments.[8]

While Croatia’s deadline for mine clearance is 1 March 2026, it foresees that survey and clearance operations will be completed by the end of 2025, leaving only administrative and paperwork issues to be settled in the first months of 2026.[9]

Croatia reported that it has sufficient capacity to clear the remaining mined areas in its territory by 2026.[10] Croatia intends to use state as well as European Union (EU) funds, which it is confident it will secure as planned.[11]

Management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination

Mine action management and coordination overview[12]

Mine action commenced

1996

National mine action management actors

Ministry of the Interior, Civil Protection Directorate (CPD)

On 1 January 2019, the Croatian Mine Action Center (CROMAC) and the Government Office for Mine Action (GOMA) were integrated into the Ministry of the Interior, forming a department within the CPD

Mine action legislation

  • Mine Action law 2015 (No. 110/15)
  • Act on Amendments to the Act on Mine Action 2018 (No. 118/2018)
  • Act on Amendment to the Act on the Government 2018 (No. 116/2018)
  • Draft of the new Act on Mine Action (expected in 2020)

Mine action strategic and operational plans

  • Revised National Mine Action Strategy 2020–2026 (expected in 2020)
  • Revised Work Plan 2020–2026 (expected in 2020)

Mine action standards

National Mine Action Standards, within the Mine Action law

 

The Civil Protection Directorate (CPD), within the Ministry of the Interior, is responsible for mine action operations including information management, quality management and planning. In March 2017, amendments to the “By-law on the Method of Conducting Demining Operations, Quality Control, General and Technical Survey, and Marking of Suspected Hazardous Areas” gave the Ministry of the Interior responsibility for quality assurance, supervision of commercial operations and investigation of demining accidents. These roles were previously undertaken by CROMAC.[13]

According to the Act on Amendments to the Act on Mine Action (No. 118/2018), and the Act on Amendments to the Act on the Government (No. 116/2018), which entered into force on 1 January 2019, CROMAC and the Government Office for Mine Action (GOMA) ceased to exist. They are now an integrated part of the Ministry of the Interior, forming a CPD department. This was seen as an important step by Croatia in forming an integrated and functioning civil protection system.[14]

Strategies and policies

The Ministry of the Interior was preparing a new Act on Mine Action, along with a corresponding new National Mine Action Strategy and Work Plan, which would cover the period 2020–2026.[15]

Gender equality is specified in the Government of Croatia’s 2016–2020 term of office as a separate objective. The gender policies of Croatia are duly implemented within the framework of mine action, and in particular with regard to risk education activities.[16]

Legislation and standards

The Mine Action Law was adopted by Croatia’s parliament on 21 October 2015, and incorporates updates from the latest International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), specifically those related to the use of technical survey to confirm the presence of contamination.[17]

Information management

Information about hazardous areas is recorded on the Mine Information System, which is the basis for the production of maps of these areas disseminated to local authorities and the public.[18]

Risk education management and coordination

Risk education management and coordination overview[19]

Government focal points

Ministry of the Interior, through the Civil Protection Directorate (CPD) and Police Directorate

Coordination mechanisms

There is no national risk education technical working group

Risk education standards

None

 

Coordination

The risk education department within CROMAC was transferred to the National Education Center, which operates under the CPD within the Ministry of the Interior. The awareness-raising activities of the Department for Prevention and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Counter Explosives Department of the Police Directorate are also coordinated under the Ministry of Interior.[20]

Risk education is coordinated at the regional level in Croatia through five large area offices of the National Education Center, which also runs 15 smaller branch offices.[21]

National standards and guidelines

Risk education is integrated into the National Mine Action Strategy. The 2020–2026 strategy was being developed, as of April 2020.[22] There were no specific national risk education standards.[23]

Internal evaluation of risk education activities is conducted on an annual basis.[24] The CPD reports that the decline in the number of new casualties, particularly since 2008, indicates the effectiveness of risk education activities in Croatia.[25]

Victim assistance management and coordination

Victim assistance management and coordination overview[26]

Government focal points

Following the integration of GOMA into the Ministry of the Interior in January 2019, several ministries are responsible for victim assistance, including the Ministry of the War Veterans, the Ministry of health, and the Office of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities

Coordination mechanisms

National Coordination Committee for Assisting Mine/UXO Victims/Survivors. Its membership is pending reappointment

Coordination regularity and outcomes

None

Plans/strategies

Action Plan to Help Victims of Mines and UXO 2010–2014 (the plan has now expired)

Disability sector integration

 

Mine/ERW survivors and their representative organizations are part of the Committee for Persons with Disabilities

Survivor inclusion and participation

The Committee for Persons with Disabilities provides the government with proposals related to the inclusion, protection, and rehabilitation of disabled persons and their families

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war; and UXO=unexploded ordnance.

 

Laws and policies

The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in Croatia, including in accessing education, employment, healthcare, buildings and transportation, yet it was not always effectively enforced. While the law mandates access to buildings for persons with disabilities, enforcement measures were lacking.[27] Every employer with at least 20 employees is required by law to fulfill an employment quota of persons with disabilities in appropriate working conditions.[28]

Impact

Contamination

Contamination (as of December 2019)[29]

Landmines

309.7km2 (CHA:189.98km2, SHA: 119.72km2)*

Extent of contamination: Massive

Cluster munition remnants

None, Croatia completed the clearance of all areas contaminated with cluster munition remnants in July 2020

Other ERW contamination

Unknown but considered to be heavy

* It is estimated that these areas contain 22,012 antipersonnel mines and 2,096 antivehicle mines. In addition, there is 31.4km2 containing an estimated 15,276 antipersonnel mines under the control of the Ministry of Defence)

Note: CHA=confirmed hazardous area; ERW=explosive remnants of war; and SHA=suspected hazardous area.

 

Croatia is affected by mines and, to a much lesser extent, ERW, as a legacy of four years of armed conflict after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Croatia’s cluster munition remnants contamination was reported to have been fully cleared by 31 July 2020.

At the end of 2019, eight of Croatia’s 21 counties were still contaminated by landmines.[30] In those eight counties, 98.6% of remaining contaminated land was located in forest areas, while 1.1% was in agricultural areas, and 0.3% was in other areas such as swamps or rocky soils.[31]

Mine contamination prevents safe use of land for livestock and forestry-related activities. There is comprehensive hazard marking of mined areas, with at least 11,540 warning signs in place.[32]

Casualties

Casualties overview[33]

Casualties

All known casualties (1991–2019)

1,989 (515 killed; 1,443 injured; 31 unknown)

Casualties in 2019

Annual total

2 (increase from no casualty reported in 2018 and 2017)

Survival outcome

2 injured

Device type causing casualties

1 antipersonnel mine, 1 antivehicle mine

Civilian status

1 civilian, 1 deminer

Age and gender

2 adult men

 

Casualties in 2019: details

Two landmine casualties were recorded in Croatia in 2019. A civilian was injured by an antivehicle mine, while one deminer was injured by an antipersonnel mine.[34]

There were no mine/ERW casualties in Croatia in 2018 or 2017.[35] Croatia reported that 2017 was the first year since it became contaminated with mines/ERW in the 1990s that no new mine victims were recorded. The last child antipersonnel mine casualty in Croatia was reported in 2004.[36]

Since 2008, there have been 29 deminer casualties and 21 civilian mine/ERW casualties in Croatia. Since 1998, and particularly from 2008 onward, the number of mine/ERW victims in Croatia has reduced significantly, primarily due to risk education programs.[37]

Based on previous Croatian Mine Action Center (CROMAC) reported data, the Monitor has recorded 1,989 mine/ERW casualties for Croatia between 1991 and the end of 2019: 515 people killed, 1,443 injured, and 31 with survival unknown.[38] The CPD has estimated that there have been 2,008 mine/ERW casualties in Croatia in total, between 1991 and the end of 2019, with 523 killed. A Mine Victim Survey will be conducted as part of the Demining and Socio-economic Integration Project, which should provide a more accurate figure.[39]

Cluster munition remnants casualties

There have been at least 241 cluster munition remnant casualties in Croatia, with the last casualties reported in September 2013 when three members of the Demining Battalion of the Engineering Regiment were involved in an accident (one deminer was killed and two injured) during clearance of scattered ordnance, including submunitions, at the site of an ammunition storage explosion in Pađene.[40] From 1993–2013, 35 casualties of unexploded submunitions were reported, while from 1993–1995, at least 206 casualties occurred during cluster munition strikes in Croatia.[41]

Addressing the Impact

Mine action

Operators and service providers

Clearance operators

National

  • Demining Battalion of the Engineering Regiment, responsible for the clearance of military facilities
  • Civil Protection Directorate (CPD), responsible for conducting non-technical and technical survey
  • 44 accredited commercial demining companies

 

As a result of conditions related to earlier World Bank funding, Croatia introduced a market model for its demining operations in 1998, with almost all civil clearance conducted by local companies competing for tenders. NGOs are barred from competing for commercial tenders. The number of commercial companies involved in demining has grown from four accredited companies at the end of 1998, to 44 in 2019.[42] These demining companies are reported to be certified, and are competent to perform manual and mechanical demining methods, including the use of mine detection dogs.[43]

Clearance

Land release overview[44]

Landmine land release in 2019

Area cleared: 39.16km2

Area reduced/cancelled: 7km2

Cluster munition remnants land released in 2019

Area cleared: 0.04km2

Area reduced: 0.2km2

Ordnance destroyed in 2019

2,530 antipersonnel mines

2,902 antivehicle mines

446,327 ERW

186 cluster munition remnants

Landmine clearance in

2015–2019

2015: 40.95km²

2016: 38.75km²

2017: 30.38km²

2018: 49.01km²

2019: 39.16km²

Five-year clearance total: 198.25km²

Cluster munition remnants clearance* in 2015–2019

 

2015: 0.43km²

2016: 1.20km²

2017: 1.01km²

2018: 0.86km²

2019: 0.04km²

Five-year clearance total: 3.54km²

Progress

Landmines

The 39.16km² cleared in 2019 represents a significant decrease compared to 49.01km² cleared in 2018, but is above the clearance target of 34.4km² for 2019 projected in its second extension request

Cluster munition remnants

Croatia announced it had met its Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 4 clearance obligations on 31 July 2020

* In 2016, a further 0.1km2 of mixed landmine and cluster munition contamination in Croatia was cleared.

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

Land release: landmines

In 1996, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) estimated that more than 13,000km² of land was potentially contaminated by mines in Croatia.

In 2003–2004, Croatia’s entire territory was surveyed, resulting in the identification of 1,174km² of hazardous areas. Continuous re-survey was undertaken during 2005 and 2006, resulting in the reduction of the hazardous areas to a total of 1,044km² at the beginning of 2007.

Areas for priority clearance are determined by the national authorities, based on the list of priorities per municipality and polygons issued by counties. Operators do not take part in prioritization.[45]

From 2015–2019, more than 51km² of land previously suspected to be contaminated was released through survey.[46] By the end of 2019, Croatia had reduced the hazardous area to 341.1km² through demining and survey.

Considering its current clearance capacity and the type of terrain in remaining mined areas, Croatia expects to release roughly 56km2 per year over its second extension period, totaling 287.4km2 over seven years.[47] By comparison, in the seven-year period 2011–2017, a total of 440km2 was released (238km2 through clearance and 202km2 though survey), which included a significant amount of land that was cancelled in 2011–2015.[48] Survey is planned to take place between 2019 and 2025, and any resulting clearance is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

In 2019, 39.16km2 of land was reported cleared (38.86km2 by operators working under the direction of the CPD, and a further 0.3km2 by the Croatian Army), and a further 7km2 was released by technical and non-technical survey.[49]

Land release: cluster munition remnants

Croatia finished clearance of all known cluster munition contaminated areas under its jurisdiction and control in July 2020 before its deadline of 1 August 2020. The declaration of compliance was finalized as of 31 July 2020.[50]

In 2019, a total of 243,948m2 was reported to have been released by clearance or survey in two counties.[51]

An area in Lika-Senj county was released through non-technical survey in 2019, leaving only three administrative counties contaminated with cluster munition remnants, while an additional 0.01km2 of previously unrecorded cluster munition remnant contamination was also discovered, although the location was not reported.[52]

Police

As part of the “Less Arms, Less Tragedies” campaign, the Croatian Police, under the Ministry of the Interior and in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), educate civilians to hand in all forms of ERW without any legal penalties or repercussions. The ordnance is then transferred and destroyed at Croatian military facilities.[53] In 2019, among a large arsenal of small arms and light weapons, the Ministry of the Interior collected 103 pieces of antipersonnel mines, 38 pieces of antivehicle mines, and 12 pieces of cluster munition remnants.[54]

Borders

Hazardous areas have been reported along Croatia’s borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Hungary, and Serbia. Croatia has reported mutual cooperation and information exchange with BiH on hazardous border areas, and the exchange of equipment and technology continued in 2019.[55]

Deminer safety

In 1998, 15 deminers were involved in mine/ERW accidents in Croatia. This number has decreased over the years, which is attributed to the increased use of machinery, better-quality detectors and equipment, and more rigorous quality assurance processes.[56]

Since 1998, a total of 132 deminers have been involved in accidents in Croatia, of which 38 died.[57] The Act on Mine Action details the protection measures for deminers during demining operations and the criminal and misdemeanor liability in the case of non-compliance.[58]

Residual hazards

Croatia states that an important step was taken in 2019 in order to address residual contamination once treaty obligations have been met, by integrating CROMAC within the Ministry of the Interior.

Residual risk will be handled by the EOD teams of the Police Directorate, and by the CPD.[59]

The Ministry of the Interior will be the focal point for residual contamination issues, through its management of the Mine Information System database.[60]

Risk Education

Operators and service providers

Risk education operators overview[61]

Type of organization

Name of organization

Type of activity

Governmental

Civil Protection Directorate (CPD)/National Educational Centre

Coordinates risk education activities, organizes Mine Awareness Day and public mine awareness campaigns on radio and television, trained 25 civil protection officers in 2019 to provide risk education

Ministry of Croatian War Veterans

Supports training of trainers program for war veterans to provide risk education

National

Croatian Civil Victims of the Homeland War Association

Provides risk education

Civil Victims of the War from Osijek-Baranja County Association

Provides risk education

Association Croatia Helps

Provides risk education, training of trainers for war veterans to provide risk education

Croatian Red Cross

Provides risk education through 46 local Red Cross branches which disseminate safety messages through presentations and local initiatives

Police Department

Awareness about weapons and ERW through the “Less Arms, Less Tragedies” program, including promoting the surrender of items

Note: ERW=explosive remnants of war.

 

Beneficiary numbers

In 2019, over 20,000 beneficiaries received risk education, including 25 civil protection officers.[62]

Target groups

In order to reach a greater number of people, CROMAC has developed a mobile phone application that warns the user if approaching or entering a suspected hazardous area. The application includes a “call for help” option, and an option to report the discovery of a suspected explosive device.[63]

Although risk education is not integrated into the school curriculum,[64] schoolchildren and college students living in affected counties are the primary risk education target in Croatia.[65] In 2019, the majority of risk education beneficiaries were children, who received messages through sessions tailored for children.[66] Members of hunting associations, the mountain rescue service, firefighters, forestry workers, hikers, farmers and tourists also received tailored risk education sessions.[67]

Risk education was provided in 2019 across all 17 counties that are affected by mines/ERW, while programs and methodologies were gender, age and disability-sensitive.[68]

Through the “Less Arms, Less Tragedies” campaign, citizens were informed about the dangers of unexploded weapons, while being encouraged to surrender any ERW left over from the conflict.[69]

Marking

Croatia marks suspected hazardous areas and includes these areas in its Mine Information System. Maps of hazardous areas are shared with local authorities, police, and also with the general public through the Mine Information System web portal.[70]

Major developments in 2019

Croatia declared April as “Mine Awareness Month,” and in addition to marking International Mine Awareness Day on 4 April, a mine/ERW awareness media campaign was implemented through radio and television. Mine Awareness Day is implemented with the cooperation of the Ministry of the Interior, the Croatian Red Cross, the association “Croatia Helps”, the National Protection and Rescue Directorate, and other stakeholders.[71]

Victim Assistance

Victim assistance providers and activities

Victim assistance operators overview[72]

Type of organization

Name of organization

Type of activity

Governmental

Ministry of the Interior

Data collection and advisory support, and streamlining of survivor assistance activities

Croatian Institute for Health Insurance

Provides the legal framework for provision of healthcare (health protection and acquisition of orthopedic aids)

Croatian Institute for Public Health

Manages the National Database of Persons with Disabilities

Psychosocial Interdisciplinary Centers

Psychosocial support

County Institutes for Emergency Health Care

Emergency medical care

House of Croatian Veterans

Physical rehabilitation

National

Association of Volunteers and Veterans of the Homeland War of the Republic of Croatia

Social inclusion through sports and cultural activities, advocacy, psychosocial support

 

Major Developments in 2019

The majority of victim assistance services provided by civil society organizations in Croatia have ceased.[73] The provision of continuing psychosocial support remained weak.[74]

Needs assessment

A four-year Swiss-Croatian cooperation program will fund the establishment of a comprehensive mine/ERW victim database, as part of the Demining and Socio-Economic Integration Project. The program will also include an assessment of the needs of survivors, to be recorded on the database, and the provision of training and other services aiming to increase the employability of victims.[75] The survey was expected to start in the first half of 2020.[76]

Medical care and rehabilitation

All mine/ERW survivors were entitled to healthcare and social protection measures. The Croatian Institute for Health Insurance provides healthcare and covers the costs of basic orthopedic devices for mine/ERW survivors.[77] There are 21 county-level institutes for emergency healthcare,[78] and all general and clinical hospitals in Croatia have surgical capacity.[79] Croatian Army helicopters are deployed when urgent transport of patients to a medical facility is required.[80]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

There are psychosocial interdisciplinary centers in all 21 counties of Croatia. Four of these centers are regional facilities providing psychological services.[81]

Cross-cutting

Access to physical rehabilitation services for people living in remote areas remained an issue.[82]



[2] Ibid., and response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[3] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[4] Ibid.

[6] Ibid., pp. 8 and 11.

[7] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[8] Email from Slavenka Ivšić, Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Croatia, 20 September 2019.

[9] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019); Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Second Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 29 March 2018; and Additional Information submitted 21 June 2018, p. 1.

[10] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Second Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 29 March 2018, p. 39; and Additional Information submitted 21 June 2018, p. 1.

[11] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019); Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Second Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 29 March 2018, p. 44; and Addition Information submitted 21 June 2019, p. 2.

[12] Information on mine action management and coordination obtained in Email from Slavenka Ivšić, Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Croatia, 20 September 2019; response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; CROMAC, “National Mine Action Strategy of the Republic of Croatia 2009–2019”, pp. 3 and 4; and email from Slavenka Ivšić, Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Croatia, 20 September 2019; and Croatia CCW Protocol V Article 10 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form B.

[13] Statement of Croatia, Mine Ban Treaty Fifteenth Meeting of States Parties, Santiago, 29 November 2016; and Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form A; and email from Slavenka Ivšić, Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Croatia, 20 September 2019.

[14] Email from Slavenka Ivšić, Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Croatia, 20 September 2019.

[15] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[16] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019).

[17] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2017), Form A.

[18] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019).

[19] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; and Croatia CCW Protocol V Article 10 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form D.

[20] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[21] Ibid.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Ibid.

[26] Information on victim assistance management and coordination obtained in response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form H; response to Monitor questionnaire by Hrvoje Debač, Acting Director, GOMA, 12 March 2019; and Statement of Croatia, Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings, Geneva, 8 June 2018.

[27] US Department of State, “2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Croatia,” 11 March 2020.

[29] Contamination data for 2019 obtained in response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; and Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019); and Republic of Croatia, Letter of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the UN Office in Geneva, to the Implementation Support Unit of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, 31 July 2020.

[30] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019).

[31] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[32] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019).

[33] Casualty data for 2019 was obtained in response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; response to Monitor questionnaire by Civil Protection Directorate, 28 April 2020; emails from Marta Kovačević, CROMAC, 3 April 2017; and from Hrvoje Debač, Deputy Director, CROMAC, 31 March 2015, and 31 April 2016; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form J.

[34] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[35] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; and Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2018), Form J.

[37] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[38] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Civil Protection Directorate, 28 April 2020; emails from Marta Kovačević, CROMAC, 3 April 2017; and from Hrvoje Debač, Deputy Director, CROMAC, 31 March 2015, and 31 April 2016; and Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2015), Form J.

[39] Ibid.

[40] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2013), Form H.

[41] Humanity & Inclusion (HI), Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities (Brussels: HI, May 2007), p. 65; and CROMAC casualty data provided by email from Goran Gros, CROMAC, 23 April 2008. CROMAC recorded 32 casualties from incidents involving unexploded submunitions between 1993 and 2007. All known unexploded submunition casualties were included in CROMAC casualty data.

[43] Email from Slavenka Ivšić, Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Croatia, 20 September 2019.

[44] The mine clearance figure for 2019 includes 0.3km2 cleared by the military. Croatia announced the completion of cluster munition contamination clearance on its territory, in line with its Convention on Cluster Munitions clearance obligations in July 2020. See, Republic of Croatia, Letter of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the UN Office in Geneva, to the Implementation Support Unit of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, 31 July 2020.

[45] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; and Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Second Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 29 March 2018, p. 26.

[46] 2015: 27.15km²; 2016: 3.2km²; 2017: 6.6km²; 2018: 7.2km²; and 2019: 7km².

[48] See annual Landmine Monitor reports on clearance in Croatia, covering 2011–2016.

[49] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019); and response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[51] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form F; and response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[52] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form F.

[53] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; and Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form F.

[54] Ibid.

[55] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; and Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019).

[57] The latest mine incident occurred in July 2019 when a deminer was seriously injured by an antipersonnel mine in Lika-Senj County. Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019); and response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[58] Email from Slavenka Ivšić, Ministry of the Interior, Republic of Croatia, 20 September 2019.

[59] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[61] Information on risk education operators obtained in response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form G; Statement of Croatia, Mine Ban Treaty Fourth Review Conference, Oslo 25–29 November 2019; Croatia CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form A; and Croatian Red Cross, “Mine Awareness,” undated.

[62] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form G.

[63] Ibid.

[65] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[66] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form G.

[67] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; and Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019).

[68] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form G.

[69] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020.

[70] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form G.

[71] Statement of Croatia, Mine Ban Treaty Fourth Review Conference, Oslo, 25–29 November 2019.

[72] Information on victim assistance operators obtained in response to Monitor questionnaire by Hrvoje Debač, Acting Director, GOMA, 12 March 2019.

[73] Response to Monitor questionnaire by Hrvoje Debač, Acting Director, GOMA, 12 March 2019.

[74] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form H.

[75] Ibid.

[76] Croatia CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form B.

[77] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form H.

[78] Croatia CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form B.

[79] Croatia Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form H.

[80] Croatia CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report (for calendar year 2019), Form B.

[81] Response to Monitor questionnaire by CPD, 28 April 2020; and Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report (for calendar year 2018), Form J.

[82] Croatian Ombudsperson for Persons with Disabilities, “Report on the work of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities 2018: Summary,” undated, p. 13.

 


Mine Ban Policy

Last updated: 18 December 2019

Policy

The Republic of Croatia signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified it on 20 May 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March 1999. It enacted national implementation legislation, including penal sanctions, in October 2004.[1] The law created a National Commission for the Coordination of Monitoring the Implementation of the Law.[2]

Croatia has consistently attended meetings of the treaty, including the Third Review Conference in Maputo in June 2014 and the Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in November 2018, where it submitted an Article 5 extension request. Croatia also attended intersessional meetings in Geneva in May 2019. Croatia has served on the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration (2011–2012, 2016–2017), and as Vice President of the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties in 2012 and the Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties in 2018.

Croatia is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II on landmines. Croatia is also party to CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants of war. It is also party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Production, transfer, stockpiling, and retention

Croatia has regularly stated that it has never produced antipersonnel mines.[3] It inherited stocks from the former Yugoslavia. There have been no reports of Croatia ever importing or exporting antipersonnel mines.

Croatia completed the destruction of its stockpile of 199,003 antipersonnel mines on 23 October 2002, in advance of its treaty deadline of 1 March 2003. Six types of mines were destroyed in three phases.[4] An additional 45,579 mine fuzes were destroyed during the stockpile destruction program.[5]

Croatia also possesses 19,076 MRUD Claymore-type directional fragmentation mines, which it does not classify as antipersonnel mines. It has repeatedly stated these mines cannot be activated by accidental contact, but has not reported on what steps it has taken to ensure that these mines can only be used in command-detonated mode.[6]

Initially, Croatia announced that it would retain 17,500 antipersonnel mines for training and development purposes, but in December 2000 decided to reduce this to 7,000.[7] Croatia reported that it retained 4,973 antipersonnel mines at the end of 2018.[8] The mines are stored at the Croatian Armed Forces storage site, “Borik” Velika Buna, and “are used or going to be used by the Croatian Mine Action Centre.”[9] In 2018, a total of three mines were destroyed during training and education of deminers.[10]

Use

All parties to the conflict in Croatia used landmines (1991–1995) and there is some evidence of mine use since the end of the war. During 1998 there were four mine incidents in the county of Lika apparently caused by new mine use. Antipersonnel mines were occasionally used in criminal activities in Croatia up to 2003.



[1] The Law on Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction was approved by parliament on 1 October 2004 and by the president on 6 October 2004. Article 9, Section IV of the law provides penal sanctions. Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form A, 8 June 2005.

[2] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form A, 8 June 2005. It consists of representatives from the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, interior, and justice, as well as the Croatian Mine Action Centre (CROMAC).

[3] See, for example, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form E, 10 April 2009.

[4] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form F, 28 April 2006. The mines destroyed included: PMA-1 (14,280); PMA-2 (44,876); PMA-3 (59,701); PMR-2A/2AS (74,040); PMR-3 (4); and PROM-1 (6,102).

[5] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form F, 28 April 2006.

[6] Email from Capt. Vlado Funaric, Ministry of Defense, 22 February 2006; and statement of Croatia, “Claymore-Type Mines,” Standing Committee on the General Status and Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 16 May 2003. Claymore-type mines used in command-detonated mode are permissible under the Mine Ban Treaty, but are prohibited if used with tripwires.

[7] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form D, 30 May 2001.

[8] Ibid., 30 April 2019.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.


Support for Mine Action

Last updated: 16 November 2020

In 2019, the Republic of Croatia contributed €35 million (US$39.2 million) to its mine action program. This represents about 60% of its total mine action budget.[1]

Croatia also received $24.7 million in international contributions toward clearance activities from the European Union.[2]

Since 2015, international contributions to mine action in Croatia totaled some $141 million, most of which (72%) was provided in 2016 and 2018. Croatia’s own contributions to its mine action program in the five-year period from 2015–2019 amounted to at least $117.5 million.

Summary of contributions: 2015–2019[3]

Year

National contributions (US$)

International contributions (US$)

Total contributions (US$)

2019

39,179,000

27,664,717

66,843,717

2018

N/R

49,985,910

49,985,910

2017

21,245,880

12,934,227

34,180,107

2016

26,351,360

50,686,157

77,037,517

2015

30,768,997

0

30,768,997

Total

117,545,237

141,271,011

258,816,248

Note: N/R=not reported.



[1] Croatia Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline Extension Request, 29 March 2018, p. 18. Average exchange rate for 2019: €1=US$1.1194. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 2 January 2020.

[2] Email from Frank Meeussen, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Arms Export Control, European External Action Service (EEAS), 30 August 2020.

[3] See previous Monitor reports.