Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia (NSSD) has been adopted by the Croatian Parliament at its session on 20 February 2009.

Covers all three dimensions of sustainable development (SD).

Ministry of Environment and Energy

NSSD can be downloaded on the UN SD Knowledge Platform: Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia

SD objectives listed in the NSSD: Croatian NSSD is focusing on long-term action in the following eight key areas: 

1. encouraging population growth in the Republic of Croatia
2. environment and natural resources
3. promoting sustainable production and consumption
4. ensuring social and territorial cohesion and justice
5. ensuring energy independence and increasing the efficiency of energy use
6. strengthening public health
7. interconnectedness of the Republic of Croatia
8. protection of the Adriatic Sea, coastal area and islands

These are the eight key challenges of sustainable development that also serve as the basis for strategic directions of the development of the Republic of Croatia. Each one of them is further explained and elaborated in the overall objective or overall objectives for that area, which is/are in turn elaborated in concrete measures that can be seen in NSSD. NSSD also points out that the efficient state, knowledge-based society / education for sustainable development, research and development and mitigation and adaptation to climate change are the preconditions for further development. Of these, the education for sustainable development is especially singled out as the precondition for sustainable development and as such considered to be a cross-sectoral key challenge.

It is envisaged that the NSSD will be implemented through action plans which will contain the details on the authorities responsible for implementing individual plans and projects envisioned by the NSSD; authorities responsible for achieving specific objectives; funds required to implement plans or projects; sources for financing plans or projects; participants in a plan or project; timeframes for achieving the planned objectives; expected results of plans and projects as well as on those responsible for supervising the implementation of plans and projects.

Following that Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEE) coordinated drafting strategic  plan related to topics under its governance that contribute to the implementation of NSSD, relevant EU policies and global SDGs: waste and water management plans, air and climate protection plan, marine environment protection strategy, adaptation to climate change strategy, integrated energy and climate plan, green public procurement plan and strategy for protecting nature and biodiversity.      

In addition, there are action plans that are covering other areas of sustainable development which are under competence of other bodies.