Regulations on the Methodology for Maintaining the Register of Islands published in the Official Gazette

In Narodne novine number 100 of September 9, 2026, the Regulations on the Methodology for the Organization and Maintenance of the Register of Islands (item 1203) were published, enacted by the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Nataša Mikuš Žigman. The Regulations are based on Article 12, paragraph 3 of the Islands Act (»Narodne novine«, No. 13/26) and enter into force on the eighth day from the date of publication.

Basic register with a unique codebook

The Regulations prescribe the method of maintenance and the data kept in the Register of Islands, as well as the procedure, methodology for organization, and the linking of the register with other official records. The Register of Islands is defined as the basic register in the Republic of Croatia with a unique codebook of islands and data and cartographic records for the island area, serving as a tool for efficient management, strategic planning, and the direction of island development policy.

The Register of Islands is an official electronic record organized and maintained by the Ministry responsible for regional development, and it consists of the Basic Register of Islands and the Integrated Information System of Island Indicators. The term islands encompasses islands and islets in the Republic of Croatia, including the Pelješac peninsula, which has the status of an island.

Content of the Basic Register of Islands

The Basic Register of Islands contains mandatory data categories, including:

• identification data
• data on the classification of islands according to the Islands Act
• geographical data and data on territorial jurisdiction
• demographic data
• land and spatial planning data
• data on the transport network
• data on nature and environmental protection and the management of natural resources
• data on cultural assets and cultural infrastructure
• data on healthcare and social, educational, and upbringing services
• economic data and data on communal infrastructure
• graphic representations and geospatial data

Linking with other records

The Register of Islands supports structured data stored in an electronic database, and the Ministry, in cooperation with state administration bodies and public law bodies, establishes data models for island development. Data modification is implemented electronically via electronic network services, and data is updated periodically, in accordance with the update dynamics of the original official records.

If the data required for the Register of Islands is not included in the national data infrastructure or cannot be retrieved at the requested spatial level, the competent bodies are obliged, upon the request of the Ministry, to provide the requested data in the form and within the deadlines determined by the Ministry. Every entry, modification, or deletion of data remains permanently recorded in the Register of Islands, which also enables a review of the history of recorded changes.

Integrated information system of island indicators

The integrated information system of island indicators covers inhabited islands, and for each inhabited island, the values of island development indicators are displayed. The system may also contain other specific indicators and data relating to inhabited islands, and its purpose is the efficient management, strategic planning, and guidance of island development policy.

Publicly available data are considered to be the data from Article 5 of the Ordinance, and the name of the state administration body and public law body that possesses and/or from which the data are retrieved must be stated in the Basic Register of Islands.

The new Ordinance is a key tool for the strategic planning of island policy, as it for the first time consolidates data on islands into a single electronic record linked to state information systems, which will enable more efficient management and monitoring of the development of Croatian islands.

Ordinance on the methodology of organizing and maintaining the Register of Islands, »Narodne novine«, no. 100, item 1203, Zagreb, September 9, 2026. Class: 304-01/26-04/14, Ref. No.: 538-08-1-1-1/660-26-13, Zagreb, September 3, 2026. — Nataša Mikuš Žigman, signed.