The Regulation establishes the basic state Register of Islands with a unique codebook

The Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Nataša Mikuš Žigman, has adopted the Ordinance on the Methodology for Establishing and Maintaining the Register of Islands, published in the Official Gazette No. 100 of September 9, 2026, under number 1203. The Ordinance establishes a basic state register with a unique island codebook, which serves as a tool for efficient management, strategic planning, and the guidance of island development policy.

The regulation was adopted based on Article 12, paragraph 3 of the Islands Act (“Official Gazette”, No. 13/26), and enters into force eight days from the date of its publication in the official gazette.

What is the Register of Islands

The Register of Islands is defined as the basic register in the Republic of Croatia with a unique island codebook and data and cartographic records for island areas. It is an official electronic record established and maintained by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, consisting of the Basic Register of Islands and the Integrated Information System of Island Indicators.

The concept of an island within the meaning of the Ordinance includes islands and islets in the Republic of Croatia, including the Pelješac peninsula, which has the status of an island. The Ministry establishes and maintains the register in a manner that enables the linking of data with other official records of state administration bodies and public law bodies, in accordance with regulations on state information infrastructure.

Data in 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
• 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
• data on social and educational services
• economic data
• data on communal infrastructure
• graphic representations and geospatial data

The Register may also contain other data relating to islands. The Integrated Information System of Island Indicators covers inhabited islands, for which the values of island development indicators are displayed, and its purpose is efficient management, strategic planning, and the guidance of island development policy.

Data Linking and Sustainability

The Ministry, in cooperation with state administration bodies and public law bodies, establishes data models for island development. Data modification is implemented electronically via network services, and data is updated periodically, in accordance with the update dynamics of the original official records from which they are retrieved.

If the data required for the register are 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, which enables a review of the history of recorded entries. Data from Article 5 of the Ordinance are considered publicly available data, and the name of the body that possesses the data or from which the data are retrieved must be stated in the Basic Register of Islands.

The Ordinance bears Class: 304-01/26-04/14 and Registry Number: 538-08-1-1-1/660-26-13, and was signed in Zagreb, September 3, 2026. The establishment of a unified register is a key step toward comprehensive and harmonized monitoring of the status of Croatian islands, which will enable more reliable planning of island policy and better connectivity of all relevant state records.

»This Ordinance prescribes the method of maintaining and the data to be kept in the Register of Islands, as well as the procedure, methodology for organizing, and connecting the Register of Islands with other official records.« — Ordinance on the Methodology for Organizing and Maintaining the Register of Islands, Article 1, Official Gazette No. 100/2026.