The Regulations introduce the HOP quality seal for island products and an annual public call

The Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds has published in Official Gazette No. 100/2026 of September 9, 2026, the Ordinance on the Awarding of the Croatian Island Product (HOP) Label (number 1206), which introduces a guarantee mark for island products and regulates the procedure for its awarding. The Ordinance was signed by Minister Nataša Mikuš Žigman and enters into force eight days from the date of publication.

The Ordinance is adopted based on Article 27, paragraph 8 of the Islands Act (“Official Gazette”, No. 13/26) and replaces the previous Ordinance on the Implementation of the “Croatian Island Product” Program from “Official Gazette” No. 139/21, which ceases to be valid on the day the new act enters into force. The document bears the classification mark Class: 029-01/26-02/6 and the registry number Reg. No: 538-08-2-2/673-26-36, and was signed in Zagreb on September 3, 2026.

What is the HOP label

The HOP label is a guarantee mark held by the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds, and the figurative representations of the label are registered and entered into the official collection of trademark registration data maintained by the state administration body responsible for the protection of intellectual property rights. The label is awarded for the purpose of encouraging the production, placement, and promotion of original and innovative island products, traditions, and heritage in accordance with the HOP Program.

The Ordinance defines the categories of island products for which the label can be awarded:

• food products
• beverages
• chemical products
• art and design
• intangible island products

A tangible island product must be crafted or produced on an island; exceptionally, in the absence of technical possibilities, production outside the island is permitted provided the island entity provides an explanation. Intangible island products include events, performing arts, oral traditions, traditional craftsmanship, customs, rituals, and celebrations that contribute to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the islands and the promotion of island identity.

Awarding procedure and expert commissions

The Minister responsible for regional development and European Union funds makes the decision to issue a Public Call for the submission of applications for the HOP label once a year. The Public Call is published on the Ministry’s website and via the official HOP website, accompanied by the relevant forms and instructions for applicants by product category.

An expert commission consisting of five members—representatives of the Ministry, state administration bodies, public law bodies, and experts from the scientific community—is established for each category of island products. Commissions are appointed for a period of five years, conduct professional reviews of applications and documentation, and provide an opinion and proposal to the minister for the issuance of the decision on awarding the label.

The Ministry shall issue a decision on the request in an administrative procedure, and the island entity is issued a decision on the award of the HOP label for a period of five years. No appeal is permitted against the decision to approve or reject the request, but an administrative dispute may be initiated.

Who can be a user of the label

A user of the HOP label can be an island entity – a natural or legal person who carries out their activity on an island, is entered in the appropriate registers, and possesses registrations or approvals for the activity they perform. Exceptionally, a natural person who is a bearer of intangible cultural heritage and an owner of a cultural asset does not need to have a registered activity.

Along with the request for the award of the label, the island entity attaches a statement on island production, technical documentation with a description of the production process, photographs of the products, and confirmations or certificates of conducted analytical tests in authorized laboratories. For products that already have an Organic Producer Certificate, a Protected Designation of Origin, a Protected Geographical Indication, a Guaranteed Traditional Specialty, or “Proven Quality,” it is not necessary to submit analytical documentation.

Control and revocation of the label

The Ministry monitors the use of the label during the validity of the decision, and an authorized official may perform a direct inspection at the user’s premises with written notice no later than five days before execution. If an irregularity is established, the Ministry issues a decision revoking the decision on the award of the label, and the user is obliged to remove the label from the products at their own expense within a period no longer than 15 days. An island entity whose label has been revoked is denied a renewed request for the award for a period of one year.

The new Ordinance on the award of the Croatian Island Product label opens a clearly regulated and annually renewable path to an official label of origin for island producers, artists, and bearers of intangible heritage, thereby strengthening the recognizability of island products on the market and promoting island identity.

Source: Ordinance on the award of the Croatian Island Product label, “Narodne novine” no. 100/2026, Zagreb, September 9, 2026, Class: 029-01/26-02/6, Ord. No: 538-08-2-2/673-26-36.