The Government is expanding support for Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the entire country

The Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted, at the session held on October 14, 2026, the Amendments and Supplements to the Program of Support for Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the purpose of encouraging the economic development of the local community for the period 2025 – 2027. The decision was published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) no. 118/2026 of October 16, 2026, under the official document designation 1407, and was signed by the Prime Minister mr. sc. Andrej Plenković.

What is changing regarding the circle of applicants

The key change concerns point 4, which is now titled “ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS”. The previous solution deemed counties and cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as eligible, and the amendments remove this geographical framework in several places throughout the program text.

The new paragraph 1 states that eligible applicants within the Program are “counties/cantons, cities, and municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, provided that the project directly contributes to the development of the Croatian community and the strengthening of entrepreneurship in areas where members of the Croatian community live. This opens the possibility for applications from local self-government units outside the Federation of BiH, for example, from the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District.

• the formulation “counties/cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina” is deleted in point 1. INTRODUCTION
• the words “county in the Federation” are deleted in point 2. GOAL AND PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM
• “through a partnership approach with counties” is deleted from the same point
• the words “or outside counties in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina” are deleted in point 6. INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES

Support amounts and the rule on multiple projects

Point 7. FINANCING AMOUNT has been completely restructured. The new text allows a single applicant to submit multiple project proposals and to be awarded non-refundable funds for multiple projects, whereby support in the amount of 50,000.00 to 290,000.00 euros can be awarded per individual project.

Eligible activities include investments in the development and improvement of public entrepreneurial infrastructure directly linked to the development of entrepreneurship and crafts, the removal of infrastructural barriers to business, and the creation of common prerequisites for the initiation, growth, and retention of economic activities and jobs. However, a number of purposes are explicitly excluded:

• granting of support, subsidies, or other forms of direct and indirect transfer of funds to entrepreneurs and tradespeople
• organization of fairs, education, workshops, conferences, business meetings, networking, and promotional activities
• construction of infrastructure that predominantly serves general public or communal needs of the settlement and is not linked to the development of entrepreneurial infrastructure
• construction of infrastructure intended exclusively for one predetermined entrepreneur or a limited circle of related users
• construction or renovation of administrative, social, cultural, sports, tourist, health, or religious buildings
• regular or current maintenance of existing infrastructure and facilities, unless it is an integral part of investments with significant improvement of functionality, capacity, or quality

30-Day Deadline and Funding for 2027

The Decision obliges the Ministry of Economy to issue a Public Call based on the Amendments to the Program within 30 days from the date the Decision enters into force. The Decision enters into force on the day of its adoption and was published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) on October 16, 2026.

Funds for implementation in 2026 are secured in the State Budget of the Republic of Croatia for 2026 and projections for 2027 and 2028, under the section of the Ministry of Economy. For 2027, an amount of 2,900,000.00 euros is planned, which will be secured during the preparation of the state budget for the period 2027–2029, within the assigned limits of that ministry’s section.

The legal basis for adoption is Article 8 and Article 31 paragraph 2 of the Law on the Government of the Republic of Croatia (“Official Gazette”, No. 150/11, 119/14, 93/16, 116/18, 80/22, and 78/24). The Amendments to the Program are an integral part of the Decision, and the basic Program was published in “Official Gazette” number 140/25.

What This Means for Users

For local self-government units in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the amendments mean a double expansion of the application scope: geographically, as the restriction to the Federation of BiH is removed, and financially, as multiple projects per applicant are explicitly permitted with support up to 290,000 euros per project. Along with the obligation to issue a public call within 30 days, municipalities and cities receive a clear timeframe for preparing documentation, while the condition of direct contribution to the development of the Croatian community and the strengthening of entrepreneurship will be the main criterion for evaluating applications.

Source: Official Gazette (Narodne novine) No. 118/2026 of October 16, 2026, document 1407 – Decision on the adoption of Amendments to the Program of Support for Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the purpose of promoting the economic development of the local community for the period 2025–2027; Class: 022-03/26-04/436, Registry Number: 50301-21/06-26-2, Zagreb, October 14, 2026.