This chapter focuses on family policy in Croatia, reviewing demographic data, the
institutional framework for family policy, family support benefits (including the
country’s generous maternity and paternity leave), child allowances, and baby bonus
for the third and fourth child. The chapter explains state allowances and local (self-government)
supported family allowances. Generational policy, tax and contribution benefits, family
and work allowances, family-friendly provisions in the pension system (an additional
6-month period for each child), and the social security institutions supporting families
are also reviewed within the family policy framework. In addition, the chapter discusses
the advantages and disadvantages of the real estate tax for housing in areas of special
state concern and the subsidisation of housing loans for families. Criticism of the
fact that expenditures for social policy in Croatia are among the lowest in the European
Union is also presented.
Though it does not significantly or directly influence demography, family law is extremely
important owing to the system of principles and the values that these principles reflect.
In the context of family policy, this chapter describes the principles of family law,
family law regulation concerning property rights between family members (the concept
of the family home, rules for the division of family property, representation of the
child in property matters, etc.). It also introduces the legal norms that regulate
establishing the origin of the child, as well as the rights and duties related to
maintenance among relatives that offer financial security to family members based
on the principle of family solidarity. Given that every 20th child in Croatia is born
through medically assisted reproduction, this procedure influences the fertility rate
to some extent. Consequently, the Croatian state provides generous support for reproductive
health.
