Croatia faces EU action over two law breaches

BRUSSELS, 2 October 2026 (Hina) – The European Commission has issued Croatia two reasoned opinions over breaches of EU law, concerning the implementation of rules on renewable energy and consumer credit.

The Commission decided to issue a reasoned opinion to Croatia because it has not fully transposed the revised Renewable Energy Directive into national law.

The directive was adopted in 2023, with EU member states required to notify the Commission of its transposition by 21 May 2025. Some provisions relating to permitting procedures had an earlier deadline of 1 July 2024.

The revised rules aim to accelerate the use of renewable energy across the economy, including not only the energy sector but also areas where progress can be more difficult, such as heating and cooling, buildings, transport and industry. The EU has set new or strengthened targets in these areas.

In July 2025, the Commission sent formal notices to 26 member states for failing to fully transpose the directive into national law.

After examining the measures taken by Croatia and the explanations it provided, the Commission concluded that the directive had still not been fully transposed. The reasoned opinion sets out the provisions that the Commission considers have not yet been fully implemented.

Croatia now has two months to respond and take the necessary measures. If it fails to do so, the Commission may refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union and request financial penalties.

Consumer credit

Croatia is also among 16 member states to have received a reasoned opinion for failing to notify the Commission of the full transposition of the EU directive on consumer credit agreements.

The directive is designed to strengthen consumer protection in the credit market by improving transparency and ensuring fairer credit transactions across EU member states.

Member states were required to transpose the directive into national law by 20 November 2025.

In January 2026, the Commission launched infringement procedures by sending formal notices to 23 member states that had not notified it of the full transposition of the required measures.

As of October 2026, 16 member states had still not notified the Commission that the directive had been fully transposed. The Commission has therefore issued reasoned opinions to those countries, giving them two months to respond and take the necessary steps.

If the issues are not resolved, the Commission may refer the cases to the Court of Justice of the European Union and request financial penalties.

EU infringement proceedings generally involve three stages. The first is a formal notice to the member state concerned. If the issue is not resolved, the Commission can issue a reasoned opinion formally requesting compliance with EU law.

If the member state still fails to address the issue, the Commission may refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The Commission notes that most infringement cases are resolved before reaching the court.