Minister Damir Habijan presented the Draft Proposal of the Voter Registry Act, which abolishes the blue certificate and digitizes the system, and also introduced a unified Code of Ethics for local and regional self-government officials.
Minister of Justice, Administration and Digital Transformation Damir Habijan presented the main outlines of the Draft Voter Registry Act at a press conference on July 28, 2026, announcing significant changes for voters in future elections, reports OG Portal Ogulin. The most important novelty is the abolition of the so-called blue certificate, allowing citizens whose ID cards have expired to vote without additional administrative procedures.
The previous system required voters with expired ID cards to go to the competent administrative body before voting, obtain a blue certificate, and then return to the polling station. According to Ministry data, as reported by Narodno.hr, 7,642 blue certificates were issued during the 2024 parliamentary elections alone, requiring nearly 900 hours of staff work in a single day.
"It required additional time, represented an additional cost, and created additional administration," said Minister Habijan, as quoted by ICV Virovitica citing Tportal. Furthermore, the amendments abolish the current distinction between the voter registry and the voter list, and a single registry will be maintained, reports Narodno.hr. However, prior registration will still be mandatory for those wishing to vote outside their place of residence, as will active registration for citizens without residence in Croatia.
Minister Habijan also presented a proposal for a unified Code of Ethics for officials and employees in local and regional self-government units, reports OG Portal Ogulin. The code would regulate relations with citizens, conflicts of interest, gift acceptance, and public appearances, with ethics commissioners overseeing its implementation.
"We want to establish uniform ethical principles and rules of conduct," said Danijela Gaube, director of the Directorate for Human Rights, National Minorities and Ethics, according to ICV Virovitica.
Habijan also addressed the case of former head of the Croatian Ski Association Vedran Pavlek, who was arrested in Kazakhstan based on an Interpol warrant on suspicion of embezzling nearly 30 million euros from the association, reports Narodno.hr.
"There are no prescribed deadlines within which they must respond," Habijan said regarding the wait for a decision by Kazakh authorities, adding that the public will be informed as soon as a concrete decision is made, writes ICV Virovitica citing Tportal.
A day earlier, in a Twitter post on July 27, 2026, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced the completion of eight new multi-family buildings in Petrinja with 152 apartments. The investment worth €22.7 million is part of a major reconstruction and revitalization project of Sisak-Moslavina County, according to a post by @VladaRH.
"A great day for the residents of Petrinja! The construction of eight new multi-family buildings with 152 apartments has been completed," Plenković wrote. In Sisak, keys for 57 apartments in three new buildings worth nearly €30 million were handed over. This brings the total number of completed multi-family buildings in the county to 57, with an eventual 59 buildings and 1,024 apartments once the entire project is finished.
In the past six years, the government has invested a total of €5 billion in post-earthquake reconstruction, with €3 billion in Zagreb and €2 billion in Banovina and other affected areas, according to the Prime Minister's post.
