Data centre regulation in Croatia
Our tracker lists 11 rules for building and running a data centre in Croatia, national and EU, and 8 of them are in force.
Each comes with its status, who it applies to and the next date that matters. When a rule here changes, the change is logged below with its date.
- 8 of 11rules that apply, in forceRegulation tracker, updated 19 Oct 2026
- 3not yet in forceproposed, adopted or in scrutiny
- 14 Dec 2026next date, EURegulation tracker, updated 19 Oct 2026
Rules that apply in Croatia
National rules first, then the EU rules every member state applies. Status as on the tracker.
| Rule | Level | Status | Applies to | Next date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency Act (Narodne novine 155/2025), article 38 paragraphs 1 to 4 (data centre reporting); duty first created by the amending act in Narodne novine 40/2025 | National | In force since 15 March 2025 (Narodne novine 40/2025, published 7 March 2025); current text from the Energy Efficiency Act in force since 1 January 2026 | New and existing sites. Operators of data centres in Croatia with installed IT power of 500 kW or more report to the European data centre database; they must notify the Ministry by letter if IT power falls below 500 kW; data centres for defence and civil protection excluded; fine 2,650 to 66,360 euros for a legal person (article 62) | 15 May 2027 (annual deadline 15 May) |
| Energy Efficiency Act (Narodne novine 155/2025), article 38 paragraphs 5 and 6 (efficiency measures and waste heat priority) | National | In force since 1 January 2026 | New and existing sites. Operators of data centres in Croatia with installed IT power of 1 MW or more must carry out energy efficiency measures, give priority to waste heat use under the heat market rules and enter the measures in the national energy savings monitoring system; fine 2,650 to 66,360 euros for a legal person (article 62) | No date published |
| Heat Energy Market Act, article 15 paragraph 9 point 5, as amended by Narodne novine 67/2025; method in the cost-benefit analysis rulebook (Narodne novine 129/2025) | National | In force since 17 April 2025 (Narodne novine 67/2025, published 9 April 2025); rulebook in force since 23 October 2025 | New and significantly reconstructed sites. Data centres with total rated input power above 1 MW that are planned or significantly reconstructed under the construction law: cost-benefit analysis of waste heat use and connection to district heating or an efficient district heating and cooling system | No date published |
| Heat Energy Market Act, article 15 paragraph 14 (waste heat use), as amended by Narodne novine 67/2025 | National | In force since 17 April 2025 (Narodne novine 67/2025, published 9 April 2025) | New and existing sites. Data centres with total rated input power above 1 MW must use waste heat or other waste heat applications, unless they show under the cost-benefit analysis that this is not technically or economically feasible | No date published |
| Cybersecurity Act (Narodne novine 14/2024, NIS2 transposition), articles 4, 22, 23 and 26 (data centre service providers) | National | In force since 15 February 2024 (published 7 February 2024) | New and existing sites. Data centre service providers established in Croatia: entered in the special register of the central cybersecurity authority and must supply their register data; those categorised as essential or important entities must apply risk management measures within one year of the categorisation notice | No date published |
| EED reporting, Article 12 and Delegated Regulation 2024/1364 | EU | In force | New and existing sites. Data centres ≥500 kW installed IT power | 15 May 2027, next annual report |
| EED waste heat, Article 26(6) | EU | In force | New and existing sites. Data centres >1 MW total rated energy input | Ongoing duty |
| EED energy management systems, Article 11 | EU | In force as a Directive duty on Member States; deadline not yet reached | Enterprises, including data-centre operators, with average annual energy consumption above 85 TJ (23.6 GWh) over the previous three years, all energy carriers together | 11 October 2027, certified energy management system in place |
| EU rating scheme, delegated regulation adopted 21 Sep 2026 | EU | Adopted, in Parliament and Council scrutiny | New and existing sites. Same ≥500 kW reporting population | In force 20 days after Official Journal publication, if not objected to |
| EU minimum performance standards | EU | Consultation open | Not yet defined | 14 December 2026, consultation closes |
| Cloud and AI Development Act, COM(2026) 502 | EU | Proposal, with Parliament and Council | Cloud and AI infrastructure providers broadly | No fixed date |
Croatia in detail
What the national rules say, with the legal texts.
Croatia has written both EU data centre duties into national law and added one of its own. Since 17 April 2025, data centres with total rated input power above 1 MW must use their waste heat unless a cost-benefit analysis shows it is not technically or economically feasible, and the analysis is required when such a centre is planned or significantly reconstructed, under the amended Heat Energy Market Act. Operators with 500 kW or more of installed IT power must report to the European database by 15 May each year, and since 1 January 2026 those at 1 MW of IT power or more must also carry out efficiency measures and give priority to waste heat use. Fines for these energy efficiency duties run from 2,650 to 66,360 euros for a company.
Dates to watch
The next dates for Croatia and the EU, soonest first.
- 14 Dec 2026The EU Commission's minimum performance standards consultation and call for evidence closes
- 15 May 2027EU database dueevery year
- 11 Oct 2027EU deadline under Article 11 of the Energy Efficiency Directive for a certified energy management system at enterprises above 85 TJ (23.6 GWh) of annual energy consumption
Formal refusals and bans since 2025
Verified decisions only.
No formal refusal or ban recorded for Croatia; absence is not evidence of low planning risk.
Decisions from 1 Jan 2025; statuses checked 21 Oct 2026.
What changed
The latest changes to these rules on the tracker, newest first.
- 18 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: EED energy management systems, Article 11 (In force as a Directive duty on Member States; deadline not yet reached).
- 15 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: Energy Efficiency Act (Narodne novine 155/2025), article 38 paragraphs 1 to 4 (data centre reporting); duty first created by the amending act in Narodne novine 40/2025 (In force since 15 March 2025 (Narodne novine 40/2025, published 7 March 2025); current text from the Energy Efficiency Act in force since 1 January 2026).
- 15 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: Energy Efficiency Act (Narodne novine 155/2025), article 38 paragraphs 5 and 6 (efficiency measures and waste heat priority) (In force since 1 January 2026).
- 15 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: Heat Energy Market Act, article 15 paragraph 9 point 5, as amended by Narodne novine 67/2025; method in the cost-benefit analysis rulebook (Narodne novine 129/2025) (In force since 17 April 2025 (Narodne novine 67/2025, published 9 April 2025); rulebook in force since 23 October 2025).
- 15 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: Heat Energy Market Act, article 15 paragraph 14 (waste heat use), as amended by Narodne novine 67/2025 (In force since 17 April 2025 (Narodne novine 67/2025, published 9 April 2025)).
- 15 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: Cybersecurity Act (Narodne novine 14/2024, NIS2 transposition), articles 4, 22, 23 and 26 (data centre service providers) (In force since 15 February 2024 (published 7 February 2024)).
Questions
Which rules apply to a data centre in Croatia?
Our tracker lists 11 rules for building and running a data centre in Croatia, national and EU, and 8 of them are in force.
What is the next date for data centre rules in Croatia?
The next date is 14 Dec 2026: the EU Commission's minimum performance standards consultation and call for evidence closes.
Sources
From the European data-centre regulation tracker, which cites the legal text for every rule. Data-centre market data for Croatia.
Not legal advice. Confirm each duty against the text itself.