Croatian Environment Agency is an independent public institution established by a decision of the government of the Republic of Croatia to collect, integrate, and process environmental data.
The need to establish the Croatian Environment Agency as a focal institution into which all relevant environmental data will be channelled has been defined:
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In the basic strategic environmental protection document - the Environmental Protection Strategy of the Republic of Croatia, which dedicates a separate section to the need for establishment of an independent and specialised Agency and its objectives, defining it as a central professional body and a potential promoter of sustainable development;
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By Implementation Plan for the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Community and its Member States and the Republic of Croatia (Article 81 on establishment of the Croatian Environment Agency);
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By the need to upgrade the infrastructure necessary for efficient enforcement of the environmental policy (Ministry, Agency, Fund);
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Through harmonisation of the Croatian legal and institutional environmental protection framework with that of the European Union.