The Environmental Protection Act stipulates that the State of the Environment Report is prepared every four years, and contains the data on the state of the environment in Croatia, the data on the environmental impact of individual projects, assessment of implemented measures and their efficiency, analysis of results achieved by implementation of the Strategy and the Environmental Protection Program, assessment of control carried out during the period, and the like. The Report is the ground for future amendments of different strategic and planning documents, primary and secondary regulation in the field of the environmental protection. The State of the Environment Report development is co-ordinated by the relevant Ministry (MEPPPC), and different institutions, state authorities and companies authorised for collecting, processing and analysis of the environmental data are also involved. The Croatian Government submits the Report to the Croatian Parliament.

Since the Republic of Croatia participates in the international initiative Environment for Europe, UN/ECE, one of assumed commitments is preparation of the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP). In 1999, the collaboration started between the Ministry (MEPPPC) and the World Bank on project on the Environmental Protection Policy Development and Institutional Capacity Building, and the result of this collaboration was National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP)  (Official Gazette 46/2002).

The Environmental Protection Act defines the environment as natural ambient: air, soil, water and sea, climate, flora and fauna in their interaction, and the cultural heritage as a part of man-made environment. Consequently, the State of the Environment Report dedicates one of its sections to the state of air in Croatia, climate change, ground-level ozone, and ozone layer protection.

Below is a summary on air, climate change and ozone layer depletion from the 2003 Draft State of the Environment Report:

Air Pollution

The pollution emissions are decreasing or remaining at the same level, but for the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission.

An obvious air quality improvement trend has recently been noticed in large cities. However, the major problems of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emission still remain.

Due to the long-range transboundary pollution, Croatia receives more pollution than it exports.

The international protocols for emission abatement have proven efficient. Outside urban areas, increased concentrations of ground-level ozone and excessive nitrogen precipitations have been recorded.

Climate Change

The greenhouse gas emissions in Croatia are relatively low.

The largest damage caused by the climate change Croatia could suffer from increase in sea level, changes in hydrology and impacts on agriculture.

Outside urban areas, increased concentrations of ground-level ozone and excessive nitrogen precipitations are recorded.

Ozone Layer Depletion

Total consumption of substances that deplete the ozone layer (SDOL) has considerably decreased since 1991. The cooling and air-conditioning equipment sector is the major consumer of the SDOL. So far, Croatia initiated seven projects (some still under way) related to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol which deals with the ozone layer protection and consumption of substances that deplete the ozone layer.

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