HISTORY
The history of the Croatian Red Cross began in 1878 with the establishment of the first voluntary humanitarian associations in Zadar, Dubrovnik and Zagreb, which operated in accordance with the internationally accepted decisions from 1863. On 22 October 1878, the Zadar Humanitarian Association was the first to receive the official approval for humanitarian activity, thus starting the organised work of the Red Cross in Croatia.
From 1878 to 1991, the Red Cross in Croatia operated as part of various state organisations of the Red Cross. The turning point occurred on 10 October 1991 when the Croatian Red Cross became an independent national society.
On 25 August 1993, the International Committee of the Red Cross recognised the Croatian Red Cross as a national society, making it the 158th member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Since 25 October of the same year, it has been a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
During the Croatian Homeland War, the Croatian Red Cross had one of the key humanitarian roles in the country. More than 600,000 people received humanitarian aid, more than 332 million kilograms of food and 116 million kilograms of other aid were distributed, and more than 250,000 displaced persons were provided with psychosocial support. During the same period, more than a million blood units were collected for the needs of the healthcare system.
A particularly important role was played by the Croatian Red Cross Tracing Service, which solved more than 16,000 cases of missing persons, forwarded more than 1.5 million family messages, organised reunions of separated family members and participated in the identification of victims of the Homeland War.
CROATIAN RED CROSS BODIES
The work of the Croatian Red Cross is managed by the General Assembly, the President and the Vice-Presidents, the Governing Board, the Executive President and the Supervisory Board.
The Croatian Red Cross General Assembly is the highest governing and decision-making body of the Croatian Red Cross. The President of the Croatian Red Cross is the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Governing Board. The Croatian Red Cross has two vice-presidents. The President of the Croatian Red Cross is Željko Grubišić, and the Vice-Presidents are Antun Franković and Branka Hastor.
The Governing Board is the executive body of the General Assembly responsible for the work of the Croatian Red Cross between sessions of the General Assembly.
The Supervisory Board of the Croatian Red Cross supervises the financial and material operations of the Croatian Red Cross, and reports on its work to the Governing Board and the General Assembly.
The Executive President of the Croatian Red Cross manages the Headquarters, is responsible for the implementation of the tasks entrusted to the Headquarters and implements the decisions of the Croatian Red Cross bodies. The Executive President reports to the Governing Board and the General Assembly. The position of the Executive President of the Croatian Red Cross is held by Robert Markt.
INTERNAL ORGANISATION OF THE CROATIAN RED CROSS
The Croatian Red Cross is a national Red Cross society that operates impartially and without discrimination on the territory of the Republic of Croatia, for the purpose of promoting and achieving humanitarian goals and programs of general benefit. CRC enjoys special protection and support of the Republic of Croatia. Within the Croatian Red Cross there are 112 municipal and city Red Cross local branches and 20 county Red Cross local branches , all with legal personality. The City Red Cross Branch of Zagreb also has the status of a county branch.
LEGAL BASIS
According to its legal structure, the Croatian Red Cross is an association that bases its work on the Croatian Red Cross Act (“Official Gazette”, numbers 71/2010 and 136/2020), the Associations Act (“Official Gazette”, numbers 74/2014 , 70/2017, 98/19 and 151/22) and the Statute of the Croatian Red Cross adopted by the Croatian Red Cross General Assembly at its session held on 16 December 2024 (“Official Gazette”, number 21/25).
Fundamental Principles
As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the Croatian Red Cross is guided in its work by the Fundamental Principles of the Movement .
International Humanitarian Law
The legal basis for the work of the Croatian Red Cross in the field of international humanitarian law derives from the treaties on international humanitarian law and national legislation.
At its session held on 13 November 1992, the Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted the "Decision on the publication of multilateral international treaties to which the Republic of Croatia is a party on the basis of the notification of succession" ("Official Gazette", number 1/92).
By becoming a party to the aforementioned treaties of international humanitarian law , the Republic of Croatia has accepted the obligations arising from them.
RED CROSS EMBLEM AND NAME PROTECTION
The Croatian Red Cross notes that all individuals as well as organisations, communities, associations, companies - public or private - are prohibited at all times from unauthorised use of the emblem or name "Red Cross", as well as any emblem or name that imitates them.
For the purpose of complying with the rules relating to the use of the Red Cross emblem, the name "Croatian Red Cross", as well as the prevention of its use and misuse, the Croatian Red Cross notes that the right to use the name "Croatian Red Cross" is exclusively vested in the National Society of the Croatian Red Cross, its bodies and organisational forms and that no one may use the emblem of the Red Cross or the name of the Red Cross unless authorised to do so by the Geneva Conventions and the Croatian Red Cross Act.
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION
The Croatian Red Cross is the data controller of the data subjects' personal data and processes them in accordance with the applicable regulations, including Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) and the Act on the Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (Official Gazette, No. 42/2018). You can send your request for personal data protection to the Croatian Red Cross as follows:
by regular mail to Ulica Crvenog križa 14, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia or by e-mail to: sluzbenik-za-zop@hck.hr .
We will enable you to exercise these data subjects' rights in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation within reasonable time and without undue delay.
If you have an objection to the processing of personal data, you can send it by e-mail to: redcross@hck.hr.
The supervisory authority for personal data protection in the Republic of Croatia is the Personal Data Protection Agency, Selska cesta 136, 10 000 Zagreb .
Additional information regarding the exercise of the right to personal data protection can be requested from the Data Protection Officer of the Croatian Red Cross at the e-mail address: sluzbenik-za-zop@hck.hr .
