Croatia: Law on the Development of Nuclear Energy for Civil Purposes (NN 55/2026)

Croatia enacted a civil nuclear-development framework law (NN 55/2026) that explicitly includes small modular reactors among technologies for a future nuclear plant, sets a programme path toward at least 30% nuclear in annual electricity by 2040, and leaves site selection and later licensing steps to subsequent instruments. This is national programme legislation, not a deployment project.

Category: Laws, rules and executive directives
Status: In effect
Instrument: statute · Narodne novine 55/2026, article 691; adopted 15 May 2026; proclaimed 20 May 2026; published 27 May 2026; in force 4 June 2026
Issued by: Hrvatski sabor (Croatian Parliament)
Jurisdiction: Croatia
Affects: State programme administration, Siting
In effect from: 4 Jun 2026 · actual · day
Expiry or completion: None recorded
Operative text: Croatia: Zakon o razvoju nuklearne energije u civilne svrhe (NN 55/2026) (NN 55/2026 art. 691 (official gazette HTML))
Last checked · next review: 2026-10-06 · 2026-12-04

Legal and geographic scope

National framework statute for civil nuclear-energy development in Croatia. Defines small modular reactors (MMR/SMR), micro nuclear reactors (MNR) and advanced modular reactors; directs a Government Action Plan and a Sabor Programme to 2040; states that nuclear application includes construction of a nuclear power plant including plants using SMRs; requires a separate law to designate the plant site after evaluation. Does not itself authorise construction, select a vendor/design, or licence a reactor.

Not approved or still pending

No plant site is designated (a later separate law is required after evaluation). The Government Action Plan due within six months of entry into force and the Sabor Programme to 2040 due within 12 months after that Plan were not verified as published in this pass. No named SMR design, vendor, or project company is selected in the statute.

Dated lifecycle

15 May 2026 · actual · day · Passed (Croatia: Zakon o razvoju nuklearne energije u civilne svrhe (NN 55/2026))
20 May 2026 · actual · day · Signed — Presidential proclamation of the law. (Croatia: Zakon o razvoju nuklearne energije u civilne svrhe (NN 55/2026))
27 May 2026 · actual · day · Published (Croatia: Zakon o razvoju nuklearne energije u civilne svrhe (NN 55/2026))
4 Jun 2026 · actual · day · Took effect — Eighth day after publication (Article 15). (Croatia: Zakon o razvoju nuklearne energije u civilne svrhe (NN 55/2026))

Definitions in this instrument

mali modularni reaktori (MMR / SMR) (Article 4): Advanced nuclear systems of small and medium power, designed for serial construction, flexible operation and increased safety within Generation III and III+ technologies.
Legal definition used by this Croatian statute only; SMRMap's inclusion rule for SMRs is separate and unchanged.
mikro nuklearni reaktori (MNR) (Article 4): Very small-power nuclear reactors designed to be compact, safe and simple to install.
Legal definition used by this Croatian statute only; SMRMap's inclusion rule for SMRs is separate and unchanged.

Projects or designs named by the source

None. Location in this jurisdiction does not make a project eligible for, or approved under, this measure.

Sources

Croatia: Zakon o razvoju nuklearne energije u civilne svrhe (NN 55/2026) (government_primary, accessed 2026-10-06)
Croatia Ministry of Economy news: final proposal of nuclear development law (government_primary, accessed 2026-10-06)