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In Croatia there are two Reception Centres for Applicants of International Protection:
| Capacity and occupancy of Reception Centres for Asylum Seekers: 2023 | |||
| Centre | Location | Maximum capacity | Occupancy at the end of December,2023 |
| Hotel Porin | City of Zagreb | 600 | 471 |
| Kutina | 80km from Zagreb | 300 | 80 |
| Total | 900 | 551 | |
In 2019, the renovation of the Reception Centre in Zagreb was finalised. The Croatian Red Cross assessed that living conditions greatly improved thanks to renovation.[1] In 2022, the Reception Centre in Kutina was closed due to the renovation of the facility. The renovation was realised as part of the project “Renovation of the Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection in Kutina” that was implemented from January 2020 to September 2022. The implementation of the project improved the conditions of accommodation and stay of applicants in the Reception Centre, as well as the working conditions of officials and other personnel.[2]
As a result of the project, the accommodation capacity of the Reception Centre in Kutina increased by 40 places (from 100 to 140). In addition, within the framework of the AMIF fund, three more projects were implemented in the course of 2022, with the purpose of improving the reception and accommodation conditions for the applicants for international protection.[3]
According to the information provided by the Ministry of Interior, in 2023, capacity of the Reception Centre in Kutina was 300. As for the statistics on the occupancy in both centres, during 2023, in Reception Centres for applicants for International Protection in Zagreb and Kutina more than 34,000 people were accommodated. At the end of December 2023, 551 applicants were accommodated in Reception Centres in Zagreb and Kutina, while 24 were accommodated in private accommodation.[4]
Both reception centres are managed directly by the Ministry of Interior. The centre in Kutina is designated for the accommodation of vulnerable applicants..
In January 2021, the Directorate for European Affairs, International Relations and European Union Funds of the Ministry of the Interior adopted a decision on the allocation of AMIF funds for the project “Procurement of equipment for needs of MoI’s Service for reception and accommodation of applicants for international protection and Service for international protection- NOP2”. The purpose of the project is to equip reception centres in accordance with the best European practice to improve the quality of life of applicants as well as the working conditions for State officials.[5] In April 2021, the decision on the allocation of AMIF funds for the project “Increase of accommodation capacity of the Reception Centre for applicants for international protection in Zagreb” was adopted.[6]
During 2023, the Directorate for European Affairs, International Relations and Funds of the European Union of the Ministry of Interior made two decisions on the allocation of additional financial resources (75% from national AMIF, 25% from state budget) for the implementation of the project aimed at maintaining an adequate level of accommodation in Reception Centres for Applicants for International Protection.[7]
[1] Information provided by Croatian Red Cross, 20 December 2019.
[2] Ministry of Interior, Successful completion of the project “Renovation of the Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection in Kutina”, available at: https://bit.ly/3MEvOYC.
[3] Croatian Law Centre, The Croatian Asylum System in 2022 – National Report. The report was prepared as part of the project “Legal Assistance and Capacity Building for Access to Territory and Asylum in Croatia“, with financial support of the UNHCR Croatia: available in English at: https://bit.ly/434T7RL.
[4] Information provided by the Ministry of Interior, 8 March 2024.
[5] Ministry of Interior, Decision on the allocation of AMIF funds for the project “Procurement of equipment for needs of MoI’s Service for reception and accommodation of applicants for international protection and Service for international protection- NOP2”,available in Croatian: https://bit.ly/3hIqzIi.
[6] Ministry of Interior, Decision on the allocation of AMIF funds for the project “Increase of accommodation capacity of the Reception Centre for applicants for international protection in Zagreb”, available in Croatian: https://bit.ly/3vL8AJm.
[7] Ministry of Interior, Decisions on the allocation of additional financial resources for the implementation of the project aimed at maintaining an adequate level of accommodation in Reception Centres for Applicants for International Protection, available in Croatian at: https://bit.ly/3VMQl2Y.