Directorate for the European Union and International Cooperation is an internal organisational unit of the Ministry that performs administrative, professional and coordinative tasks related to international cooperation and acting within the framework of the European Union.
It harmonises and immediately implements tasks related to the succession of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and cooperation of the Government of the Republic of Croatia with the International Court of Justice, with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court and their existing and future criminal courts.
Furthermore, it analyses the court practice of the Court of Justice of the European Union and it participates in drafting of strategic documents for protection and improvement of human rights and national minorities' rights and follows their application in the area of the judiciary.
The Directorate performs professional and coordinative tasks related to meeting the benchmarks undertaken by the accession negotiations and criteria for the membership in the European Union from the area of judiciary, it coordinates the tasks of the Ministry’s organisational units whose representatives will participate in the activities of the European Union institutions, it monitors, coordinates and participates in the process of adjusting the Croatian judicial system to the European judicial system.
The Directorate performs administrative, professional and coordinative tasks related to multilateral and bilateral cooperation in the judiciary, it coordinates the Ministry's international activities and it organises, evaluates and coordinates the tasks of the Ministry and other state administration bodies regarding the succession.
The Directorate performs administrative and professional tasks related to the international legal aid in criminal and civil issues; tasks related to extradition; preparation, drafting and enforcement of international agreements in international legal aid issues, and tasks related to judicial cooperation and coordination regarding the application of judicial cooperation in criminal and citizen issues with the EU member states. It also performs other tasks from its scope.
The following organisational units are established within the Directorate for the European Union and International Cooperation:
- Sector for the European Union and International Cooperation
- Sector for the International Legal Aid and Judicial Cooperation with the EU Member States
- Service for Cooperation with the International and Other Courts
Scope of work of the Directorate for the European Union and International Cooperation is stipulated by the Decree on Internal Organisation of the Ministry of Justice (OG 28/2012).