Enhancing the Quality of the Legal Framework in Higher Education in the Republic of Croatia

Project title: Enhancing the Quality of the Legal Framework in Higher Education in the Republic of Croatia
Project acronym: EduLex
Project number: uniri-mzi-25-36
Project financing: European Union – NextGenerationEU
Project duration: 1 October 2025 – 30 September 2029
Total value of the project (EUR): 78,445.11
Legal disclaimer: The project is financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.

Name and surname: Prof. Dr. Dario Đerđa
E-mail: dario.derda@pravri.uniri.hr

• Assoc. Prof. Ines Matić Matešković, ines.matic@pravri.uniri.hr
• Assoc. Prof. Stjepan Gadžo, stjepan.gadzo@pravri.uniri.hr
• Assoc. Prof. Dana Dobrić Jambrović, dana.dobric@pravri.uniri.hr
• Prof. Dr. Željko Bartulović, zeljko.bartulovic@pravri.uniri.hr
• Prof. Dr. Ksenija Grubišić, ksenija.grubisic@pravo.hr
• Assist. Prof. Mirza Hebib, m.hebib@pfsa.unsa.ba
• Prof. Dr. Maciej Serowaniec, mserowaniec@umk.pl
• Prof. Dr. Piotr Rączka, raczka@umk.pl
• Prof. Dr. Dobrosav Milovanović, bata@ius.bg.ac.rs
• Prof. Dr. Dejan Vučetić, dvucetic@prafak.ni.ac.rs

Doctoral students:

• Paula Šamanić Matijević, paula.samanic@pravri.uniri.hr
• Luka Nalis, luka.nalis@pravri.uniri.hr
• Eva Ružić, eva.ruzic@pravri.uniri.hr

In 2022, a new Act on Higher Education and Scientific Activity was adopted, accompanied by a series of regulations and general acts within the higher education system. This significantly changed the previous legal framework for higher education. Numerous inconsistencies and contradictions within the Act and related regulations, as well as difficulties in their practical application, have been highlighted by the professional public. Therefore, the aim of this project is to scientifically analyze the normative framework of higher education in Croatia, and to identify its strengths and weaknesses, with the goal of ensuring uniform and correct application and protecting the rights of both employees and students.

Aiming to conduct scientific research on the quality of the normative framework in Croatia, the project is focused on examining not only the Croatian context but also selected EU countries and several countries that shared Croatia’s higher education legacy until 1991. In this way, examples of good regulatory practice and weaknesses arising from comparative legal solutions will be identified. A specific empirical method (focus groups) will be used to gain adequate and realistic insights into the actual challenges in applying higher education law in these countries.

Guided by this idea, the research team consists of experts with extensive experience in managerial positions within the higher education systems of six countries. Their specific competencies and backgrounds can significantly contribute to achieving the project’s objectives. Additionally, the research team has been strengthened by the inclusion of three PhD candidates, who will gain scientific experience and direct their research toward the field of university law – a currently neglected area in Croatia.

The main outcome of the project, alongside numerous published scientific papers and presentations at academic conferences, is the development of recommendations for improving the normative framework of higher education in the Republic of Croatia and raising awareness among stakeholders about the importance of this framework for the quality of higher education.

Project goals:

• Develop proposals to improve legislation and implementation acts in the higher education system.
• Analyze the existing normative framework of higher education in Croatia.
• Identify key legal and practical challenges in the regulation of higher education.
• Raise awareness among stakeholders about the importance of the normative framework for the quality of higher education.

Expected results:

• In addition to numerous published papers and scientific presentations, the main outcome of the project is the creation of recommendations for enhancing the normative framework of higher education in Croatia and increasing stakeholder awareness of its importance for higher education quality.

Key words:

• law, higher education, quality of regulations, university law