Zagreb, Croatia — February 4, 2026 — Croatia has amended its national legislation to implement the EU mercury Regulation (EU) 2024/1849 to phase out dental amalgam. The amendments clarify the responsibilities of inspection authorities, define penalties, and structure the mandatory reporting to the European Commission.
Key Points of the Legislation:
1. Designated Inspectors and Enforcement Powers
- Sanitary inspectors oversee export, import, production, and market placement of mercury-containing products.
- Environmental protection inspectors oversee waste management and other environmental obligations.
- Health inspectors supervise healthcare institutions, private practices, and commercial healthcare providers.
- Inspectors may order rectification of deficiencies, prohibit the use or trade of mercury-containing products, and enforce EU regulation provisions directly.
2. Reporting
- The Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) collects data on mercury usage, imported or produced dental amalgam, and other mercury-related measures.
- HZJZ submits annual summaries to the Ministry of Health for reporting to the European Commission in compliance with Articles 18(1)(f) and 1(a) of Regulation (EU) 2017/852.
- Economic operators must provide information on mercury emission reduction measures, including technologies used in crematoria, for Commission reporting purposes.
3. Penalties for Non-Compliance
- General violations of mercury regulations: €6,630 – €13,270.
- Officials of legal entities failing to maintain traceability or submit required data: €660 – €1,320.
- Unauthorized use of dental amalgam:
- Legal entities: €2,500 – €5,000 (unless medically necessary under Article 10(2a) of Regulation (EU) 2017/852).
- Individuals in legal entities: €500 – €1,000.
- Sole proprietors or independent practitioners: €500 – €1,000.
- Additional fines apply for failures to establish traceability registers for temporary storage, conversion, or solidification of waste mercury, and for failure to submit import and production data for dental amalgam.
The law enters into force on the eighth day following its publication in the Official Gazette, ensuring immediate legal enforceability of the dental amalgam ban, robust oversight, and annual EU reporting obligations.
Law on amendments and supplements to the law on the implementation of regulation (EU) 2017/852
Further Information: