New Law on the Implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA)

On April 17, 2025, the Law on the Implementation of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 19, 2022, on a Single Market for Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act) entered into force.

What is the importance of the DSA?

• It establishes a set of rules to protect fundamental rights online, such as freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of information, and freedom of opinion without manipulation.
• It applies to all online intermediaries and platforms in the EU (online marketplaces, social networks, content-sharing platforms, etc.)

Digital Services Coordinators

The role of coordinator, i.e., the authority responsible for implementing and enforcing the DSA in Croatia, has been assumed by HAKOM, which, among other duties: Coordinates the work of bodies involved in DSA implementation, holds investigative powers and the authority to assess complaints on the conduct of intermediary service providers, Participates in the work of the European Board for Digital Services, etc.

Order to Remove Illegal Content

The authorities responsible for issuing orders to take action against illegal content are:

• The State Attorney’s Office and the Ministry of the Internal affairs for illegal content that constitutes a criminal offense or misdemeanour,
• The Agency for the Protection of Personal Data for violations of data protection regulations,
• The Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance for infringements of intellectual property rights,
• State Inspector’s Office for violations of regulations within the scope of their inspections, etc.

Appeals against an order to remove illegal content can be submitted to the Municipal Court of Minor Offences in Zagreb.

Fines

For breaches of obligations established under the DSA, the following fines are prescribed: From €6,630.00 to €66,360.00 or up to 6% of the provider’s annual worldwide turnover, And from €1,320.00 to €6,630.00 for the responsible person.

Some Important Deadlines:

• HAKOM will publish information on its website on how to submit notifications about the provision of intermediary services within one month of the publication of this Law.
• All intermediary service providers established in the Republic of Croatia are required to submit a notification on the provision of services within three months of HAKOM’s information publication.