Croatia to mandate anchored prices and digital price lists

Starting October 1, 2026, Croatia will implement new price transparency regulations affecting retailers and service providers. Businesses must display a ‘anchored price’ alongside current prices to show how much costs have changed. For most goods and services, the anchored price will be the one recorded on September 10, 2026. Certain categories, such as food, beverages, and cosmetics, will continue to use a reference price from May 2, 2025.

A significant component of the mandate requires any business with a website—including small service providers like hair salons or mechanics—to publish price lists in machine-readable XML or CSV formats. Traditional formats like PDFs, images, or plain text will no longer be compliant. Failure to adhere to these digital standards can result in fines of up to 30,000 euros.

Business organizations, including the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) and the Croatian Chamber of Economy, have expressed concerns regarding the administrative and technical burden these rules place on micro and small enterprises. Critics argue the short adaptation period and the complexity of the digital requirements may disproportionately impact small businesses compared to large retail chains.