Croatian Fina calls over 13,000 blocked consumers for simple bankruptcy

The Croatian Financial Agency (Fina) has sent 13,142 invitations this year to consumers whose unpaid principal debt does not exceed €2,654.46 and who have been in continuous payment block for more than three years. Recipients must respond within 15 days, indicating consent or refusal for a simple consumer bankruptcy procedure; lack of response is treated as consent.

So far, 2,795 consumers have replied, of whom 751 agreed to the process. If a court determines that the value of a debtor’s realizable assets is €1,327.23 or less, it may issue an order to open and close the simple bankruptcy, releasing the debtor from remaining obligations. For assets above that threshold, a trustee is appointed to liquidate assets within 12 months.

Since 2019, Fina has submitted 246,775 proposals for simple consumer bankruptcies to courts, with the largest numbers directed to the Municipal Civil Court in Zagreb (≈33,900), followed by courts in Split, Osijek, Novi Zagreb, Rijeka and Bjelovar. The extrajudicial settlement model has virtually disappeared, with only one application filed this year and a total of 16 agreements concluded since 2016.