Three Croatian cities receive ELoGE governance excellence labels

Three Croatian cities—Biograd na Moru, Čakovec, and Varaždin—have been awarded the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) by the Council of Europe for the 2026–2029 period.

The ELoGE is an international recognition certifying that local authorities maintain high standards of democratic governance. The accreditation process, implemented in Croatia by the Association of Cities, involves a multi-level evaluation based on 12 principles, including human rights, the rule of law, transparency, and accountability.

Final scores are determined through a 360-degree assessment: 60% comes from expert evaluations of the 12 governance principles, while the remaining 40% is derived from surveys of citizens (20%), city councilors (10%), and municipal employees (10%).