The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides a comprehensive framework for data protection that applies to all EU Member States. Croatia implemented the GDPR in 2018 through the Law on the Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation.

The Directive 2000/31/EC (E-Commerce Directive) is the legal basis governing the liability of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) in the EU Member States and includes a conditional safe harbour. Not all Member States have transposed the relevant articles consistently, leading to divergent national case law that could cause legal insecurity on an EU level.
In Croatia, safe harbours are mainly defined in the Act on Electronic Commerce as implementing Directive 2000/31/EC, therefore covering activities of mere conduit, intermediary storage and hosting. Those aspects are provided in Arts. 16-18 of the Act on Electronic Commerce. In addition, Art. 19 contains an exemption for hyperlinks made available by the service provider.

Art. 85 of the Utilities Directive (2014/25/EU) contains provisions allowing contracting public entities to reject foreign goods not covered by any EU international commitments from its tender procedures. In these cases, a tender submitted for the award of a supply contract may be rejected where the proportion of the products originating in third countries exceeds 50% of the total value of the products constituting the tender (Art. 85.2). Additionally, in cases of equivalent offers, the provisions provide for a preference for European tenders and tenders covered by EU's international obligations. In practice, this possibility has rarely been used.
In Croatia, the Directive has been transposed with the Public Procurement Act NN 120-16.

It is reported that the extensive use of state-owned companies limits the impact of ongoing procurement reforms to promote competition for public funds and increases the risk of conflicts of interest. Moreover, despite major progress in increasing transparency, corruption remains a significant concern, considering that, for instance, some stakeholders report the existence of discriminatory technical specifications in public procurement tenders.

Croatian law prohibits any discrimination between investments on the basis of nationality. Foreign investment rules follow a reciprocity principle.

Art. 17 of the Patent Act establishes that foreign companies must act through a representative in order to register a patent with the Croatian Intellectual Property Office. In addition, a translation of the patent shall be provided in Croatian at least two months after filing.

Croatia is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

There is no general principle for the use of copyright-protected material comparable to the fair use/fair dealing principles. Directive 2001/29/EC defines an optional but exhaustive set of limitations from the author´s exclusive rights under the control of the “three-step test” in line with the Berne Convention that establishes three cumulative conditions to the limitations and exceptions of a copyright holder’s rights. The Directive has been transposed by Member States with significant freedom.
Croatia has a clear copyright exception regime, as incorporating European Union Directives relating to copyright. Such limitations are contained in Part IV
(Content limitations on copyright and related rights) of the Copyright Act, which provides, inter alia, the following exceptions:
- Temporary acts of reproduction of the copyrighted work
- Reproduction for private use
- Ephemeral recordings
- Educational and scientific institutions and libraries
- Collections intended for teaching or scientific research
- Use of copyright works for disabled persons
- Use for judicial, administrative or other official proceedings
- Use for teaching
- Use of the copyrighted works to inform the public
- Quotations
- Parodies and caricatures.

Croatia and the European Union have adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty. Croatia ratified the Treaty on 3 July 2000, with its provisions coming into force on 6 March 2002. Subsequently, the European Union ratified the Treaty on 14 December 2009, and it entered into effect on 14 March 2010.

Croatia and the European Union have adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty. Croatia ratified the Treaty on 3 July 2000, with its provisions coming into force on 20 May 2002. Subsequently, the European Union ratified the Treaty on 14 December 2009, and it entered into effect on 14 March 2010.

It is reported that the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is USD 83, below the 200 USD threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Ordinance No. 2012-293, relating to Telecommunications and Information and Communication Technologies, provides a comprehensive consumer protection framework that applies to online transactions.

Côte d'Ivoire has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.