By signing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union, the Republic of Croatia committed to harmonise its legislation with the acquis communautaire.

The harmonisation process is being implemented through co-operation between state administrative bodies in the phase of the preparation of legislative proposals and the Croatian Parliament in phase of the adoption of laws. In order to participate directly in the process of legislative harmonisation, the Parliament established in 2001 a European Integrations Committee tasked to follow up the harmonisation process.

Since 1 December 2001, state administrative bodies are bound to submit to the Parliament a Statement of Compatibility and an accompanying Table of Concordance of Legislative Provisions of the Republic of Croatia with the Relevant EU Provisions together with the draft texts of new Croatian laws. Furthermore, the Croatian Parliament adopted on 9 October 2002 a Conclusion requiring the Government of Croatia to ensure that only draft acts accompanied by a Statement of Compatibility and the Table of Concordance are forwarded to the Parliament.

In December 2001 the Croatian Parliament amended its Standing Orders articles 136 and 161 to set detailed procedures concerning draft legislation to be harmonised with the EU acquis. In the amended article 136, distinction was made between draft legislation that should be harmonised and other “ordinary” draft legislation. Legislative proposals to be harmonised with the EU acquis carry the mark P.Z.E. The amended Article 161 stipulates that legislative proposals being harmonised with the EU legislation of the European Union shall be enacted under summary procedure if so sought by the sponsor, unless the competent working body (which is either the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System or the Legislation Committee) propose that such legislation be discussed and debated in the first reading due to its failure to comply with the Constitution or the legal system.  In terms of procedure, the article 161 provision basically represents a regular application of summary procedure for legislation that is being harmonized with EU acquis. Unlike the case of other draft legislation, voting on enabling the use of summary procedure for P.Z.E. legislation is not required.