By adopting the first Asylum Act in 2004, the Republic of Croatia undertook to build an asylum system - international and temporary protection. In those 18 years, many steps forward and backward steps have been taken, and the situation of accepting nearly 15,000 people affected by the war in Ukraine has shown that the system can do a lot when there is the political will to do so. Refugees who have fled and are fleeing wars, violence, human rights violations, persecution, and torture - need and deserve protection. International and temporary protection are moral, but also a legal obligation of the Republic of Croatia, which must ensure the reception of refugees and act in solidarity in order to alleviate the unimaginably difficult situation in which they find themselves. An important aspect of the system of international and temporary protection is integration - which means a two-way process of integration into society, where the receiving society creates quality and sustainable conditions for all those who came to it as new members of society and granted international and temporary protection. . The practice so far has shown that the legislative framework ensures the realization of the rights of persons who are in the status of asylum seekers or have been granted international protection. For years, we have been warning about the difficulties and challenges that individuals face in practicing these rights, and we make recommendations for improving the system. For many years, these recommendations were ignored, but the recent situation has shown that the practice can be changed overnight. Having in mind the whole aspect of the integration system and the possible recurrence of challenges, we present in detail the recommendations for improving the system in all departments that are part of the integration system: interdepartmental cooperation, right to accommodation, education, employment, health care, and social protection.

We have to build quality and sustainable integration system for everyone!