Relationship dossier
Croatia
Hungary
Relationship assessment
Cooperation on integration and energy coexists with a longstanding dispute over MOL and INA.
Croatia toward Hungary
+15Croatia has pursued arbitration and legal proceedings over Hungarian company MOL's role in Croatian energy company INA, creating a significant bilateral strain. Croatia also cooperates with Hungary through regional energy links and their shared EU and NATO frameworks.
Hungary toward Croatia
+20Hungary supported Croatia's EU and NATO integration and backed its entry into the Schengen area. Hungary has also cooperated with Croatia on regional energy links. The dispute over MOL's position in INA, including legal proceedings involving MOL's chairman, has complicated relations.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines sustained cooperation on European integration and regional energy connections with a consequential dispute over MOL's role in INA. The integration and energy ties provide a cooperative foundation, while the INA dispute remains a recurring source of friction.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Croatia and Hungary cooperate as neighboring EU and NATO members, including through energy links and Hungary's support for Croatia's EU and Schengen integration. Their relationship has also faced a significant dispute over Hungarian company MOL's role in Croatia's INA oil and gas company, including arbitration and legal proceedings. Cooperation is durable, but the INA dispute has limited the closeness of the partnership.
Areas of tension
- Dispute over MOL's management role and ownership position in Croatia's INA energy company.
- Arbitration and legal proceedings connected to MOL and INA.
Key developments
Hungary supported Croatia's accession to the European Union.
Hungary supported Croatia's entry into the Schengen area.
Croatia and Hungary pursued arbitration and legal proceedings over MOL's role in INA.
Major uncertainties
- The current status and practical effect of arbitration and legal proceedings related to MOL and INA are unclear.
- The scale and continuity of bilateral energy cooperation are unclear.