Court case Us I-451/2025-10 – Court Ruling (Croatia, 2026)
General GDPR enforcement action
This case relates to broader data protection obligations, not specifically to cookie or consent banner compliance. It is not included in cookie statistics or the Risk Calculator.
A Croatian court upheld a decision that allowed a media outlet to publish personal information about a public figure. This ruling is significant because it reinforces the idea that public interest can outweigh individual privacy rights in certain cases.
What happened
The media outlet published articles containing personal details about a management board member of a public company.
Who was affected
The management board member whose personal information was published in the articles.
What the authority found
The court ruled that the publication of the personal data was justified by the public interest, and the individual's request for removal was denied.
Why this matters
This case illustrates that when it comes to public figures, the media may have more leeway to disclose personal information. Businesses should understand the implications of public interest when handling sensitive information.
GDPR Articles Cited
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In 2022, a Croatian media outlet published articles about a person (data subject) who was, at the time, a member of the management board of Zagrebački holding d.o.o, a City of Zagreb-owned holding company providing municipal and utility services. The articles disclosed their name, the company where they were employed, their position, gross salary, the model of their personal vehicle, the gross monthly allowance for using a private vehicle, and the amount of a fine imposed by the Croatian Commission for the Resolution of Conflicts of Interest. The data subject held the management board position from September 2021 to March 2023. The data subject lodged a complaint with the Croatian DPA, alleging that the publication infringed their right to the protection of personal data and requesting the removal of the articles. The DPA rejected the complaint and found no violation. It concluded that the published personal data were appropriate, relevant and necessary for informing the public, due to the data subject’s position at the time of publication and because the public interest prevailed. The DPA also found that the public interest in the continued availability of the articles outweighed the data subject’s request for erasure under Article 17 GDPR. It pointed out that Article 17(3)(a) GDPR stipulates that the right to erasure does not apply to the extent that the processing is necessary for the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and information. The DPA considered the Croatian Media Act, noting that it applied as a special law. The Act regulates conditions for media freedom, the rights of journalists and access to public information. The DPA determined that according to Article 8 of the Media Act, there was no violation of the right to privacy if a legitimate public interest prevailed over the protection of privacy in relation to journalistic activities. The data subject contested the DPA’s decision before the Administrative Court of Zagreb. They argued that
Outcome
Court Ruling
A ruling by a national court on a data-protection matter.
Related Cases (0)
No other cases found for Court case Us I-451/2025-10 in HR
This is the only recorded case for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Court case Us I-451/2025-10 - Croatia (2026). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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