Press Release - AmCham’s Presented Position Paper Recommendations for the adoption of the Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels

„In order to enable the development of the infrastructure for alternative fuels, all for the purpose of meeting the needs of current and future drivers, primarily of electric vehicles, many Member States have adopted plans and a legislative framework for achieving European objectives regarding the infrastructure and increase in the number of electric vehicles on roads. Therefore, AmCham is proposing to define the Croatian national Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels based on the Polish Act, adapted to national specificities,” said Doko Jelušić presenting the AmCham’s Recommendations for the adoption of the Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels and the programming of electromobility projects into the Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union at the meeting with Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak and the State Secretary Velimir Žunac. In addition to Executive Director of AmCham, the meeting was also attended by Dino Novosel, Deputy Chairman of AmCham’s Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Committee and Global Executive E-Mobility Leader for Deutsche Telekom Europe, as well as Dražen Malbašić, Policy Manager in AmCham.

Since it adopted the Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels that defines national regulations regarding the development of electromobility, but also the exact competencies and obligations of individual stakeholders in the system, as well as the financing of the implementation of legally defined objectives, Poland is often referred to as an example of good practice.

In addition to the adoption of the Act, AmCham is proposing the programming of electromobility projects into the Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union, which relate to:

• the establishment of a national network of fast and ultra-fast charging stations for electric vehicles within local and regional self-government units, networked in a pan-European network, and provision of digital charging services,
• the electrification of public passenger transport.

Since climate change and digitization are priority areas of the MMF, electromobility projects are in line with the key goals of the EU for the upcoming 7-year period.

Minister Tramišak welcomed AmCham’s initiative proposing sustainable projects in the transport sector. She also added that there was a significant number of projects prepared for the next financial period, which is a good indicator of readiness for future investment in Croatia.

“The American Chamber of Commerce in Croatia has recognized the transport sector as a sector which generates a quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. The European Green Deal, a strategic act of the European Union, clearly defines the direction of sustainable transport that basically relies on electromobility as a lever for the reduction of greenhouse and harmful exhaust gas emissions in the transport sector, and Croatia is in the group of countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe which are lagging behind when it comes to available infrastructure for charging,” added Andrea Doko Jelušić, Executive Director of AmCham.