The American Chamber of Commerce in Croatia (AmCham) organized a power breakfast on the topic of the opportunities for the business community to take advantage of EU funds, where Mr. Zvonimir Savić, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on economic affairs, spoke to the attendants: “In the next 5 years, Croatia will have at its disposal around 6.3 billion euros of grants from the European Recovery and Resilience Facility. That places us among the Member States with the highest grants in relation to GDP, as high as 12%. The grants are being directed directly towards the economy, which will contribute to an increase in investments in the private sector, as well as provide a boost to GDP. It is therefore expected that in the upcoming years, Croatia will be among the top three fastest-growing economies of the whole EU.”

AmCham believes that Croatia should seize the opportunity brought by the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Multiannual Financial Framework in order to mitigate the lagging of the Croatian economy in terms of technology, the economic and social consequences of the pandemic, and to help the economy and society become more sustainable, resilient and more prepared for the challenges and opportunities brought by the green and digital transition.

“The said funding, a significant part of which are grants, represents an unprecedented opportunity for growth and development and should serve as financial support for the numerous reforms which the Croatian government has announced, including in the economy, public administration and the judicial system, the healthcare system, education, science and research, as well as the labor market and social security. It is of the utmost importance that Croatian institutions be as efficient as they can be, in a situation of unequivocal technical and operational challenges in planning, management, and expenditure of European funds,” concluded Andrea Doko Jelušić, Executive Director at AmCham.

The attendants agreed that, in order to utilize the funds in the best possible way, it would be useful to publish the upcoming tenders in advance, so that the business community can duly prepare.