Smart County – What Is It and How to Achieve It?

In recent years, the media has frequently reported on “Smart” cities, counties, and states. Words like “smart” or “e” have become part of everyday life, which is not surprising given the level of information and technological development in society.

At the conference Smart County of Zagreb, held on Monday at the International Hotel, organized by the Zagreb County, the Department for EU Funds, Regional and International Cooperation, and the Business Weekly Lider, an attempt was made to answer the question of what a “Smart” county actually is, why it should become one, and how to achieve it.

Numerous conference attendees had the opportunity to hear how Zagreb County has succeeded in becoming “smart,” the ways of implementing modern technology for a better life for citizens, and a simpler way of operating for the county administration. County Prefect Stjepan Kožić, in his opening remarks, praised the county’s achievements, highlighting that in 2014 they ranked third among all counties in net profit, amounting to 546 million kuna, that they ranked third in the development index of the third group of counties, and how they are just one point away from entering the elite club of the best, as well as being one of three counties along with the City of Zagreb that contributes more to the state budget than they receive.

– In our county, it takes 24 hours to issue a building permit, of course, provided that all documents are in order. This year, several logistics centers have opened, and several projects are underway, all worth several hundred million kuna. The application and development of digital technologies in the world obliges us to implement them in Zagreb County, emphasized Prefect Kožić.

Professor Mario Kovač from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) at the University of Zagreb briefly explained what a “smart county” is.

– If we use a definition, it would sound like this – it is a space where high technologies try to assist various segments of society with the aim of achieving higher goals. And these high technologies are growing rapidly. The digital economy today grows seven times faster than other economies. As much as 90 percent of jobs today require certain IT skills, and the internet actually creates five new jobs for every two offline jobs that are lost, said Kovač.

Ivica Perica, director in the business consulting department of Deloitte Adriatics, states that counties have certain obligations and responsibilities towards society, such as healthcare, education, economy, and administration.

– Why a smart county? They create and enhance the quality of life, increase resident satisfaction, provide easier access to public administration information, reduce resource costs, and services are consolidated, highlighted Perica.

There are various projects in Europe that provide excellent examples of using modern technologies to enhance the quality of life and strengthen the economy. Some of them include Barcelona, Hamburg, and Denmark. All these examples use new technologies to make the lives of their citizens simpler and better.

The conference also featured a round table on the topic “Smart County for a Competitive Zagreb County,” discussing the importance of new technologies, developing strategies for the development of counties and cities, and the mutual cooperation of local government units.

At the end of the conference, Mladen Vedriš presented several data and conclusions about the potential territorial reorganization of the state, which has been increasingly discussed lately.

“According to the latest data, we have 159 municipalities with up to 2,000 inhabitants. Various analyses have shown that it is necessary to have regional centers that will successfully implement projects, strategies, and be drivers of development. Estimates suggest that there should be 17 such centers in Croatia, which is very close to the current number of counties. Therefore, should we abolish counties – no, but we need to give them content so they can be even more functional before we discuss their number, concluded Vedriš.