Mislav Vučić (JGL): Strengthening Agility and Sustainability while Supporting OECD Membership

The pharmaceutical industry operates in conditions of constant change and instability. The rapid advancement of technology, new scientific insights, and constant external pressures that have intensified in recent years – from regulatory requirements, inflation, raw material shortages to increasing geopolitical tensions.

For us at JGL, adapting to these processes is not a reactive response but is integrated into our way of thinking and doing business. Agility and quick adaptation to new circumstances have been our forte in recent years, allowing us to maintain double-digit growth even in conditions where challenges changed from month to month.

This means that we do not wait for the resolution of individual crises but proactively strengthen resilience, secure alternative supply sources, expand production capacities, and enter new technologies… We are focused on sustainable business, so it is no coincidence that we are the first Croatian issuer of SLB bonds in the private non-financial sector, recognized and supported by financial markets. At the same time, we continue to invest in research and development, analyze new therapeutic solutions, and raise internal quality standards. The values on which JGL stands – responsibility, respect, community, and sustainability – are precisely what enables us to grow in an uncertain environment.

I am confident that, regardless of any new demands, rules, and challenges, we will continue to strengthen our position and achieve our ambitiously set goals. We have just come out of a super election year in which nearly four billion people around the world went to the polls. The election results in certain countries had a significant, direct impact on business, but also shaped the broader social and economic context in which we operate.

What has also had an impact are some other geopolitical circumstances – wars, trade tensions, and inflationary pressures, some of which date back to pandemic times. We hope that the period without elections in the years ahead will bring a more stable and peaceful framework for global business. JGL is proud of its flexibility and agility, but it would be a valuable experience to see how these advantages function in conditions of broader global stability. Croatia’s entry into the OECD would be an important signal for us as it confirms that the country shares the highest international standards of transparency, governance, and economic framework.

This raises the credibility of the state, requires the authorities to raise standards in the area of public policies, regulatory frameworks, and institutional governance, as well as the companies operating within it, as investors recognize and value such signals. For JGL, this means potentially more favorable access to capital, even stronger partner confidence, and additional confirmation of the sustainability of our strategies. We continue to operate according to standards aligned with the best global practices, and OECD membership can provide Croatia with an additional lever in strengthening competitiveness and attracting investments.