In the financial perspective 2021–2027, Croatia has at its disposal 14.46 billion euros from all programs of the Multiannual Financial Framework. While the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds emphasizes that Croatia is ‘above the EU average with 56.2 percent’ in terms of contracts and ranks 12th (in terms of contracts) in Europe, Davor Nikolić, director and founder of Omnia Solutions, states that the focus should be on payments rather than on contracted amounts.
– Currently, Croatia is at 7.8 percent in terms of payments. The only countries with worse or equally poor results are Austria (7.7 percent) and Spain (5.4 percent). The most successful countries, such as the Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, and Estonia, currently have over 20 percent of funds paid out, while the EU average is around 13–14 percent – says Nikolić.
The Ministry, on the other hand, emphasizes that by ‘mid-October 2025, 365 calls worth a total of 8.91 billion euros (61.63 percent of the total allocation) have been announced, of which 7.80 billion euros (53.97 percent of the total allocation) have been contracted, and 2.71 billion euros (18.72 percent of the allocated funds) have been approved for reimbursement requests.
However, Nikolić counters that ‘claims of around 50 percent of secured funds often refer to contracted or reserved amounts, not to actual payments to users. Such figures are important for monitoring planning, but they do not mean that the funds are actually being drawn down, as the final indicator of success is the rate of payments and certified expenditures, not just signed contracts – emphasizes Nikolić.
What the numbers and rules say
The difference between the share of contracted projects and payments to users is a normative, but also an operational fact of all EU programs. At this stage of the cycle (five years from the start of the perspective), a range of 50–60 percent contracted and lower double-digit payment rates are not unusual at the EU level, but Croatia is below the EU average in payments, which, according to Nikolić, is around 13–14 percent (Cohesion Open Data).
Nikolić attributes the diagnosis to the sluggishness of the system.
– The main cause of the slowness lies in the systematic delays in programming, preparing and announcing calls, evaluating projects, and ultimately, the long wait for the approval of reimbursement requests. An equally important but directly related factor is the insufficient capacity of the competent authorities, which are overwhelmed by a large number of projects, complex administrative procedures, and frequent changes in rules or lack of consistent interpretation of the same. In many other parts of the public administration system, however, there are underutilized labor capacities that could be trained and directed to work with EU funds – explains Nikolić.
The Ministry, on the other hand, emphasizes the trend and correction mechanisms, the accelerated announcement of calls (365 by mid-October), above-average contracting compared to the EU, and double reprogramming of programs to channel money faster into sectors with the greatest impact (water, housing, technology).
What is at stake until 2029
Despite the criticism, the Ministry remains optimistic.
– Given the satisfactory dynamics and experience in using European funds and program changes, we believe that all funds will be utilized by the deadline – state the Ministry.
However, as noted by the European Court of Auditors, ‘backlogs in the early phase can easily turn into a compressed end where the risk of urgent spending and lower quality projects increases’, so the Ministry should still be cautious in its announcements.
Ultimately, both stories are true in their methodology. The Ministry measures progress through announced calls and contracted amounts, where Croatia stands relatively well within the EU framework, while Nikolić measures realization through payments and certified expenditures, where Croatia lags behind. Through the MTR and simplifications promoted by the European Commission in 2025, the window for merging these two metrics into one positive story is still open but not indefinitely. The key test will be in 2026–2027 when a stable rhythm of calls must be maintained, evaluations shortened, and contracted projects ensured to be completed before December 31, 2029.
