HUP: EU Funds as an Opportunity for Long-Term Competitiveness

EU funds are not just a source of financing but also a powerful lever for innovation, research, development, and creating added value without which there is no long-term competitiveness, it was emphasized on Monday at the conference ‘Looking to the Future: EU Funds as an Opportunity for a Competitive and Innovative Croatia’, where it was also stated that Croatia has contracted 56 percent of the 14.6 billion euros available from the current financial envelope so far.

The conference is organized by the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP), where the president of the HUP Association of Professionals for EU Funds Natalia Zielinska stated that we are entering a new financial period in the EU – from 2028 to 2034, during which the rules will change, instruments will be simplified, and competition among member states will intensify.

– Therefore, we must be faster, more strategic, and more ambitious in how we utilize the opportunities that EU funds offer – she emphasized, noting that the competitiveness of Croatian entrepreneurs in relation to European ones is becoming key.

All available data from the system must be utilized to advocate more strongly for the interests of Croatian entrepreneurs based on real figures and to ensure that future calls are not overly demanding for domestic companies. Therefore, collaboration among all stakeholders in the EU funds system is important, she said.

From the current financial envelope, 56 percent of the available funds have been contracted.

The Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Mikuš Žigman emphasized that we are facing the negotiation process for the future EU financial perspective 2028 – 2034, and the European Commission (EC) has proposed a national envelope for Croatia amounting to 16.8 billion euros. This is something that will be negotiated over the next year to a year and a half, she announced.

She highlighted the importance of preparing entrepreneurs for the modality of use in the next period through the utilization of the current perspective. She stated that we are at 56 percent of contracted funds in the current financial envelope, which will be operationally available until the end of 2029, out of a total of 14.6 billion euros. Thus, as she said, Croatia is currently above the EU average.

At the same time, she noted that just over 20 percent has been disbursed, so in the upcoming period, there will be a significant emphasis on project implementation and disbursements.

Regarding the future financial perspective, Mikuš Žigman stated that it is structured somewhat differently than the current one, as certain priorities have emerged at the EU level that will certainly be strongly represented in the future financial period. These primarily include the competitiveness of the economy, security and defense, investments in green and resource-efficient technologies, to which entrepreneurs will have to adapt.

She mentioned that the programs and projects they can already apply for EU funds, primarily the IRI call, represent a good testing ground for participation in programs they will be able to apply for in the future period.

Weber: It is Important to Increase Competitiveness and Productivity

The Executive Director of HUP, Irena Weber, reiterated that competitiveness is an extremely important category for the EU, especially for the Croatian economy. Because Croatia is a small and open economy that must be much more competitive and significantly increase productivity to be able to ‘run faster’ and be stronger and quicker than its competitors, Weber said, noting that Croatia must compete with much larger and stronger entities, which is possible ‘if we are more competitive and productive.’

It is important, she said, for Croatian entrepreneurs to timely recognize and seize opportunities, not only in national calls but also through centralized EU programs.

She noted that entrepreneurs were among the first to utilize the allocated envelope from the previous period. With the support of EU co-financing, entrepreneurs invest their own funds, create new jobs, and raise the technological level of their companies, contributing to the development and resilience of the Croatian economy.

– That is why EU funds are important to us. Because they are not just a source of financing; they are a very strong lever for innovation, research, development, and creating added value without which there is no long-term competitiveness or approaching the standards of the most successful EU members – Weber emphasized, noting that employers have highlighted the importance of increasing the efficiency of using EU funds along with strongly encouraging private investments in their proposals for key reforms for the upcoming period.

She also emphasized the importance of a partnership dialogue among all stakeholders in the EU funds system to make a breakthrough towards a common goal – transparent, faster, and simpler project implementation that simultaneously enhances the competitiveness of the economy.