Habijan: We Will Extend Deadlines for the Digitalization of Local Services

Written by: Donatella Pauković and Ksenija Puškarić

The 48 Hours conference, organized by Lider and the Association of Cities, is being held for the 17th consecutive time and has become a key venue for meetings between mayors and entrepreneurs. It continued with a presentation by the Government envoy and Minister of Justice, Administration, and Digital Transformation Damir Habijan. The Minister used his appearance to present the latest activities related to the digitalization of public administration, particularly focusing on the call for the digitalization of local government services, announced at the beginning of November, with a deadline of 60 days, for which there has been a truly serious interest and, as he stated, there is a possibility of its extension.

– The call is worth 20 million euros and is intended for units of local and regional self-government, cities, municipalities, and counties with the aim of improving the quality of life for citizens and creating a conducive business environment through the digital transformation of public services – said Habijan, adding that the subject of the call is to provide support for investments in the digitalization of services that are directly related to the administrative jurisdiction of units of local and regional (regional) self-government.

– The purpose is to encourage local communities to develop entirely new digital services, as well as to improve existing ones, with the possibility of integrating several simple digital services into one comprehensive complex service. These investments are crucial for the digitalization of processes and common services that are of utmost importance for improving the quality of life of the local population and creating a more favorable business environment – said Habijan.

In addition to this call, he also referred to the project of decentralization of local self-government and functional merging, emphasizing that this is a topic that is ‘little known in the public, although there is interest’. Units that have shown interest in functional merging are already recording significant savings. Furthermore, he added, the Government co-finances these projects, and so far, 8.8 million euros have been disbursed for them.

Speaking about broader challenges of digitalization, the minister emphasized the importance of interoperability, stating that the goal is to simplify and accelerate all services that cities provide to citizens. In this regard, he mentioned that currently, the e-Citizens platform is used by 2.2 million users, and on it, he says, 18 e-services are available.

He also referred to the development of artificial intelligence, stating that several working directions are active in the Ministry, from the implementation of the European AI Directive to the development of the Croatian AI strategy.

– Artificial intelligence must be under human control. Regulation is important, but there must be a balance between ethics, regulation, and innovation – he emphasized, adding that currently in Brussels, there is talk of a possible postponement of the AI Regulation for one to two years, which will need to be monitored.

Night Economy: Opportunity or Challenge?

After the minister’s presentation, the floor was taken by Sanja Tišma from the Institute for Development and International Relations, who spoke about the potentials and challenges of the night economy, as well as the possibilities for developmental potential. This term, she said, encompasses the nightlife of the city, clubs, hospitality establishments, gyms, but also services such as police, healthcare, municipal services, and similar, and this is addressed by the EU project Nities worth 1.4 million euros.

– The goal is to maximize the benefits of the night economy – said Tišma.

More than 20 percent of the revenue from the night economy is generated by cities like New York and Melbourne, but whether it is wise to be so dependent on this most turbulent part of the city was the topic of a round table where Mato Franković, the mayor of Dubrovnik, described how they managed to align the night economy with the life of residents in the old town.

– Dubrovnik is a city of great cultural heritage, but primarily a city where people live, because without them, the city would be a museum. It is also known as a city with two excellent nightclubs, but we decided to introduce balance. We introduced a volume limit for music in public areas and reduced the level of music performance in public areas until 11:30 PM – explained Franković, noting that this way, the destination can be managed.

Their example was followed by the City of Hvar, which introduced a music volume limit last year.

– Hvar has better results this year in terms of overnight stays, arrivals, and higher spending. This shows that political determination from the mayor and city councilors is needed to establish order. The mayor of Split is now trying to do the same. We do not want to be party cities because we are not – Franković stated.

For a city to develop its night economy depends on the image it wants to build and political motivation, added Daniela Angelina Jelinčić, head of the Center for Sustainable Development through Culture at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO).

– It is hard for me to say which of the models would be most applicable to us because in Croatia, the term night economy is neither recognized nor legally defined. The most applicable example for us might be the city of Vilnius. They have an association that manages the city’s night economy. The night economy is not just clubs but also museums that operate until the evening. This office manages culture, noise, involving the private sector, transport, urban planning. I hope we will find a model for managing nightlife that is suitable for us – said Jelinčić.

One of the few cities in Croatia that has adopted an action plan for managing the night economy is the City of Zadar. Stefani Mikulec Perković, head of the Department for EU Funds of the City of Zadar, explained that they started preparing the project more than three years ago, and the action plan will be adopted by the end of this year. However, the real work, she says, is expected only after that.

– One is an entertainment night destination and economy, and another is cultural. Each community must determine what is important for it. Zadar is also a city with a rich cultural heritage that we want to preserve. We must not lose our identity, what residents live every day, because ultimately visitors come precisely for that. The safety we live in Croatia is also something we must preserve – concluded Mikulec Perković.

At the next round table that followed, Nataša Mirić from the Dubrovnik Development Agency explained that Dubrovnik has turned to other industries outside of tourism.

– Dubrovnik is perceived as a tourist city, however, we who live down here know that this is not the case and we know that tourism is not sustainable. The diversification of the industry prompted us to apply for the URBACT project. We wanted to move away from tourism, to think a little further, more sustainably. We realized that for the development of entrepreneurship, we must invest in infrastructure, especially road – described Mirić.

Mateja Brajko from the City of Zagreb explained that within the URBACT project GenProcure, the City of Zagreb has recently included gender equality criteria in any public procurement process.

– Our goal is to continue improving public procurement processes. Next year in March, we will apply again to URBACT with a project that encompasses a broader area of interest. For now, we have not planned to educate other employees outside the project, but the Zagreb Holding has approached us, wanting to include economic, social, and gender equality criteria in its public procurement processes – said Brajko.

Lucija Jusup from the Association of Cities presented the current opportunities for cities within the framework of the European Urban Initiative (EUI) and URBACT programs. EUI is a European Union program that supports sustainable urban development and innovative projects, offering funding for pilot projects and expert support through education and knowledge exchange. Its goal is to test new solutions in urbanism and enable their application in other European cities.

On the other hand, URBANACT is a European Union program that helps cities learn together, exchange experiences, and develop better public policies. Its focus is on networking cities, creating local action plans, and strengthening the capacities of local governments. In short, it helps cities not to reinvent the wheel but to adopt proven solutions from other European cities and adapt them to their needs.

The last presentation was given by Neven Karas, the interim director of the Civil Service Directorate, who presented the concept of civil service military service in local government units. The regulations on civil service will be in public consultation, he announced, in seven to eight days, and as he concluded, proposals agreed upon in consultations with cities and counties have been included in the legislative proposal.

– Civil service will last three months in the Ministry of the Interior, and in local government units, it will last four months if the recruit has a conscientious objection – emphasized Karas, adding that recruits in local government can perform various jobs.