Green and digital transition can have a strong transformative effect on the Croatian economy, Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said at the conference "Possibilities of the European Green Deal" in Zagreb on Tuesday.

The international conference was organized by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and its Croatia office, the European Commission Representation in Croatia, the Jutarnji List daily and the Hanza Media publishing company.

Stressing that the European Green Deal is exceptionally important for the EU and entire Europe, Marić, who was Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s envoy at the event, said that the €750 billion plan created “the EU’s new horizons”.

“Our interest lies not only in the financial envelope, which puts Croatia in first or second place in the EU… but in the purpose of the funding. We have set ourselves additional rules based on which we will file a request with the EC to withdraw an additional €700 million until the middle of next year, after a week ago we received a 13% advance from the total envelope,” Maric said, adding that Croatia’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan was fully in line with green and digital transition.

Several projects bear witness to that, such as those by businessman Mate Rimac (who also took part in the conference), which, Marić said, were also 100% green and digital, and possibly most recognizable also outside Croatia.

Maric also cited projects for fifth-generation autonomous vehicles, energy and infrastructure renovation and construction, a stronger role of renewable energy sources, water management, education, healthcare, public administration, etc.

Challenges require fast, resolute response

Considering the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and its negative effects on the environment, health and business, EIB Office Croatia head Anton Kovacev said that all those challenges required a resolute response, which – as he and other participants in the conference agreed – is what the European Green Deal offers with its very ambitious goals – reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe by 55% until 2030 compared to 1990, and climate neutrality by 2050.

The EIB bases its business decisions on the Paris Agreement. Between 2021 and 2025 we are planning a climate budget, which is, we believe, an encouraging signal for Europe to take action regarding climate change, reduce CO2 emissions and everything else that threatens life on Earth, said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwinska.

The head of the EC Representation in Croatia, Ognian Zlatev, said that the European Green Deal was also legally defined, meaning that it obliged member-states to implement it.

A similar message was sent by the European Commission Director-General for Climate Action, Mauro Petriccione, who spoke via video link and who congratulated Croatia on its plan which takes into account both green and digital transition, envisaging also at least 20,000 new jobs.