October 19, 2022 - After the publication of the call for proposals by the Norwegian fund management, all interested parties will have two months to submit their applications, and the percentage of support will be determined depending on the size and location of the company, the type of investment, etc.

As reported by Poslovni, six million euros from the Norwegian financial mechanism will be available to Croatian entrepreneurs for investments in green technologies.

The company Innovation Norway, manager of the fund for the Business Development and Innovation Croatia programme, announced that in November, it will publish the third call for project proposals within the framework of the program financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. The goal of the programme, which focuses on green industry innovations and "blue growth," is to increase competitiveness and encourage sustainable business operations in Croatian, primarily small and medium-sized enterprises.

A total of around six million euros will be available to Croatian entrepreneurs. Through the innovations of the green industry, they will be able to receive grants for the co-financing of innovative projects that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing energy consumption, or saving other resources. Through the "blue growth" projects related to innovations in the coastal and maritime areas, the following will be co-financed - coastal and maritime tourism, maritime transport, fishing and aquaculture, marine waste and pollution, desalination, and other similar projects.

After the publication of the call, all interested parties will have two months to submit their applications, and the percentage of support will be determined depending on the size and location of the company, the type of investment, etc. Thus, for example, small companies that invest in equipment, depending on the area where they are located on the map of regional grants, will be able to receive up to 70 percent of grants from the total value of the project.

Large companies with a maximum of 25 percent public ownership can also apply but will receive a lower co-financing rate.

So far, 17 projects have been approved from this programme in the first call, and it is expected that another 21 projects will be approved in the second call.

Innovation Norway states that this programme for entrepreneurs represents a unique opportunity for cooperation, through access to new knowledge and modern technology with Norwegian partners, through partnership on projects, and other forms of collaboration.

More information on the possibilities of co-financing from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism can be found at www.innovasjonnorge.no/Croatiainnovation and by inquiry at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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ZAGREB, 11 Nov, 2021 - Croatia ranks 28th in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) for 2022, slipping 10 places from last year, while Denmark, Sweden and Norway top the ranking.

Croatia adopted its national long-term strategies in June 2021. The country continues to rely on fossil fuels and is the only EU member state without a clear coal phase-out plan. Overall, the CCPI experts do not see Croatia’s targets as sufficient, the Croatian Society For Sustainable Development Design (DOOR) said in a statement on Thursday.

Success in climate change action is assessed in four categories, and Croatia scored poorly in two of them - greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. It scored high on renewable energy and achieved medium success in the climate policy category.

Croatia placed 11th on the use of renewable energy sources, reflecting a general trend of increasing the installation of systems using renewables in the public and private sector. It ranked 26th on climate policy.

No country performs well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating, CCPI said.

Denmark is this year's top performer, thanks to a considerable reduction in the use of coal over the past 20 years and a shift to renewable energy sources, which now account for 30 per cent of its energy supply. 

In Europe, the worst performers are Hungary (53rd), Poland (52nd), the Czech Republic (51st) and Slovenia (50th). Globally, Australia, one of the biggest coal exporters in the world, ranked 58th.

The Netherlands is among the countries with the biggest improvements, climbing up 10 spots to 19th place, while Norway is the first country to receive a very high rating in the renewable energy category.  

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ZAGREB, 26 Sept, 2021 - A group of Croatian scientists has issued a public letter underlining the importance of adopting an agenda or a specific action plan for the protection of the Adriatic Sea, vital for the sustainable development of the Croatian society, and their appeal was forwarded by the Eko Kvarner NGO on Sunday. 

The scientists, who in September attended a conference on the Adriatic Sea eco-system on the island of Krk, say in their appeal to the prime minister, the parliament speaker and the public that the research of the Adriatic had been conducted for years but that there was a lack of systematic interdisciplinary research to account for "galloping changes."

They say that the changes are irreversible and that the rise of the sea temperature also causes a rise in the sea level and sea salinity, as well as increased sea stratification, and storm tides.

They warn about a growing number of alien species in the Adriatic, of which many are invasive and even poisonous, as well as about the loss of biodiversity.

Tourism-related activities, along with climate change, account for most of the pressure on the Adriatic, the scientists say, stressing that with waste water and intensive farming, more food and various harmful substances end up in the sea, accumulating in sea organisms through food chains.

"On top of that, plastic and other waste is becoming an increasingly big problem, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the quality of life in the sea and human health," they warn, pointing also to the problem of uncontrolled construction in the coastal areas, which results in the loss of the coastal seabed necessary for the propagation of sea organisms.

The scientists consider more active protection of the Adriatic, a better understanding of how its eco-system functions, and the adoption of regulations aimed at its protection as the solution for more sustainable development.

They propose the establishment of an advisory task force comprising scientists to participate in defining the agenda on measures of protection and underline the importance of developing IT technologies to monitor changes in the marine environment and involving citizens in monitoring those changes.

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ZAGREB, 25 Sept, 2021 - Croatia is participating in the world's biggest hunting and nature exhibition, "One with Nature", which opened in Budapest on Saturday, featuring Croatian Forests, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Tourist Board and the Croatian Hunting Association, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Croatia's presentation focuses on its nature, the diversity of its wildlife habitats, its forestry, founded on over 250 years of expert management, biodiversity, as well as on 140 years of organised hunting.

"One with Nature" closes on 14 October.

After attending the opening, Croatian Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković met with her Hungarian counterpart Istvan Nagy to discuss cooperation, assistance in cattle breeding, and the EU Forest Strategy.

Vučković said Croatia was for the principle of subsidiarity and for reducing administrative burdens, the ministry said.

She underlined the importance of identifying forestry's multifunctional role, keeping in mind forests' contribution to the life of rural communities and their impact on rural economies.

Sustainable forest management must be the focal point of the EU strategy, she said.

Croatia and Hungary have excellent cooperation in many areas such as the Višegrad Group and the Danube Soya initiative as well as in cattle breeding, veterinary medicine and food safety, the ministry said.

The two ministers also talked about possible cooperation in freshwater aquaculture and forest reproductive material.

Croatia's agricultural and food exports to Hungary rose by €6.2 million (+5%) last year, while imports dropped by €9.4 million (-3%).

At the opening of the exhibition, Vučković also met with Vietnamese Ambassador to Croatia Nguyn Thi Bich Thao.

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