Association of Foreign Investors presents recommendations to President Milanović to improve the business and investment climate in Croatia

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received representatives of the Association of Foreign Investors in Croatia today, who presented the “White Book 2026,” a publication on the business and investment climate in Croatia. The “White Book 2026” provides the latest research, analyses, and current data on the Croatian economy, and sets out 46 recommendations aimed at improving the country’s business and investment environment.

Key recommendations include: adjusting the growth model to reduce dependence on inflows of European Union funds and domestic demand, with the goal of increasing the share of exports of higher value-added goods and services; making better use of Croatia’s geographical and political position within the EU; changing the structure of investment to increase the share of investment in machinery and, in particular, intellectual property; and urgently implementing public administration reform through regulatory simplification.

The recommendations from the “White Book 2026” were presented to President Milanović by Burak Baykan, President of the Association and Regional Director of Doğuş Group, together with members of the Association’s Board of Directors, the Secretary General, and representatives of companies from various sectors of the economy. This year’s “White Book,” titled “Keys to Development – How to Adjust the Growth Model,” highlights the need for Croatia to adapt its current growth model in order to achieve its strategic goal of reaching 90 percent of the EU average real income per capita.

The meeting also addressed specific challenges faced by foreign investors in their day-to-day operations, as well as opportunities that Croatia has yet to fully utilize.

The Association of Foreign Investors in Croatia was established in January 2012 by eleven companies with the aim of initiating a constructive dialogue with the Government and other stakeholders on improving the business climate.

In addition to Burak Baykan, the meeting at the Office of the President was attended by Nikolina Radić, Vice President of the Association and CEO of Lugera Croatia; Zoltán Áldott, Vice President of the Association and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MOL Group; Adrian Ježina, Member of the Board of Directors of the Association and CEO of Telemach Croatia; Predrag Tutić, Member of the Board of Directors of the Association and Partner at CBS International; Ivić Vodopija, General Manager of Maersk for Southeast Europe; Dejan Turk, General Manager of A1 for Croatia and Slovenia; Christoph Schoefboeck, President of Erste Bank d.d. Croatia; Igor Zgrabljić, Director of Corporate Affairs at Coca-Cola HBC Adria; Mladen Fogec, Member of the Board of Directors of the Association; and Tomislav Šlat, Secretary General of the Association.

President Milanović was accompanied by Velibor Mačkić, Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for the Economy, and Neven Pelicarić, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Foreign and European Policy.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan