State Secretary Zdenko Lucić on Tuesday attended a conference on “New Generation EU and Croatia’s Road to Recovery”, organized by the Italian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Forca Digital Agency, in cooperation with PwC Croatia.
The conference took place under the auspices of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, with support from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Italian Embassy in Zagreb.
Lucić participated in a panel on “Vision of a New Generation EU: Historic Opportunity to Build a Better Society”, along with Advisor to the Croatian Prime Minister Zvonimir Savić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds Šime Erlić and Hrvoje Balen from the Croatian Employers Association.
Speaking about investments in the period ahead, Lucić underscored the growing trend of nearshoring – outsourcing to Central and Eastern Europe instead of the Far East for a number of reasons, such as reaction time, easier communication and shorter supply chain. Funds from the Multiannual Financial Framework and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan will greatly contribute to economic recovery and stimulating new investments. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan alone is expected to account for 1.5% of GDP.
In addition, Lucić underlined the importance of strengthening the national business and investment brand. “We need to step up promotion and awareness raising, both domestically and abroad,” the state secretary said.