Picture of Croatia ©Phant

On 23 September 2025 in Zagreb, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway signed new cooperation agreements with Croatia for the funding period 2021 – 2028.  

Through the EEA and Norway Grants the donor states have allocated over 133.1 million euro to Croatia. The cooperation spans from fostering green transition, investments in local development, green and blue business innovation, and strengthening justice and the rule of law.

The overarching objective of the renewed cooperation is to contribute to social and economic development in Croatia and to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Supported Areas

Croatia will cooperate on four programmes with the EEA and Norway Grants in the 2021- 2028 period:

  • The green transition programme will accelerate the green transition towards a more sustainable society. Improving energy resilience and capacity building will be part of this programme that shall prioritise less developed regions such as islands, rural and mountainous areas.
  • The local development programme will contribute to more resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities. It will enhance access to quality STEM education, civic education in less developed regions as well as inclusive education.
  • The green and blue business innovation programme will strengthen green value creation and competitiveness by contributing to a sustainable economy based on a low-carbon, circular economy model.
  • The justice programme will increase access to an independent, accountable and efficient justice system of high quality in line with international and European human rights standards as well as improve correctional services. The programme will support measures to improve mediation. 

Programmes

Programme                Amount Programme Operator  Partners
Green Transition €30.3 million  Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds of the Republic of Croatia Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, Icelandic Centre for Research
Local Development €33 million Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds of the Republic of Croatia Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, National Agency for International Education Affairs
Green and Blue Business Innovation €22 million Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (HAMAGBICRO) Innovation Norway
Justice €21.55 million Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation Norwegian Courts Administration, Directorate of Norwegian Correctional Service

Strengthening civil society will continue to be an important priority. The EEA Civil Society Fund will be operated by an independent Fund Operator, the Community Foundation Slagalica in consortium with SOLIDARNA Foundation and the Association for civil society development SMART.

Funds will also be allocated to address challenges experienced as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

Contact

In Croatia, the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds is the National Focal Point (NFP) — the main institution responsible for managing and coordinating the implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants. Contact information will follow.

Partnership

Seven public entities from the Donor States (five from Norway, one from Iceland, and one from Liechtenstein) will be involved in the development and implementation of the programmes. They will play a key role in facilitating cooperation between partners in the Donor States and Croatia.

Our stories

  • People on stage holding the freshly signed MoUs

    Renewed cooperation with Croatia

    23/09/2025

    Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have signed new cooperation agreements with Croatia that continue to strengthen the green transition, local development, the rule of law and green and blue business...