Dispatch from Croatia | July 2024

After inconclusive elections in Croatia in April, the country’s parliament finally approved a new coalition government on May 16. The centre-right HDZ, which won the most seats, formed a coalition with the right-wing Homeland Movement (Domovinski pokret). In its programme for the next four years, the government highlights plans to invest in renewable energy sources, including installing an additional 2,500 MW of capacity to completely decarbonise the energy supply. It will also focus on decarbonising the transport sector by developing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and purchasing new electric trains. The capacity of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the island of Krk will be increased from 2.9 billion to 6.1 billion cubic metres per year, and the capacity of the gas transport system to Slovenia and Hungary will also be increased. Croatia is still waiting for a decision on the unit fee for connecting to the grid, which is crucial for initiating renewable energy projects worth more than a billion euros that are currently on hold.