Digitalization of the Judiciary and Green Transition Take Center Stage at the Largest CRANE Brunch

The largest CRANE Brunch to date was held at the Green Hills Estate in the village of Tihočaj, located in the Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje Nature Park. Notably, the estate’s last resident, 98-year-old Mare Gvozdanović, passed away just ten days ago.

The event, organized in partnership with the Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje Nature Park and Večernji list, brought together over 150 participants, including members of the Croatian Government, Members of Parliament, institutional leaders, ambassadors, and more than fifty successful entrepreneurs and investors. Discussions focused on the urgent need for judiciary reform—particularly speeding up processes like company registry updates—as well as on the green transition.

Among the attendees were the envoy of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Andro Krstulović Opara; Minister of Justice and Public Administration Damir Habijan; Minister of Environmental Protection and Green Transition Marija Vučković; Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture Marijana Petir; U.S. Ambassador Nathalie Rayes; British Ambassador Simon Thomas; Israeli Ambassador Gary Koren; Canadian Ambassador Jessica Blitt; Hungarian Ambassador Csaba Demcsak; Karlovac County Prefect Martina Furdek-Hajdin; and many other prominent figures from public and business life.

“In many interactions with the foreign investment community, the number one barrier to investing in Croatia is the lack of trust in the judicial system. That’s why we’re here today—to open important discussions on speeding up procedures that hinder us as entrepreneurs and investors. For instance, waiting more than eight months for a simple update to the court registry is unacceptable. We believe that the digitalization efforts announced by Minister Habijan will significantly accelerate such processes,” said Davorin Štetner, President of the Croatian Business Angels Network – CRANE and host of the event.

Minister of Justice and Public Administration Damir Habijan emphasized the importance of such gatherings and announced the first major reforms. “Soon we will launch a pilot project at four commercial courts in Croatia, implementing paperless operations. We already have e-communication in place, particularly since most legal entities are required to use it. Now we aim to eliminate paper entirely and create fully electronic court files,” said Habijan.

Minister Marija Vučković praised the engagement of entrepreneurs and announced simplifications and acceleration in the process of preparing environmental impact assessments. “This was one of the main concerns of our entrepreneurs, so we drafted a proposal to speed up the procedures by the end of 2025—without compromising the quality of environmental assessments,” she said.

“The foundation of any good entrepreneurial environment is listening to the problems investors face. That’s why we’re here today as representatives of both the executive and legislative branches, and we’re glad to have good dialogue partners with many constructive ideas,” said Andro Krstulović Opara, envoy of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković.

“We need more events like this. We’re the fifth-largest protected area in Croatia, but we don’t charge an entry fee, so our resources are limited. Public-private partnerships like this one are crucial, and we’ll do our best to make the most of the attention now focused on us,” said Kristijan Brkić, Director of the Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje Nature Park.

The first panel, titled What Do We Need for a Fast and Effective Legal Framework as the Foundation of an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem? Can Judicial System Digitalization Speed Up Processes and Improve the Investment Climate?, was moderated by CRANE member and BWCS partner Mislav Bradvica. Panelists included Minister Damir Habijan, Chairman of the Board of St. Catherine Specialty Hospital Dragan Primorac, British Ambassador Simon Thomas, and Boro Vujović, Director of Opereta Real Estate and CRANE Board Member.

The second panel, The Importance of Investing in Ecology and Socially Responsible Projects, was moderated by Večernji list Editor-in-Chief and Žumberak enthusiast Dražen Klarić. Participants included Minister Marija Vučković, Telemach CEO Adrian Ježina, Nature Park Director Kristijan Brkić, and Žumberak investor and CRANE President Davorin Štetner.

The event concluded with a lecture on the importance of innovation delivered by Israeli Ambassador Gary Koren. Additionally, Vedran Antoljak presented the innovative Smart Regul(AI)te system.

Founded in 2008, the Croatian Business Angels Network – CRANE is one of the oldest angel investor networks in Europe. Its members include top-tier and successful serial entrepreneurs, managers, and investors. Over the past 16 years, CRANE has actively contributed to shaping numerous policies, laws, and strategies to make Croatia a better place for investors and entrepreneurs. CRANE members have also served as advisors to presidents, ministers, governments, and other institutions.