Project “KoINTEGRA-EU2.0” is implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021–2026 and is financed by European Union funds through the NextGenerationEU instrument.
First Project Team Meeting Held
The research team of the KoINTEGRA-EU2.0 project held its first project meeting on 15 January 2026 at 3:00 p.m. The meeting focused on agreeing the timeline of key activities for the first year of project implementation and establishing working groups corresponding to the project’s main thematic areas.
The working groups focus on different dimensions of Croatia’s deeper economic integration and convergence with the European Union, including institutional and macroeconomic determinants of integration and convergence, the labour market and productivity, as well as regional development disparities and the effects of cohesion policy.
The team also agreed on the working arrangements and allocation of research activities among project members, as well as an indicative plan for the preparation of scientific papers, participation in international scientific conferences, and other activities envisaged during the project implementation period.
Published: 20 March 2026.
Prof. Tomislav Globan, PhD, a member of the KoINTEGRA-EU2.0 project team, presented the paper “Macroeconomic Determinants of Economic Integration in the European Union – Case of FDI in Real Estate” at the International Conference on Political Economy and Institutional Change (ICPEAIC-26), held on 23–24 June 2026 in Toronto, Canada.
The paper examines the macroeconomic determinants of foreign direct investment in the real estate sector across European Union member states, with particular emphasis on the role of construction costs and property tax burdens, as well as differences between euro area members and post-transition economies. The analysis was conducted using a panel of 26 EU member states over the period 2013–2022 and fixed-effects models.
The results show that rising construction costs and higher property tax burdens may discourage foreign direct investment in real estate. The negative effect of rising construction costs is weaker in euro area countries, while the effect of property taxation is attenuated in post-transition EU member states.
The paper was produced within the KoINTEGRA-EU2.0 research project. Its abstract was published in the conference proceedings, while the full paper was also published in the journal Economic Sciences.
Published: 15 July 2026.
Research Equipment and Tools Procured for the KoINTEGRA-EU2.0 Project
During the first year of implementation of the KoINTEGRA-EU2.0 project, computer equipment required for research activities was procured, along with access to AI tools for research and data processing, as well as relevant scientific and professional literature.
The procured equipment and research resources provide an important foundation for conducting empirical analyses of the economic, institutional, labour-market, and regional dimensions of Croatia’s integration and convergence with the European Union. They enable the research team to process and analyse data more efficiently, apply contemporary analytical methods, and prepare scientific papers and other project outputs.
The research team continues to implement activities focused on analysing the process of Croatia’s deeper economic integration and convergence with the European Union in the second decade of EU membership.
Published: 27 September 2026.
KoINTEGRA-EU2.0 Enters Its Second Year of Implementation
Following the successful completion of the first year of the project “Deeper Economic Integration and Convergence of Croatia with the European Union: Challenges in the Second Decade of Membership” (KoINTEGRA-EU2.0), the research team is beginning activities planned for the second project year.
During the first year, the planned research and organisational activities were carried out, including the procurement of research equipment and other research resources, the implementation of research activities, and activities aimed at increasing the visibility of the project. The project also achieved its first international scientific contribution, with project team member Prof. Tomislav Globan, PhD presenting research results at an international scientific conference.
In the second year of implementation, the project will continue to pursue its research objectives focused on different dimensions of Croatia’s deeper economic integration and convergence with the European Union. Activities will include further research into the institutional and macroeconomic determinants of integration and convergence, together with the preparation of a scientific paper for publication in an international journal indexed in WoS/Scopus. Particular emphasis will be placed on changes in the labour market and productivity in Croatia in the context of deeper integration and convergence with the European Union, with a particular focus on digital transformation, as well as on regional development disparities and the effects of cohesion policy.
Within these research areas, the project team will continue collecting and analysing data, developing research databases, conducting empirical analyses, preparing scientific papers, and presenting research results at international scientific conferences.
The second project meeting was held on 29 September 2026 and focused on evaluating the activities carried out during the first project year, as well as on detailed planning of research activities, expected outputs, and the responsibilities of research team members in the second year of project implementation.
Published: 30 September 2026.