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.
During the first year of implementation of the project “Deeper Economic Integration and Convergence of Croatia with the European Union: Challenges in the Second Decade of Membership” (KoINTEGRA-EU2.0), members of the research team achieved several scientific results contributing to a better understanding of different dimensions of Croatia’s economic integration and convergence with the European Union.
The research covered macroeconomic determinants of integration, structural changes in the economy, labour market transformation, digitalisation, the platform economy, labour mobility, and regulatory issues related to new forms of work.
1. Macroeconomic Determinants of Economic Integration in the European Union – Case of FDI in Real Estate
Authors: Tomislav Globan and Irena Gladović
The paper analyses the macroeconomic determinants of foreign direct investment in the real estate sector across European Union member states, with particular emphasis on construction costs, property tax burdens, and differences between euro area members and post-transition economies.
The research results were presented at the international scientific conference International Conference on Political Economy and Institutional Change (ICPEAIC-26), held on 23–24 June 2026 in Toronto, Canada, in hybrid format, after which the full paper was published in the journal Economic Sciences.
The study contributes to a better understanding of the economic factors shaping capital flows and integration processes within the European Union.
2. Sectoral Shift-Share Analysis of Fossil Energy Consumption and Economic Growth in Croatia
Authors: Tomislav Sekur, Alka Obadić and Lucija Rogić Dumančić
The paper was published in the Zagreb International Review of Economics & Business, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2026, pp. 253–275, DOI: 10.2478/zireb-2026-0013.
Using sectoral shift-share analysis, the study examines the relationship between fossil energy consumption, the sectoral structure of the economy, and economic growth in Croatia.
The research contributes to a better understanding of the structural characteristics of the Croatian economy and the relationship between energy patterns, economic growth, and long-term development processes.
3. Towards a Sustainable Regulation of Migrant Platform Work in Croatia
Authors: Kosjenka Dumančić, Alka Obadić, Lucija Rogić Dumančić and Jelena Tadić Cegnar
The paper was published in the Proceedings of the International Scientific Jean Monnet Conference: Empowering Europe’s Future through Education, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business, 2026, pp. 53–65.
The paper addresses the challenges of regulating migrant platform work in Croatia and the development of a sustainable regulatory framework for new forms of work emerging as a result of the digital transformation of labour markets.
The research links the economic and legal-institutional aspects of platform work and contributes to a better understanding of the changes that digitalisation and migration are bringing to the Croatian labour market.
4. Transformation of the Labour Market in Selected Countries: How Platform Work Reshapes Skills and Cross-Border Mobility
Authors: Alka Obadić, Lucija Rogić Dumančić and Kosjenka Dumančić
The paper was published in the international publication Skills for Fair, Efficient Labour Migration: Research Evidence for New Policies and Actions, published by the Publications Office of the European Union and the European Training Foundation, Luxembourg, 2026, pp. 253–278.
The study analyses how the development of platform work is reshaping skill requirements, employment patterns, and cross-border labour mobility.
Particular attention is given to the impact of digitalisation on labour market transformation and to the changes that new forms of work are bringing in the context of an increasingly integrated European labour market.
All listed papers were produced within research activities associated with the KoINTEGRA-EU2.0 project, and the publications acknowledge the project and its source of funding.
Published: 1 October 2026.