On November 20, 2025, a team of experts collaborating in the Marshall Plan for Croatia initiative presented the CRO GREEN strategic program, a program for the integrated and systematic revitalisation and development of the Republic of Croatia in the presence of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Minister Ivan Sipic, as well as returnees from the diaspora.

On his X social media page Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said about the meeting: „Today, at Banski Dvori, together with Minister for Demographics and Immigration Ivan Sipic, we received participants of the Program for Integrated and Systematic Revitalization and Development of the Republic of Croatia. We welcome the enthusiasm of entrepreneurs returning from abroad who have decided to invest their knowledge and experience gained abroad in Croatia, and we believe that this program will result in successful projects that will strengthen sustainable development. “

Mr Zdenko Striga, the initiator and head of the Marshall Plan for Croatia and the advisor to the Croatian government department for demographics and immigration, presented at the meeting several positive examples of the successful return to Croatia of individuals from the business diaspora. He believes that Croatia can be a leader in organic agriculture and sustainable development in line with the European strategy “from farm to fork” – attractive to both returnees and retirees from the diaspora, and that such a goal is closer than we think if the diaspora is included in the Plan as an equal partner to the state. The Croatian diaspora, with the right programs and measures of incentive, can invest tens of billions of euros in Croatia in the next decade, he recently said. However, this, he added, cannot be based on a sentimental call and patriotism, but on a professional approach, clear interests and agreed goals.

The CRO GREEN program, therefore, is only one part of the Marshall Plan for Croatia aimed at creating a long-term sustainable model of economic, agricultural, demographic and social development, with a special emphasis on the revitalisation of rural and less populated areas. It is a comprehensive approach that combines innovative solutions, international experiences and local needs, with the aim of creating conditions for a more stable, competitive and green development of Croatia.

Those directly involved in the development of the CRO GREEN plan for Croatia have been people of high levels of professional and business acumen overseas as well as in Croatia and they include: ⁠Ivo Grgic, Prof. Dr. Sc. – Agricultural and Rural Development, Agrarian Policy, Albert Marinculic, Prof. Dr. Sc. – Organic Agriculture, Rural Development, ⁠Djani Djani Bencic,Bencic, Prof. Dr. Sc. – Sustainable Agriculture and Agro-Innovations in Olive Growing, ⁠Josip Stjepandić, Prof. Dr. Sc. – Technical Development, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Zvonimir Repac, Dipl. economy – Consultant, Strategic Management and Attracting Foreign Investors, ⁠Milan Medic – President of the LEADER Network of the Republic of Croatia, Ranko Milic – Integrated Development, Ecosystems, Eco-Social Entrepreneurship,  Bruce Yerkovich, Doc. Dr. Sc. – Returnee, investor and mentor, ⁠Josipa Haller – Returnee, entrepreneur with a focus on international cooperation, ⁠Robert Hadzic – consultant, agricultural policy and producer associations, ⁠Zdenko Striga – Consultant for business diaspora and development programs.

Croatia, a country with a rich agricultural tradition and exceptional natural resources, has for a number of years been facing challenges that require a strategic and sustainable approach. One of the key challenges is the depopulation of rural areas and the underutilised potential for organic agriculture. In order to create the preconditions for the return of young families from abroad and attract the diaspora to invest in Croatia, the ‘CRO GREEN’ initiative was launched – a project for a sustainable future of Croatian agriculture.  

The success of this well-developed Cro Green and the Marshall Plan for Croatia hinges on a prevailing political will and government resolve to bring Croatia out of the crises it faces both demographically and agriculturally. Certainly, the public has been listening to the loud Croatian government calls for return of Croats from the diaspora for decades but regretfully the calls dissipate into lots of political rhetoric and not enough actual returns. This strongly suggests that for the return of Croats from the diaspora, even for investments into Croatia by the diaspora, much stronger waves of governmental support are essential.  Certainly, the Marshall Plan for Croatia with the Diaspora has a great deal to offer Croatia and it is hoped its implementation will see the government green light very soon.

„The key segments of the Cro Green project are focused on the development of organic agriculture and sustainable regional development through integrated initiatives that stimulate economic growth, innovation and the return of emigrants. The Development Centre for Organic Agriculture and Sustainable Regional Development occupies a central place, which will serve as an institution for education, research and the application of innovative methods in organic production, providing producers with expert support and access to modern technologies.

The Ecological Cooperative will play a key role in networking producers, enabling the connection of small and medium-sized producers in a common business model, ensuring their better market position and competitiveness. The project also includes the development of an Eco-hotel, which will combine rural tourism and organic farming, offering visitors an authentic experience of the Croatian countryside while promoting local products. In order to encourage diaspora involvement, special incentive measures are foreseen for returnees, including subsidies, favorable credit lines and incentives for investments in organic production, which will enable sustainable return and economic activation of emigrants in the homeland,“ wrote Mr Striga on his web page .

Certainly, the Cro Green goal lies in the creation family-owned farms or agricultural production referred to in Croatia as OPGs, cooperatives and Agro Eco centres that will reportedly provide conditions (including financial injections or subsidies) for young families and returnees to start their own production, receive professional support and be involved in modern value chains. The project also includes infrastructural elements, such as logistics centres for purchase and distribution, etc., with a view not only to agriculture, but to the broader socio-economic picture: the return of young people, the creation of new jobs, the revitalisation of villages and smaller towns, and the strengthening of the resilience of the Republic of Croatia in times of global food and energy crises. A plan worth pursuing and supporting. Ina Vukic