Editors: Gojko Bežovan, Daniela Angelina Jelinčić (IRMO) and Mislav Ante Omazić
Publisher: Školska knjiga
Year: 2025
The book is divided into three larger sections: knowledge about the European Union and project application for the open calls; general knowledge for success in preparing and implementing EU projects and specific topics for success and achievement of goals in EU projects. The first unit contains four chapters: Strategic Priorities and the Budget of the European Union by Jakša Puljiz, which provides an overview of the EU’s institutional and strategic framework and presents its budgetary framework; Administrative Aspects of Preparing and Implementing EU Projects by Vedran Đulabić, which provides an overview of the basic concepts that need to be mastered in order to understand the administrative aspects of managing EU funds; EU Cohesion Policy and Development in Croatia by Sanja Maleković, Jakša Puljiz and Ivana Keser, which provides knowledge about Cohesion Policy and the EU’s impact on development in Croatia; and Project Planning, Call Application and Implementation by Karolina Horvatinčić, which provides very concrete practical knowledge about the project planning methodology; applying for a project idea in a call for grants; capacities for successful implementation; relevance, project sustainability and horizontal themes, and information on the contracting and project implementation procedures.
The second unit focuses on the general knowledge needed for the success of an EU project. Thus, the chapter by Sanja Tišma, Sanja Maleković and Jakša Puljiz Introduction to Strategic Planning presents the theoretical framework for strategic planning and highlights its significance, the key questions it provides answers to, and the key characteristics of each strategic planning process. Mislav Ante Omazić, Petra Gracin and Marko Šimac in the chapter Managerial Knowledge and Skills for Project Management provide a comprehensive overview of key competencies associated with effective and efficient project management knowledge and skills.
The last section presents four chapters through the possibilities of financing projects from various areas: sustainable development; infrastructure and construction projects; social cohesion, urban development and social innovation; and cultural/creative industries. The chapter Sustainable Development by Ana-Maria Boromisa, Zoran Grgić and Branka Šakić, in addition to the definition and goals of sustainable development at the global, European and Croatian levels, explains the intertwining of social, economic and environmental goals and the link between growth and development through public policies key to achieving sustainable development, namely climate, energy, industrial policy and circular economy, construction, environmental protection and biodiversity, mobility, agriculture, research, development and innovation.
The chapter Specificities of the Management of EU-funded Infrastructure Projects in the Republic of Croatia by Mladen Vukomanović, Anita Cerić and Snježana Krznarić describes approaches and models for managing infrastructure projects, and the chapter Social Cohesion, Urban Development and Social Innovation by Gojko Bežovan analyses eight thematic areas through an interdisciplinary approach: social cohesion, urban development, social entrepreneurship and social economy, social inclusion and the fight against poverty, employment programmes, the role of civil society, social innovation and good governance.
In the chapter on Cultural and Creative Industries, Daniela Angelina Jelinčić elaborates on the topic through the role of cultural/creative industries in regional development. The approach to developing the topic is project-based in order to provide the reader with managerial knowledge, but also highly specialized knowledge related to the field of culture, precisely in order to avoid the most common mistakes, or to achieve properly managed development effects.
The book is intended for employees in public administration, education workers, students, consultants, entrepreneurs, NGO members and individuals with a vision to translate ideas into concrete projects and ensure their implementation, and represents a significant educational material emerged from the highly successful University interdisciplinary specialist study “Preparation and Implementation of EU Projects”. The study has been conducted at the University of Zagreb for nine generations, and is conducted by the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, the Faculty of Agronomy and the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) in Zagreb.
The book is available at: https://shop.skolskaknjiga.hr/priprema-i-provedba-projekata-europske-unije/
