Human Development Report - Croatia 2008 Evaluation of Current Activities to Mitigate Climate Change – Institutional Analysis^217due to changes in land use patterns. It may be possible
to take advantage of and accelerate these changes to
reduce net emissions and generate income. However,
the MAFRD is not yet engaged in these issues in a sub-
stantive way.
In general, the Croatian Government is progressing
towards a regulatory environment that reduces emis-
sions. However, institutional relationships and capac-
ity could be improved to facilitate coordination and
efficiency. In particular, the ad hoc nature of commu-
nication between ministries on climate change issues
leads to lost time and opportunities. Ministries appear
to consult with each other when planning activities,
but there is often confusion as to who is doing what.
This is not surprising given that various ministries are
undertaking many different activities with limited
staff. However, this can lead to needless duplication of
effort, such as when one ministry applies for funds for
a project without being aware that another ministry
or government agency is either already working on
that project or is applying for funds for a similar pro-
gramme. Note that this problem probably results from
the Croatian Government’s quick pace in addressing
climate change mitigation. It can also be solved rela-
tively easily. It seems to be the consensus of most
stakeholders that the Government should establish
a more structured coordinating group to address cli-
mate change issues. The group should be led by MEP-
PPC – and it should include all relevant ministries that
would deal with emissions reduction, including:
- The Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepre-
neurship; - The Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure;
- The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural
Development; - The Ministry of Regional Development, Forestry
and Water Management; - The Ministry of Finance; and
- The Central Office for Development Strategy and
Coordination of EU Funds.
It may also be helpful to include the Ministry of Tour-
ism, because tourism is a growing sector that will have
a substantial impact on energy use in the future. This
Ministry is already beginning to address issues related
to tourism and sustainability. The Ministry of Science,
Education and Sports (MSES) may also be useful be-
cause of its role in guiding scientific research and in
addressing education. It is critical to begin organising
discussions so that different ministries incorporate
climate change mitigation (and adaptation) into their
strategic plans. This proposed structure is similar to
that of countries such as Britain, which has a special
Office of Climate Change to support inter-ministerial
cooperation,II and Brazil, which has an Inter-ministerial
Commission as well.III A Croatian climate change com-
mission should be consistently staffed and housed
within either the Cabinet of the Prime Minister – which
includes the Prime Minister, fifteen Ministers and four
Deputy Prime Ministers (two of whom are also min-
isters)IV – or within the President’s office. Representa-
tives from different ministries should also be consis-
tent at each meeting. If and when a new government
is introduced, similar stakeholders can be chosen
and even if the names of the ministries or the people
change, the sectors represented will remain the same.
The formation of the group should be accompanied
by continued outreach to political decision-makers
about these issues to ensure that climate change is
taken into account in high-level planning and debate.
Other challenges to building a strong climate policy
infrastructure include attracting and retaining staff
sufficiently qualified to cover all the relevant issues.
Not doing so poses potentially significant problems,
as programmes dealing with climate change are par-
ticularly complex and integral. The Government’s
plans for public sector reform may have some positive
impact. Furthermore, mainstreaming climate change
into the various ministries and departments may, to
some extent, reduce individual workloads and expand
the level of expertise available.II For more on the British Office of Climate Change, see the website
http://www.occ.gov.uk/.
III For more information on the Brazilian Interministerial Commis-
sion on Climate Change, see the website http://www.mct.gov.br/
index.php/content/view/14666.html.
IV The list of members and their roles is available at the Croatian
central government website at http://www.vlada.hr/en/.