On June 9th, 2025, a workshop of the LIFE CROLIS project was held at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, where an analysis of EU regulatory requirements related to the use of spatial data in the field of environmental and climate change monitoring was presented. The analysis was conducted by the project partner institution EKONERG d.o.o., and the workshop was intended for representatives of state administration bodies and other institutions involved in collecting, processing, and submitting spatial data for reporting to EU institutions in the areas of environment, nature, and climate change.

The adopted EU legislative package “Fit for 55” introduced amendments to laws regulating climate and energy with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and creating conditions for achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Additionally, in the negotiation process, Member states are determining climate goals for 2040. As a result, numerous environmental and climate regulations have been or are being amended, setting new requirements for spatial data to ensure more accurate reporting and proper assessment of greenhouse gas reductions and carbon sinks.

Croatian climate policy legislation has been recently updated with the adoption of the new Climate Change and Ozone Layer Protection Act(Official Gazette No. 67/2025). New obligations for state bodies regarding data management and responsibilities for implementing emission reduction measures across various sectors, as well as data submission, were presented by Višnja Grgasović, Head of the Sector for Financing, Implementation, and Monitoring of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition.

A brief presentation of the purpose and goals of the LIFE CROLIS project was given by project manager Domagoj Stjepan Krnjak, and an introduction to the analysis results was provided by Mrs. Delfa Radoš from EKONERG d.o.o.

Building on earlier project activities, such as a questionnaire for state bodies conducted by the Institute for Environmental and Nature Protection at the beginning of the project and a published paper by the Climate Transition Directorate and the Institute staff at the ICERS 2024 international conference on new EU legislation, EKONERG d.o.o. conducted an in-depth analysis of 23 new and upcoming EU regulations. Based on experience with spatial data analysis in Croatia, they assessed the current state of availability, quality, and adequacy of existing spatial data for reporting purposes.

Mr. Stjepan Hima from EKONERG d.o.o. presented the results of the analysis of EU climate and environmental legislation, with a focus on spatial data, which is crucial for effective implementation of these regulations at the national level. In the context of EU climate policy, new obligations are part of a broader framework of environmental data digitalization and requirements for transparency, interoperability, and reporting to EU institutions.

In the context of implementing EU legislative acts (e.g., LULUCF, ETS, EUDR, Taxonomy Regulation, Habitats Directive), the presented analysis identifies gaps in spatial data essential for regulation implementation, specifies which data are inadequate due to insufficient spatial resolution, obsolescence, or poor interoperability, and highlights data “weak points” that could jeopardize timely reporting and compliance.

The conclusions and recommendations based on the analysis indicate that the availability of spatial data in Croatia is partially satisfactory, but further improvements and research are needed. A detailed list of missing spatial data sets should be created, with prioritization of data crucial for implementing the analyzed EU legislation (climate neutrality, LULUCF, nature restoration, forest and soil monitoring…), and capacities and investments in spatial data infrastructure should be strengthened. It was especially emphasized that intersectoral coordination must be ensured (better connection between sectoral institutions such as agriculture, environment, forestry, climate policy…).

The workshop organized in a hybrid format (on-site and on-line)was attended by about thirty representatives of various state bodies and institutions. After the presentations, a broader discussion was held on the state and availability of spatial data. EKONERG d.o.o. presented a table of needs and an in-depth analysis of each of the 23 analyzed regulations, which was made available for review and consideration by state bodies.

Presentations and the Excel table (in Croatian language) can be downloaded here:

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