Presentation of the Pilot Study “I Choose Croatia”: A Public Policy Measure Supporting Return Migration and Development in Croatia’s Lagging Regions; Zagreb, 27/05/2026
The Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation organized the presentation of the results of the pilot study “I Choose Croatia”. The study examines the effects of the active labour market policy measure of the same name aimed at encouraging the return of Croatian migrants and supporting development in economically less developed and demographically challenged regions of Croatia
The study explores how the objectives of public policy are translated into practice and to what extent the measure contributes to return migration, entrepreneurial activity, and local development. Particular attention is given to the experiences of programme beneficiaries, their motivations for return, and the opportunities and challenges they encounter upon returning to Croatia.
The study was conducted by Caroline Hornstein Tomić, PhD (Pilar Institute), Janine Pinkow-Läpple, PhD (Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies, Halle), and Ana Budimir Župić (Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb), with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
The event featured keynote presentations from Ivan Vidiš, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, who discussed the policy perspective on fostering return migration, and Caroline Hornstein Tomić, PhD, who presented the main findings of the study. A further keynote address was delivered by Mladen Barać, State Secretary at the Ministry of Demography and Immigration, focusing on strategies, challenges, and policy responses related to return migration from the Croatian diaspora.
The panel discussion, moderated by Ana Budimir Župić, brought together representatives of national and regional institutions, including Ivan Vidiš, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy; Mladen Barać, State Secretary at the Ministry of Demography and Immigration; Nataša Tramišak, Prefect of Osijek-Baranja County and former Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds; and Ivana Mehle, Deputy Director General of the Croatian Employment Service. The discussion explored the role of return migration in regional development, the effectiveness of existing policy measures, and opportunities for their further improvement.
