·
All episodes
Dalibor Hatić
Episode · #176

DRUŠTVENA STRANA POSLOVANJA Dalibor Hatić

Guest Dalibor HatićHosted by Borislav ŽivkovićMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

The management of national natural resources often presents a dilemma: should the focus be on protection or profit? This tension is particularly evident in state-owned enterprises tasked with both safeguarding and commercially exploiting valuable assets. Dalibor Hatić, director of the Institute for Applied Ecology Oikon, offers a nuanced perspective on how Croatia navigates this complex terrain. Hatić brings an operator's clarity to common public misconceptions, from the perceived 'devastation' of forests to the true implications of foreign ownership of water brands. He explains the bureaucratic hurdles facing industries like quarrying and the environmental debates surrounding renewable energy projects. This conversation peels back the layers on societal perceptions versus operational realities, revealing the intricate balance required to sustain both nature and economy. You'll walk away with a clearer understanding of the hidden complexities in managing the resources that define a nation.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Croatian Forests operates as a large state-owned company, but its transition from a public enterprise to an LLC has created an identity crisis. Employees perceive it as a public service, while management is accountable to the government for profit. This dual mandate creates a constant tension between resource protection and revenue generation, making it difficult to satisfy both.
02
What appears to the public as 'devastation' in forests, such as on Medvednica, is often necessary management. Dalibor Hatić compares it to open-heart surgery, which 'looks terrible' to an untrained eye but is vital for the patient's health. The visual impact of felling and machinery is temporary; without such interventions, the forest's future health cannot be managed.
03
Establishing or expanding a quarry in Croatia requires navigating the regulations of four different ministries, a process Dalibor Hatić describes as 'very difficult, if not impossible.' This bureaucratic complexity often forces operators to seek extensions or workarounds for existing sites rather than attempting to open new, fully compliant operations.
04
Concerns that Croatia's drinking water, like the source for Jamnica, is 'in foreign hands' are often misplaced. Dalibor Hatić explains that while companies exploiting these resources may have foreign owners, the water sources themselves remain within Croatian territory. The physical resource cannot be moved, and its management is still subject to national regulations, regardless of corporate ownership.
05
A significant concern regarding small hydropower plants is river fragmentation, which obstructs fish migration. While 'fish passages' are designed to mitigate this, a radical view among some conservationists holds that no technical solution is truly effective, making hydropower intrinsically undesirable. This illustrates a fundamental conflict between energy generation and maintaining ecological integrity.
Explore further
ScenariosBusiness challengesCardsEducational cardsTimelineTopic evolution