VRIJEME JE ZA GOSPODARSTVO Maja Krznarić

Guest Maja KrznarićHosted by Darko BukovićMay 3, 2026

Maja Krznarić

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

The promise of EU funds often glitters like "easy money," a perception Maja Krznarić has spent twelve years working to dismantle. While many programs focus on the initial hurdle of writing project proposals, the true test—and where most projects falter—lies in the painstaking, often unforgiving, process of implementation. Krznarić, co-founder of Aidos and the new mentorship program EU Punkt, has seen firsthand how a single missing sticker on a laptop, years after a project begins, can jeopardize an entire investment. She understands that securing the funds is only the beginning; the real work is in justifying every euro, adhering to every self-imposed deadline, and cultivating a rigorous business culture that respects procedure over convenience. Her insights reveal the hidden complexities of EU funding, showing why diligent execution is not just a bureaucratic necessity, but the foundation of true project success.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Maja and her co-founder Helen launched EU Punkt because, twelve years ago, when they started, they navigated the administrative labyrinths of EU projects entirely through trial and error. The most effective support programs are often born from a genuine, personal lack of guidance experienced by their founders.

The host highlights "implementation, implementation, implementation" as a crucial mantra for Croatia, to which Maja agrees, stating it's where projects "pass or fail." A signed grant agreement only grants conditional funds; the real battle, and the ultimate determinant of receiving the money, is successfully justifying every expense and decision during the project's execution.

Maja cites the example of a missing sticker on a laptop, years into a project, as a seemingly trivial detail that can lead to major problems if auditors like OLAF find it. The EU funding system demands a level of meticulousness that often clashes with existing business cultures, forcing organizations to adopt a more rigorous operational approach, even for seemingly minor details.

Maja emphasizes that "the European Union doesn't ask anything of you that isn't in your own documents," meaning grantees are bound by their self-imposed commitments. The core expectation of EU funding is not external imposition, but simple adherence to the promises you made in your own application, challenging a culture that might otherwise consider minor delays or deviations acceptable.

Despite the ongoing challenges, Maja notes that over her twelve years of working with EU projects, she has observed tangible "progress" and "change" in Croatia's approach. Cultural shifts towards procedural rigor, while slow, are achievable through consistent engagement and education, suggesting that sustained effort can gradually overcome historical resistance to strict administrative processes.

Maja points to a significant shift in the educational system, where universities, once confident in self-managing project administration, are now increasingly establishing dedicated EU project offices. Even large, complex institutions eventually recognize that successful EU project implementation requires specialized, dedicated administrative functions, rather than relying on ad-hoc internal solutions.

Maja explicitly states that EU Punkt is *not* another certification program for EU project managers focused on *writing* proposals, but exclusively a mentorship program for *implementation*. When a market is saturated with solutions for one phase of a complex problem (project writing), the real opportunity often lies in addressing the less glamorous, yet critically underserved, subsequent phases (implementation).

Explore further

ScenariosBusiness challenges CardsEducational cards TimelineTopic evolution