Project value: 101.080,00 €

Project leader and leader of WP 1 Conducting research: Associate professor Ana Đanić Čeko

Members of the research team:

Full professor Boris Bakota

Full professor Boris Ljubanović

Full professor Tunjica Petrašević

Full professor Igor Vuletić

Associate professor Dunja Duić, leader of WP 3 Dissemination

Associate professor Jelena Dujmović Bocka, leader of WP 4 Popularization of science and student involvement

Associate professor Barbara Herceg, leader of WP 2 Training (conferences and education)

Associate professor Ante Novokmet

Associate professor Zvonimir Tomičić

Assistant professor Mato Palić

Josip Plišo, teaching assistant

Veronika Sudar, teaching assistant

Ivan Vidaković, teaching assistant

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine the extent to which the Republic of Croatia respects the obligations undertaken and to which extent the current national legislation is harmonized with the acquis of the EU, convention law and selected comparative legal systems; as well as point out certain open questions and doubts and gaps arising from practice, as well as sub-standards in the current legislation. The purpose is to contribute to the improvement and advancement of the current and existing legal framework through the results of research from various legal branches, thus contributing to a critical review of the adequacy of the Croatian positive legal solutions and to the proposal and design of possible normative interventions. The above is in favour of avoiding uneven judicial and administrative practice, uneven interpretation and application of law, eliminating legal uncertainty and inequality of the position of citizens in exercising their rights and ensuring adequate and appropriate legal protection. The purpose of the proposed research is to strengthen the research infrastructure through the implementation of scientific legal research focusing on the critical analysis of the application and enforcement of European Union (EU) law and convention law in the Republic of Croatia. The project has a clear ambition to contribute to the development of scientific thought, but also to concretely influence the improvement of the current legal framework, through the identification of normative and practical shortcomings and the proposal of concrete solutions.

Project value: 72.200,00 €

Project leader: Associate professor Emina Jerković

Members of the research team:

Full professor Renata Perić

Full professor Aleksandra Vasilj

Full professor Dubravka Akšamović

Full professor Rajko Odobaša

Associate professor Biljana Činčurak Erceg, leader of WP 2 Training (conferences and education)

Associate professor Katarina Marošević, leader of WP 1 Conducting research

Associate professor Martina Mikrut Nađsombat

Associate professor Lidija Šimunović Dikonić, leader of WP 3 Open access and dissemination

Lucija Živković, teaching assistant

Abstract

The project encompasses interdisciplinary research on contemporary challenges and development opportunities arising from globalization, accelerated digital transformation, and the growing need for sustainable development. By analysing legal and economic aspects across various thematic areas—including business operations, public finance, tax systems, transport, urban mobility, city digitalization, smart cities, digitalization of public administration, and environmental policies—the project aims to identify weaknesses in existing institutional and regulatory frameworks and offer concrete, feasible reform guidelines aligned with European and global trends.

The objective is to build a flexible, transparent, and efficient regulatory system that fosters sustainable economic development, strengthens institutional resilience, and supports green and digital innovations. Emphasis is placed on creating a system that encourages green and digital innovation, enhances institutional resilience, and ensures long-term sustainability.

A particular focus is placed on the role of technology, ESG standards, fiscal policy instruments, and sustainable transport solutions in the context of climate challenges and global goals. The project additionally explores the relationship between economic efficiency and environmental protection through an evaluation of market-based versus regulatory measures. By integrating law, economics, environmental sciences, and technology, the project contributes to shaping inclusive, innovative, sustainable, and applicable solutions in legal, economic, and public policy practice, aligned with European and global objectives.

Project value: 72.200,00 €

Project leader: Full professor Ivana Tucak

Members of the research team:

Full professor Mira Lulić

Full professor Mirela Župan

Full professor Anita Blagojević

Associate professor Davor Muhvić, leader of WP 3 Dissemination

Associate professor Paula Poretti, leader of WP 1 Research

Martina Drventić Barišin, senior teaching assistant, leader of WP 2 Training (conferences and education)

Gordana Horvat, teaching assistant

Vesna Širić, senior lecturer

Ivica Pavić, lecturer

External members of the research team:

Full professor Igor Milinković

Sanda Pašuld

Ivana Rešetar Čulo

Teacher from University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law, Chair on Civil Law

Abstract

Dynamic changes, including geopolitical crises, armed conflicts, climate change, migration flows, digital transformation, the rise of populist movements, and the weakening of the institutions of the rule of law, mark the contemporary world. All these phenomena directly affect the universal enjoyment of human rights and further exacerbate the position of minority groups. Given their multidimensional nature, the protection of human rights represents not only a legal but also a moral and political issue. The importance of human rights today is reflected not only in preventing negative actions by the state but also in building a just society. The stagnation and deterioration of human rights occur not only in authoritarian regimes but also in Western liberal democracies.

The Project aims primarily to advance and enrich Croatian scholarship through the study of contemporary challenges in human rights protection. This includes identifying these challenges, analyzing them, determining the factors contributing to their emergence, and formulating de lege ferenda proposals for appropriate normative and institutional responses. Given the nature of the issues involved, an interdisciplinary approach to human rights protection is essential. Therefore, the Project brings together experts from various legal fields—constitutional law, international law, private international law, and the theory of law and state—as well as from social work. The objective of the Project is to ensure the synergistic integration and exchange of research results within a set of selected thematic areas related to human rights protection.

Project value: 101.080,00 €

Project leader: Full professor Mario Vinković

Members of the research team of WP Labour and social law:

Full professor Ljubica Kordić

Associate professor Anton Petričević

Assistant professor Dragana Bjelić Gaćeša

Assistant professor Dubravka Papa

Željko Rišner, senior lecturer

Tena Konjević, teaching assistant

Members of the research team of WP Social work:

Assistant professor Mateja Marić, leader of the WP Social work

Assistant professor Anita Barišić

Assistant professor Dinka Caha

Petar Šajfar, senior teaching assistant

Nikol Bogdan, teaching assistant

Lara Rašić, teaching assistant

Suzana Tomašević, teaching assistant

Abstract

The project Labour and Social law and Social Work for a Resilient and Sustainable Society of the 21st Century starts from the paradigm that for an inclusive, resilient and sustainable society of the 21st century in the spheres of labour and social legislation and social work it is primarily to protect vulnerable, socially excluded and marginalized groups. The project consists of two work packages: “Labour and social law” and “Social work”. The work packages are causally connected not only by the fact that labour and social legislation has a direct and immeasurable impact on the field of social work and social activities, but also by the research team’s primary focus on specified vulnerable and excluded groups. Legal protection and appropriate treatment of vulnerable and socially excluded groups are the conditio sine qua non of building an inclusive, resilient and sustainable society. Regarding the (additional) project goals of the Labour and Social Law package, this primarily implies the analysis of (potential) new forms of discrimination against workers as a consequence of the application of new technologies; protection of the dignity of workers, especially those from the domain of vulnerable and socially excluded categories; detecting deficiencies in anti-discrimination regulations and difficulties in protecting workers’ rights; analysing the role of language and cultural integration among foreign workers, but also detecting various exploitative practices to which workers are exposed in the processes of relocation of production processes, enjoyment of freedom of movement, etc. Additional objectives of the Social Work package are focused on factors that contribute to withdrawal and dropout from studies among undergraduate students; sociodemographic characteristics of foster children, experiences of the school environment, school attachment and behavioural problems, as well as their impact on school success and mental health of children in care; analysis of patterns of peer electronic violence among adolescents and their connection with academic, psychological and social goals, but also on current work models and possibilities for improving support for older people, people with disabilities and their families. In conditions of pronounced social (and climate change), migration and demographic trends, and the application of new (digital) technologies, these are topics that are not only provocative in research, but must be the focus of relevant stakeholders on the basis of scientific elaboration and foundation. The aim of the project is to raise the level of scientific excellence in the subject area and offer potentially applicable solutions and normative modus de lege ferenda. The methodological approach is determined by the interdisciplinary composition of the research team and primarily reflects methodological pluralism.