Eurofast Croatia

The Croatian government has worked relentlessly on the nation's economic recovery, having already completed two rounds of tax reform in 2017 and 2018, with a third round to commence in 2019.

Croatia and Japan celebrated their 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2018. This milestone was further marked with the signing of an agreement on double taxation avoidance (DTA) on October 19 2018. The official document was concluded in English and is yet to be ratified and enforced by the respective states.

Tax incentives in Croatia for research and development (R&D) projects were granted between 2007 and 2014 based on Articles 111 a. to 111 f. of the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education. However, the European Union issued Commission Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014 in June 2014, concerning certain categories of state aid; this used significantly different terminology, definitions, and requirements, and rendered the abovementioned articles invalid. Croatian entrepreneurs found themselves in something of a vacuum for more than three years, awaiting a new legal framework for R&D incentives, as the relevant tax incentive had been abolished on January 1 2015. In July 2018, the Croatian Parliament adopted and published the Act on State Aid for Research and Development Projects, which the government had submitted in January 2018.