Dani OIE 2026 (RES Days 2026), Croatia’s largest renewable energy conference with an international character, has opened in Opatija, where representatives of the energy sector, industry, investors, institutions, and academia from Croatia and across Europe will gather through 22 May.

Maja Pokrovac, Director of the organiser Renewable Energy Sources of Croatia (RES Croatia), emphasised that the energy sector is no longer a standalone industry, but a topic that affects the economy, national security, and the quality of life of citizens.

– Today, energy is a matter of Croatia’s overall social and economic development. When we started, we talked about the first wind farms and the first solar rooftops. Back then, only a few believed that Croatia could have a modern power system based on domestic renewable energy – said Pokrovac.

She recalled that the sector has come a long way over the ten years of RES Croatia’s work – from an almost invisible industry to one of the most important economic topics in Croatia. This year’s Dani OIE (RES Days) conference brings together 125 companies and 43 institutions from 16 countries.

She also highlighted that over the years RES Croatia has become a partner of leading European energy organisations, with the aim of transferring European experience and trends to the Croatian energy sector as well as the public. However, she warned that administrative and regulatory processes are still too slow to keep pace with the market and the investment cycle.

– We must look at how to accelerate procedures and how to rely more strongly on the production of our own, domestic energy – Pokrovac concluded.

In a video address, Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, congratulated RES Croatia on its tenth anniversary and stated that RES Croatia’s work is now recognised at the European level, while Croatia is facing strong growth in renewable energy sources. She emphasised that wars and global crises are once again demonstrating how expensive and insecure dependence on fossil fuels can be, and that solar energy, combined with battery storage systems, makes the energy system more resilient and efficient. She also noted that, thanks to the growth of solar capacity, Europe has avoided more than 10 billion euros in gas import costs since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, further confirming the importance of domestic energy production for Europe’s security and stability.

Nikola Vištica, PhD, President of the Board of Commissioners of the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (HERA), said that Croatia is in an important period of renewable energy development and that regulatory decisions have been adopted which should accelerate project development and grid connection.

Ivica Rovis, Chief Advisor to the Minister at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, stressed that energy supply has become a matter of national security, while Tanja Radić Lakoš, State Secretary at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, stated that Croatia does not treat the energy transition as an obligation, but as a direction of strategic development, supported by new calls under the Modernisation Fund worth 74 million euros.

Tonči Glavinić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, emphasised that legislative reforms have provided a strong incentive to the development of solar power plants, recalling that Croatia has increased its solar capacity from around 330 MW to more than 1,300 MW in just a few years.

Vedran Špehar, representative of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, stated that Croatia is fully committed to the green transition and the decarbonisation of the economy, and announced new laws that will govern the electricity market and renewable energy sources.

As part of the conference, a panel discussion titled “Energy Independence as a Defence Strategy” was held, moderated by Maja Pokrovac, Director of RES Croatia, focusing on the connection between energy, security, and the resilience of states in times of geopolitical crises.

Gordan Akrap, PhD, Vice-Rector for International and Interinstitutional Cooperation at the Dr. Franjo Tuđman Defence and Security University, warned that energy has been used as an instrument of political and geopolitical influence for decades, emphasizing that today energy independence and energy sovereignty represent important elements of national security.

Gordan Kolak, President of the Management Board at Končar, said that Europe is rapidly investing in power infrastructure precisely to ensure security of supply and the long-term stability of the system, emphasizing that the energy transition cannot be built through isolated measures, but requires a carefully planned and comprehensive approach.

Tue Lippert, Defence and Security Advisor at WindEurope, stated that the experience of Ukraine has shown that energy infrastructure becomes one of the primary targets during crises and hybrid attacks, and that Europe must strengthen the resilience of its systems and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

In a video address, Maja Kuzel from the European Defence Agency stressed that renewable energy sources, battery systems, and microgrids are becoming increasingly important for the functioning of critical infrastructure and defence systems in crisis situations.

The conference continues over the next two days with panel discussions on the role of energy in tourism, agriculture, and data centres, as well as on grid and battery system development, project financing, and the flexibility of the power system. A special part of the program is dedicated to the role of citizens, local communities, and small businesses in the energy transition.