The Director of Enna Next spoke about the company’s business experiences in Croatia and Slovenia, as well as current trends in the energy sector

Zagreb, 27 May 2025 – Nenad Ukropina, Director of ENNA Next, took part in the conference “Croatia and Slovenia – Connected by Capital”, held in Zagreb on Tuesday, 27 May 2025. The conference was organised by Poslovni dnevnik and Finance, the leading business media outlets in Croatia and Slovenia. Numerous entrepreneurs and economists gathered to discuss business experiences in both countries, as well as opportunities for collaboration and the development of joint projects.

Nenad Ukropina participated in a panel discussion on the experiences of Croatian companies operating in Slovenia. Alongside him were fellow panellists Zoran Stanković, Vice President for Finance, Procurement and Investment at Atlantic Grupa, and Ivan Čevra, CEO of Stanić Beverages. The panel was moderated by Marko Bombač, Director of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange.

The Director of ENNA Next spoke about the major changes occurring within the energy sector, highlighting the overarching trend of decentralised energy production.

“This means that companies are generating enough energy to meet their own needs, while capitalising on the resources they already possess to generate additional income on the energy market,” Ukropina stated, referring in this context to renewable energy sources, battery energy storage systems, and virtual power plants — all of which are products and services ENNA Next offers to business clients.

Discussing the similarities and differences between Croatia and Slovenia, Ukropina remarked that he sees no significant distinctions between people, or indeed between the ENNA Next teams operating in the two countries. Similarities also exist in the energy sectors of both nations, where approximately 50% of primary energy is imported, mainly in the form of petroleum products or natural gas. In terms of bilateral cooperation, he emphasised the importance of collaboration in energy transmission, particularly in light of the growing number of renewable energy sources being integrated into the grid.

As he explained, renewable energy brings autonomy and the potential for energy self-sufficiency, but by their nature, these sources also introduce greater instability into energy systems. He cited a recent power outage that affected Spain, Portugal and southern France, as well as a similar incident last year in Dalmatia, Montenegro, and Albania.

The conference was officially opened by Tonči Glavina, Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sport; Matjaž Han, Slovenian Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport; and Ante Šušnjar, Croatian Minister of the Economy.

More about the conference is available at poslovni.hr.