Original scientific paper
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION AS FACTORS OF CROATIAN COMPETITIVENESS
Sanja Tišma
; Institut za međunarodne odnose, Zagreb
Anamarija Pisarović
; Institut za međunarodne odnose, Zagreb
Krešimir Jurlin
; Institut za međunarodne odnose, Zagreb
Abstract
Here is a brief survey on environmental circumstances and the development in the field of energy industry in Croatia during the last few years. Indicators of the total energy consumption, energy intensity and efficiency, the rate of the population using sewage system and the cost of monitoring pollution as the percentage of the GDP have been analyzed for 12 European countries significant for the comparison with the Croatian economy. An opinion poll carried out among entrepreneurs (in Croatia and other targeted countries) has been dealt with on their opinion of the importance and representation of measures and instruments of environmental protection and the usability of energy resources. The results of the opinion poll have shown that entrepreneurs in Croatia are in the majority aware of the significance of environmental protection and of an efficient energy resources consumption, and so they demand energy and environmental regulations that affect business to be simple and clear, as well as acceptable expenses of energy consumption and environmental taxes to be at the level as they are in the countries with which they run business. Moreover, entrepreneurs in Croatia hold that compliance with environmental standards, and products and technologies that have as distinctive features of high energy consumption efficiency are today the indicators of quality and by means of this are unavoidable elements of non-price competition.
The fundamental conclusion of the carried out analysis is that power industry and environment represent fields of activity in which Croatia is, as is generally known, well positioned and with fair competitive ability in relation to the observed countries.
Keywords
energy; environment; entrepreneurship; the competitive ability of Croatia; sustainable development
Hrčak ID:
47896
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2003.
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