Third Professional ISPU Conference in Cavtat focuses on digitisation of physical planning and construction

Today at the Hotel Croatia in Cavtat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Branko Bačić opened the Third Professional Physical Planning Information System (ISPU) Conference - central annual gathering of professionals in the field of construction and physical planning with a focus on sector digitisation.

Over 650 participants from Croatia and the region have applied to attend the three-day conference. They include representatives of professional chambers, local and regional self-government units, county institutes for physical planning, officials for issuing building documents, physical planners and other professional and scientific public.

This traditional, third professional gathering on digitisation in the field of physical planning and construction is organised by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets. The aim of the conference is to present novelties from five policy areas designated as the main conference themes: issuance of permits, development of spatial plans, disposal of real estate, energy certification of buildings and management of regulatory systems of public law bodies.

“ISPU is a key tool for digital transformation in the field of physical planning, construction and state assets. Its further modernisation enables a more efficient and transparent space management, and digital solutions we develop enable a faster and simpler communication between citizens, investors and public procurement,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bačić said in his speech at the opening ceremony.
The Minister also recalled that last year the Ministry digitised over two million building documents. “We have made a huge step forward in this process by integrating all the building, use and location permits and other building documents issued from 1968 to this day onto the platform. From now on, everything with respect to physical planning and construction in Croatia will be in digital form,” Minister Bačić clarified.
He pointed out that the entire construction procedure, from opening the construction site to obtaining the use permit, is completely digitised.

“In order to achieve the best results, we conduct a procedure which will provide all officials in Croatia with easy access to a standardised and coordinated system. It is a lengthy process, but here we rank among the top EU Member States, and we have made a huge step forward. We have secured substantial funding from EU funds and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan,” the Minister stated, adding that digitisation of public administration is not an end in itself.

“Citizens can resolve their important life needs through this platform, easily and quickly, without running from office to office,” Minister Bačić emphasised.

He noted that this year the Ministry will adopt twelve acts which will completely change the physical planning and construction method in Croatia.

“I hope it will be better, easier and faster. When a citizen builds a family house, they will have very quick access to obtaining and issuing a building permit. This will also enable faster investment in Croatia. And thirdly, we have taken responsibility to ensure that space, which is, along with people, the most important Croatian resource, is not a burden to development, but a resource for progress. Space should be protected, but we also have to be aware that people need to live in that space. It is the task of lawmakers to find the balance, and we are confident we have found it. I am confident the new acts will make it possible,” Minister Bačić said.

At the opening ceremony, speeches were also held by Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Blaž Pezo, Konavle Municipality Prefect Božo Lasić, President of Croatian Chamber of Civil Engineers Nina Dražin Lovrec and President of Croatian Chamber or Architects Rajka Bunjevac. Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Blaž Pezo said that ISPU is an important tool which helps local self-government units improve space management, accelerate and enhance the implementation of investments in construction, while being transparent for citizens.

Konavle Municipality Prefect Božo Lasić expressed his satisfaction with Cavtat being selected to host the conference, thanking the organises for trusting them. In his speech, he commended the Ministry on transparency, open dialogue and successful cooperation with local self-government units and other ISPU system users.

Nina Dražin Lovrec, the President of Croatian Chamber of Civil Engineers, pointed out that Croatia takes the lead in digitisation of physical planning compared to other European states. “The future of our sector does not lie only in concrete and steel, but also in digital foundations we build together,” she added.

Rajka Bunjevac, the President of Croatian Chamber of Architects, highlighted the importance of space protection and preservation - especially the coast - for future generations, stating that affordable housing should be the key priority of Croatia.

Annual awards presented to the most distinguished ISPU system users

During the ceremony, annual awards were presented to the most distinguished ISPU system users. These users achieved exceptional results in their work, timeliness and efficiency in using the system over the past period. The awards include certificates of recognition and plaques, and they were presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Branko Bačić and State Secretary Tonči Glavinić.

The most distinguished administrative body in managing data from the Real Estate Purchase Price is the Administrative Department for Physical Planning of the City of Koprivnica. The certificate of recognition was awarded to Head of Department Jasna Markušić, and the average accuracy and timeliness of data management for the period 2023-2024 is 98.73%. The most distinguished appraisal committee is the Committee of the City of Zagreb, which processed a total of 1,377 appraisal reports.

The first certificate of recognition for a new generation spatial plan through the ePlans system was awarded to the Urban Development Plan of the Economic Zone “Cubinec” of the City of Križevci. The certificate was accepted by Mr. Krešimir Brunović, Head of Administrative Department for Public Utilities Economy, Construction, Physical Planning and Environmental Protection.

The local self-government unit with the highest number of initiated development procedures of new generation spatial plans was Stankovci Municipality, with a total of 15 procedures initiated. The certificate was accepted by Municipality Prefect Željko Perica.

 The certificate of recognition for the developer with the highest number of adopted new generation plans by September 1, 2025, was presented to the company Zona Kvadrat d.o.o. The certificate was accepted by Director Željka Kajfeš.

The most efficient office for issuing building permits in the Republic of Croatia in 2024 is the City Administrative Department for Physical Planning and Construction of the City of Gospić. The certificate was accepted by Head of Department Ivana Fabijan.

The certificate of recognition for the most efficient official for issuing building permits in 2024 was awarded to Ms Anna Preosti from Split-Dalmatia County, local office Sinj. The certificate is also a symbolic crowning achievement, since she has recently retired.

The certificate of recognition for the most efficient public law body in issuing special requirements and connection requirements in 2024 was awarded to the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industry (HAKOM). The certificate was accepted by Assistant Director Josip Šajnović. The overall efficiency of HAKOM was 99.81%, which is an exceptional result considering the large number of operators under their scope.

On behalf of all the participants, Mr. Željko Perica, Stankovci Municipality Prefect, thanked the organisers and pointed out that these awards encourage further improvement of services and development of the physical planning system.

It is worth adding that the conference started on Wednesday, October 15, with an opening lecture in late afternoon. The participants were able to hear about the key themes and development directions of the ISPU system, and new digitisation challenges and possibilities in the field of physical planning and construction. Today the conference continues with professional lectures and a discussion on the new legislation and digital modules.

Tomorrow, the third conference day, will be dedicated to workshops and lectures on future development of the ISPU system and its integration with other state information systems. The participants will analyse digital transformation challenges and possibilities in public administration, with an emphasis on efficiency, transparency and improvement of citizens’ access to information.

It is worth noting that the first professional physical planning information system conference was held in November 2023 at Terme Sveti Martin, and the second one in April 2024 at the Convention Centre Šibenik. The importance of this type of event is also reflected in the fact that over 2000 participants have attended professional conferences so far.

The Physical Planning Information System (ISPU) is a system of the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets which provides citizens, through Geoportal, with easy access to information on space use. The system is aimed to reduce the administrative burden on citizens and to achieve higher efficiency and cost-effectiveness in public administration. The system is used by 50,000 users on a daily basis, while the ISPU Geoportal, the central hub for all eServices, registers over 110 million views per month.

Detailed conference programme is available HERE.
 

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