The CROVIK 2025 Conference, the central annual gathering of experts in the water and municipal utility sector, was held from October 7 to 11, 2025, in Vodice, organized by the Croatian Water and Wastewater Association. This year’s edition brought together numerous representatives from public utilities, scientific institutions, and industry to discuss sector reform, digital transformation, and climate change adaptation.
The Director of the Institute, Mario Šiljeg, participated in the conference’s opening panel discussion on the future and challenges of the water and wastewater management system in Croatia. In his remarks, he highlighted the Institute’s key activities – water quality monitoring, the effects of newly constructed wastewater treatment plants, and training for public water service providers.
The Institute also actively contributed through oral presentations by several of its employees – Tanja Šikić, Igor Stanković, and Šime Kovač – who presented professional papers focused on the establishment of a professional training system for public water service providers, benchmarking in the water and wastewater sector, and monitoring the performance of wastewater treatment plants using routine monitoring and advanced remote sensing methods, illustrated through the example of the Drava River.
The conference program covered a wide range of professional and thematic areas – from legal updates and investment financing to the use of artificial intelligence in network monitoring. After two days of lectures, participants had the opportunity to visit Krka National Park under expert guidance. This unique water and karst phenomenon not only highlighted the importance of preserving natural water resources, but also provided a fitting conclusion to the event.
The presentations and topics of CROVIK 2025 reaffirmed its position as one of the most significant gatherings in the Croatian water and wastewater sector, contributing greatly to sector improvement and the exchange of knowledge and experience among professionals. The conclusions and initiatives from the conference will serve as an impetus for further project development aimed at achieving more efficient and sustainable water management in Croatia.
