As part of her official visit to Croatia, Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, visited KONČAR – Electric Vehicles today. She was joined by Ivan Rakocija, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy.

The visit provided an opportunity to present the operations of the KONČAR Group, with a particular focus on the domestic development and manufacturing of rail vehicles, transport electrification and the integration of mobility and energy infrastructure. KONČAR showcased its low-floor trams, battery-powered and hybrid trains, as well as supporting solutions including charging infrastructure, power supply systems, overhead contact line systems, power electronics and digital solutions.

In addition to the battery-powered train developed and manufactured by KONČAR in 2025, which is currently operating in regular passenger service as the first train of its kind in Europe, particular interest was shown in KONČAR’s solutions for the decarbonisation of railway transport on non-electrified lines.

The discussions also covered KONČAR’s broader contribution to Europe’s green and digital transition, the strengthening of industrial resilience, and the importance of creating a stable and predictable European framework for investment in clean technologies.

KONČAR also presented its development activities within European innovation programmes, including projects supported by the Innovation Fund, the IPCEI initiative on Artificial Intelligence, and Horizon Europe. These include the NEXUS project, focused on the development and industrialisation of advanced energy solutions for large direct-current consumers, and the AC2MTDC project, which explores the possibilities of repurposing existing high-voltage alternating-current transmission lines for very-high-voltage direct-current power transmission.

A tour of the manufacturing facilities at KONČAR – Electric Vehicles formed the central part of the visit, providing Executive Vice-President Ribera with first-hand insight into the development and manufacturing capabilities of Croatia’s rail vehicle industry.

The visit concluded with strong support for the continuation of KONČAR’s development and investment activities, while also highlighting the importance of even stronger international cooperation. The meeting reaffirmed the value of direct dialogue between European institutions and industry at a time when Europe is working to accelerate the green transition, expand its manufacturing capabilities, and strengthen its technological autonomy and resilience.