by croatiaweek
September 2, 2026
in
(Photo: Verne)
ZAGREB, 2 September 2026 (Hina) – Croatian company Verne, which is developing a robotaxi project, says it is prepared to return €89.7 million in advance funding received from Croatia’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) if a final evaluation finds that its contractual obligations have not been fully met.
The company said the robotaxi project was completed on 30 August 2026 and that it now has one month to submit a report detailing all activities carried out, costs incurred and final results achieved.
Based on that report, the competent authorities will conduct a final evaluation of the project and determine which targets have been successfully completed, Verne’s management said.
According to the company, the authorities have so far verified the successful delivery of all required verification prototypes of fully autonomous electric vehicles, along with the completion of the necessary testing. Regulations governing autonomous driving have also been adopted.
The remaining targets now under evaluation include the issuing of 50,000 free travel vouchers for people with disabilities to use fully autonomous vehicles, the production of fully autonomous electric vehicles adapted to the needs of passengers with disabilities, and the establishment and operation of specialised infrastructure.
Verne said the public would be informed transparently once the competent authorities complete their assessment.
“The company is prepared to return all funds if the evaluation shows that the contractual obligations have not been fully fulfilled,” Verne said.
So far, €89.7 million in advance funding has been drawn from the NRRP project, while the company says it has secured more than €140 million in investment from private investors.
(Photo: Verne)
The Central Finance and Contracting Agency for EU Programmes and Projects (SAFU) has also stressed that a final assessment of the robotaxi project’s targets can only be made after implementation has ended and the complete documentation has been reviewed.
SAFU said Verne, which is part of the Rimac Group, is required to submit its final reimbursement claim within 30 days of the end of the project implementation period. During that period, the company can also justify the remaining portion of the advance funding already paid.
As implementation ended on 30 August, the final assessment of whether the project targets have been achieved can therefore only be made following the review of the complete final documentation.