Community

Community development has always been an important element of Dr Grgić work.

He has empowered many individuals with skills to effect change within their communities, through the formation of dozens of non-governmental organization (NGOs), and most of them are continually active and well-regarded.

He has started with European Movement, Paneuropa, and Young European Federalists (JEF). As the first national president of JEF, he participated at the famous European Council Meeting in Maastricht in 1991, where he met and talked to Mr. Jacque Delors, the 8^th President of the European Commission. He represented JEF at the UN Charter Review Conference in New York in 1992, where he met with Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary General of the UN. Due to his interest in the UN Organization, he established the Croatian Club for the UN (later: Croatian Club for International Cooperation), and it became the first NGO accredited at the UN Secretariat in New York. He kept his accreditation badge at the UN for next 20 years. Meanwhile, he has established Junior Chamber International in Croatia (the first local president in 1995) and became JCI Senator in 1997. He has encouraged many young people to become activists and make their own NGOs, ranging from local dancing clubs to international associations.

Together with some Serbian colleagues, as a freshmen student he has established Croatian-Serbian Friendship Society in 1991, aiming to resolve Croatian-Serbian disputes peacefully, just days prior to the Homeland War (1991-1995). The initiative obtained the official support by the Croatian President Dr. Franjo Tuđman. The First Croatian President supported several other of his later initiatives as well, e.g. a project “Croatia beyond 2000”.

Over next decades, he has developed friendship with many distinguished people, as a friend and unofficial adviser to presidents, ministers, and local government leaders in Croatia, but also internationally. Croatian Parliament appointed him (unanimously) a Board Member of the Croatian TV and Radio, where he served as Vice-President voluntarily for couple of years. He has also created Croatian Exporters, one of the most active business organizations in Croatia, and the Competitiveness Council, that listed Croatia on the Davos Global Competitiveness Index.

The 50^th Anniversary of the EU in Croatia at the Concert Hall “Vatroslav Lisinski” was organized and solely financed by Dr Grgić. About 1 800 guests, mainly well-known public figures, from the entire political spectrum, gathered to express Croatian dedication towards the EU accession process. That particular event was the crown of his community initiatives.