Zdravko Marić
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Zdravko Marić (; born 3 February 1977) is a Croatian economist and politician who served as the
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
from 2016 and a
Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
from 2019, until his resignation from both positions in 2022. He was the first
non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...
holder of the office in Croatia's post-
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
history. He assumed the position of finance minister in the
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...
of
Tihomir Orešković Tihomir "Tim" Orešković (; born 1 January 1966) is a Croatian Canadian businessman who was Prime Minister of Croatia from January to October 2016. Born in Zagreb, Orešković emigrated to Canada at a young age and spent most of his life there. ...
, and continued to hold the position in the
first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and the second cabinet of
Andrej Plenković Andrej Plenković ( ; born 8 April 1970) is a Croatian politician who has been serving as the prime minister of Croatia since 19 October 2016. He was previously one of eleven Croatian members of the European Parliament, serving from Croatia's ...
.


Early life and education

Zdravko Marić was born on 3 February 1977 in
Slavonski Brod Slavonski Brod (), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod was the 7th large ...
. After finishing elementary and high school in his hometown, he enrolled in Zagreb Faculty of Economics and Business from which he graduated finances in 2000. He obtained his master's degree in
operational research Operations research ( en-GB, operational research) (U.S. Air Force Specialty Code: Operations Analysis), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a discipline that deals with the development and application of analytical methods to improve decis ...
in 2004 with thesis ''Analysis of Capital Flows in Transition Countries Through the Impact on Investment''. In 2007, Marić attended the executive education program in Management at Young Global Leaders School of
Klaus Schwab Klaus Martin Schwab (; born 30 March 1938) is a German engineer, economist and founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF). He has acted as the WEF's chairman since founding the organisation in 1971. Life Schwab was born to Eugen Wilhelm Schw ...
at the
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. Marić earned his Ph.D. in 2008 from the Zagreb Faculty of Economics and Business with thesis ''The Impact of Foreign Direct Investments on the Productivity of Croatian Companies''.


Career

Zdravko Marić gained his first working experience as an assistant at the Zagreb Institute of Economics where he worked from 2001 to 2006 on a number of scientific and commercial projects. During this period, he also worked as occasional lecturer at the
Zagreb School of Economics and Management The Zagreb School of Economics and Management ( hr, Zagrebačka škola ekonomije i managementa, abbreviated as ZŠEM) is a private business school located in Zagreb, Croatia. Founded in 2002, ZŠEM provides undergraduate and graduate education i ...
and the
International Graduate Business School Zagreb International Graduate Business School (IGBS) Zagreb is designed to meet the need for management education in Croatia and the region. IGBS Zagreb offers dual MBA/M.Sc. degree in partnership with Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. A C ...
. In 2006, he became Assistant for Macroeconomic Analysis and Planning to finance minister
Ivan Šuker Ivan Šuker (born 12 November 1957) is a Croatian politician and economist. He served as Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2010, as a member of the Croatian Democratic Union.HDZ The Croatian Democratic Union ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, lit=Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ) is the major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Cro ...
). His main responsibility was to bring macroeconomic forecasting and work on the state budget, as well as direct cooperation with the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
in the field of economic dialogue. In 2008, Marić was promoted to the position of state secretary which gave him additional responsibilities, including the overall state budget, the financial system and cooperation with international financial institutions ( IMF, WB, IADB,
EBRD The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially foc ...
, EIB, CEB). In addition, he became the leader of the working group for the Croatian negotiation process with the European Union for Chapter 33: Budget and Financial Regulations. After HDZ lost 2011 parliamentary election,
Slavko Linić Slavko Linić (born 19 September 1949) is a Croatian politician and economist. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics on the University of Rijeka. From 1990 to 2000, he was the Mayor of Rijeka. From 2000 to 2003 he served as Deputy Prime M ...
from the SDP was appointed finance minister, and although he offered Marić the opportunity to stay on as state secretary, Marić refused and got a job in the largest Croatian retail joint-stock company
Agrokor Agrokor () was a conglomerate, largely centered in agribusiness, with headquarters in Zagreb, Croatia. Founded in 1976 as a flower grower, it became a joint stock company in 1989, with 100 percent ownership held by founder Ivica Todorić. It grea ...
where he worked as Executive Director for Strategy and Capital. His responsibilities were international finances, relations with investors and
mergers and acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
. When HDZ managed to form
coalition Government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
with
Bridge of Independent Lists The Bridge ( hr, Most), previously known as Bridge of Independent Lists ( hr, Most nezavisnih lista) until November 2020, is a political party in Croatia founded in 2012. The party is led by Božo Petrov, its founder and the former mayor of Metkov ...
(MOST) after the 2015 parliamentary election, Marić was appointed Minister of Finance instead of Ivan Šuker whose appointment was opposed by MOST, although MOST initially opposed Marić's appointment as well. According to a poll conducted in April 2016 by IPSOS Puls for Nova TV, Marić was considered the second most popular member of the Government after Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković. On 10 June 2016 in light of the government crisis caused by a call for a
motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
against First Deputy Prime Minister
Tomislav Karamarko Tomislav Karamarko (; born 25 May 1959) is a Croatian politician who served as First Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia from January to June 2016. He served in the Cabinet of Jadranka Kosor as Minister of the Interior from 2008 to 2011. Career K ...
due to his conflict of interest in an affair involving his wife Ana Šarić and Josip Petrović, special adviser and lobbyist of the
MOL Group MOL Plc. ( hu, Magyar OLaj- és Gázipari Részvénytársaság, lit=Hungarian Oil and Gas Public Limited Company), also commonly known as MOL Group, is a Hungarian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. Members of M ...
, a Hungarian oil corporation that gained control of Croatia's national oil company INA through a corruption scandal, and the ensuing calls for Prime Minister Orešković to resign, HDZ planned to nominate Marić as their candidate for Prime Minister to replace Orešković. However, since it was clear that Marić would not get the support of a majority of MPs, the idea was abandoned, which led to the dissolution of the
Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor ...
and new elections. Following the 2016 extraordinary parliamentary election and the creation of Andrea Plenkovič' cabinet, Marić continued to serve as Minister of Finance. On 20 April 2017, 46 MPs from the SDP, HNS, HSS, HSU, ŽZ and SNAGA backed by the 15 MPs from
MOST Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to: Places * Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria * Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic ** Most District, a district surrounding the city ** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city ** A ...
, submitted a proposal for a motion of no confidence against Marić after the Committee on Conflict of Interest concluded that Marić, who served as an Executive Director for Strategy and Capital in Agrokor prior to taking office as a minister, participated in the Government session held on 10 April 2017 where the Government was deciding on the proposal for appointing the extraordinary manager in the Agrokor by which Marić violated provisions of the Law on Prevention of Conflicts of Interest which stipulates that a state official has to exempt himself from all proceedings which could directly or indirectly affect a company in which he worked prior to taking office. In addition, MPs stated that Marić, at a time when Agrokor's financial statements were tampered with, had the task of presenting those statements to third parties and their active usage in order to secure Agrokor's stable financing, as well as that Marić, upon taking office as finance minister, postponed regulations that might reveal the existence of a crisis in Agrokor.Note:In January 2017,
Moody's Moody's Investors Service, often referred to as Moody's, is the bond credit rating business of Moody's Corporation, representing the company's traditional line of business and its historical name. Moody's Investors Service provides international ...
lowered Agrokor's rating from B2 to B3 and in the same time increased the possibility of companies' bankruptcy, and later lowered Agrokor's rating four more times by June. Agrokor's bonds started losing value. In February 2017, Moody's reduced the prospects for Agrokor's rating from stable to negative. In April 2017, the government passed an emergency law, nicknamed Lex Agrokor, that allowed the state to appoint an executive with a special crisis management team to steer a restructuring of companies in financial troubles with more than 5,000 employees. On 7 April, Agrokor's management filed a request for the activation of Lex Agrokor after which the Government appointed Ivica Ramljak as Agrokor's extraordinary manager. He started negotiating with banks and suppliers in order to rescue the company from bankruptcy. On 9 October, Ramljak announced a consolidated report which reduced Agrokor's value for 21 billion HRK, revealing that he filed a criminal charges against Todorić and his associates for tempering companies' financial statements. Afterwards,
USKOK The Uskoks ( hr, Uskoci, , singular: ; notes on naming) were irregular soldiers in Habsburg Croatia that inhabited areas on the eastern Adriatic coast and surrounding territories during the Ottoman wars in Europe. Bands of Uskoks fought ...
launched a criminal prosecution against 13 members of the governing and supervisory boards Agrokor's including the owner
Ivica Todorić Ivica Todorić (; born 2 January 1951) is a Croatian businessman. Until June 2017, he was the owner and chairman of the board of Agrokor, the largest privately owned company in Croatia. The operations of Agrokor are focused on two core businesses ...
himself.
On 4 May 2017, the Parliament voted against him failed in a tie vote, so Marić remained in office. Following the vote, Speaker
Božo Petrov Božo Petrov (; born 16 October 1979) is a Croatian politician and psychiatrist who served as Speaker of the Croatian Parliament from 2016 to 2017. He has been the president of The Bridge party since 2012. He previously served as mayor of his na ...
stated that the vote showed that the HDZ no longer had a majority in the parliament and that the only right thing to do would be to call new election. However, Petrov resigned his position citing "moral obligation", MOST left the Government and moved to the opposition, and HNS started supporting the government.


Other activities

*
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially focus ...
(EBRD), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors *
European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the EU Member States. It is one of the largest supranational lenders in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt solutions ...
(EIB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors *
Inter-American Investment Corporation The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an International financial institutions, international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development finan ...
(IIC), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2015) *
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) is an international financial institution which offers political risk insurance and credit enhancement guarantees. These guarantees help investors protect foreign direct investments against ...
(MIGA),
World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Grou ...
, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors *
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of GovernorsBoard of Governors
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
.


Personal life

Marić is married and has two children. He speaks Croatian, English, and Italian fluently.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maric, Zdravko 1977 births Living people People from Slavonski Brod University of Zagreb alumni Finance ministers of Croatia