After graduating from the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb, Nikolina Brnjac obtained her Master’s degree in 2005 and PhD in 2009. From 2010 to 2018, she headed the Chair of Intermodal Transport at the same Faculty, becoming Associate Professor in 2016 and Full Professor in 2022. She has been a member of the Scientific Council for Transport of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2010 and is the author or co-author of over 50 scientific and professional papers, as well as two university textbooks.
Her political career began in 2017 as State Secretary at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, followed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, where she represented the Council of the EU in the European Parliament during Croatia’s Presidency in 2020. As Minister of Tourism and Sports (2020–2024), she initiated reforms that spurred the development of sustainable tourism and modernization of sports infrastructure.
In 2024, she was elected Member of the Croatian Parliament and shortly after Member of the European Parliament as part of the European People’s Party (EPP). She actively contributes to the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN), the Committee on Regional Development (REGI) and the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis (HOUS). Within the EPP Group, she serves as the representative in the Tourism Task Force, coordinator in the Housing Crisis Committee, and shadow rapporteur on revisions of the Package Travel Directive and the Report on enhancing connectivity, preserving cultural heritage, and promoting local excellence in European tourism.
