Josip Bilaver was born on April 4th, 1986. He is married and the father of two children. He has a degree in economics, specializing in organization and management, and has built his professional and political career through more than a decade of work in public administration, politics and business consulting.
He began his career in 2010 as an intern at the Croatian Employers' Association, after which he devoted himself to work in the private sector and political engagement. From 2013 to 2015, he headed the office of the Member of the European Parliament, where he coordinated the work of assistants.
In the Croatian Parliament, he worked as a Member of Parliament and held the positions of Vice-Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs, member of the delegation to the OSCE and deputy member of the delegation to the Council of Europe. He was also the head of the Committee for Interparliamentary Cooperation between Croatia and Azerbaijan.
Since 2017, he has continuously held high-ranking positions in the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, first as Assistant Minister, and since 2019 as State Secretary. He held this position until May 2025 in current term, within the Cabinet of the Vice Prime Minister and Minister. In June 2025, he was elected the Zadar County Prefect.
Bilaver has also been the President of the Board of Directors of the Ploče Port Authority since 2019 and previously served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Clinic for Infectious Diseases "Dr. Fran Mihaljević".
His education includes a graduate study in Organization and Management at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, a postgraduate specialist study in Strategic Entrepreneurship, as well as a number of domestic and international training programs, including the prestigious American program The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
He is active in civil society and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Academy for Political Development. He speaks fluent English.
