Could Croatia's fishing industry get a helping hand from the EU?
The importance of the sea and the Adriatic coast in Croatia manifests itself not only in tourism, but also in the sectors of fisheries and shipbuilding. Such a ''blue economy'' in this country is of special importance given the fact that tourism is responsible for as much as one fifth of domestic GDP, and that in some cities also lie large shipyards, big employers, some of which are facing troubles.
There are also many smaller farms, not to mention hundreds of fishermen who live their day to day lives owing to what is provided to them "from the depths of the sea", writes Poslovni Dnevnik.
Conscious of the importance of the blue economy for the entire Croatian economy, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Zadar has come up with an idea, and donated about 1.5 million euro from the European Union to the Blue boost project.
As Morski writes on the 18th of August, 2018, the aim is being placed on the strengthening of mariculture, in order to "stimulate and finance innovation in the blue economic sector in the Adriatic-Ionian area". Chamber Director Denis Ikić has explained that five companies will receive innovation vouchers in the amount of 9,000 euro.
"A public tender is on for October, and entrepreneurs from Zadar County can come to it,'' Ikić said, adding that it is essential that everyone operating within the blue economy is actively working to preserve the purity and wealth of the sea in order to draw the greatest possible benefits from it.
ŽK Zadar is also participating in two other European projects, international ones, related to strengthening the partnerships of eight Mediterranean countries and promoting the innovation of the blue economy - Mistral and 4helix +.
This also provides an opportunity for domestic entrepreneurs, as the 4helix + will announce a call for vouchers for 48 projects, each of which bringing 10,000 euro respectively. According to HGK data, the catching and breeding of sea fish has slightly decreased in Croatia in comparison to 2016, but fisheries and mariculture now have more of a chance to raise their competitiveness in international cooperation and via applications for helpful EU funds.
