May 24, 2023 - Croatian deputy prime minister, Branko Bačić, visited the Banovina reconstruction sites on Tuesday, specifically the landslide in the Petrinja area. He said that in Sisak-Moslavina County, 110 percent of the planned 319 million euros for the reconstruction of buildings was used 50 days before the deadline.

"We are particularly pleased with the implementation of very important projects for Petrinja and the county. All reconstruction projects financed from the Solidarity Fund in Sisak-Moslavina County are progressing well. This applies equally to public and private facilities. By the end of the summer, we will take care of all our fellow citizens in container settlements and speed up the reconstruction of private houses," Bačić said, as reported by Index.

"We will warn contractors about missed deadlines"

He added that in Petrinja, in the container settlements, there are about sixty users living in containers, half of whom do not have the right to rebuild. Eight residential buildings under construction in Petrinja will be used for their accommodation, while the procurement of mobile low-energy wooden houses is underway.

Bačić mentioned that the Ministry is not satisfied with the dynamics of the works of some contractors taking part in the Banovina reconstruction, with whom a meeting will be held on Thursday to warn them of their deadlines.

In the past six weeks, 14 public tenders, with 141 construction sites, had to be canceled. This is why there is a great demand for construction workers, and if they aren't found in the country, contractors from abroad will have to be hired.

Visits to two landslides near Petrinja

Before the tour of the construction site, a meeting was held in Petrinja in the presence of the prefect Ivan Celjak and the mayor of Petrinja, Magdalena Komes, on the dynamics of the continuation of the reconstruction in the area of Petrinja. On this occasion, the structural renovation of 42 buildings was entrusted to the City to speed up the process.

Mayor Komes reminded that, in addition to the obligation to structurally restore buildings in the city's center, the City undertook to remove part of the auxiliary buildings not intended for renovation. Minister Bačić visited the construction site of the complete renovation of the former Munjara in Petrinja. This Art Nouveau private building that once housed its administration, but is now under protection.

He also visited two landslides being rehabilitated near Petrinja with a total value of 255,000 euros. He spoke with the users of the container settlement in Mošćenica, and in Sunja, he also visited the just-completed replacement family house, measuring 55 square meters.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

April 17, 2023 - It has been over 3 years since the earthquake. How is the Banovina reconstruction coming along? Stevo and Mira Vilić from Majsko Trtnik have lived in a barn since the earthquake.

Their house is in a catastrophic state, and the donated container is leaking onto their bed, writes 24Sata after a visit to the Vilić family.

"Three years, man. We've been sleeping in a barn for three years", shouts Stevo Vilić, spreading his arms in front of his cracked house. 24Sata went to Majski Trtnik, to the address Stevo has called his home since birth.

"I've lived here all my life. Born here. Back then, you didn't go to Glina to give birth, but a midwife from Vlahovići would come to you. So we were born in the house," describes Stevo; behind him are the old walls. His wife Mira keeps trying to serve us, offering drinks.

"Come on, have some cola. Drink some. So that you don't sit here empty-handed," says the hunched-over woman.

The Vilići house was destroyed in the Banovina earthquake. The walls have separated, and you can see the holes. The series of tremors that followed only made the situation worse. You can't live there anymore. It's not wise to even go inside.

"I'd never experienced this. When it happened, I immediately went upstairs to cover the roof. It never crossed my mind that there could be more earthquakes. It was exposed; I covered it as much as possible to keep the house dry. Seventy years on my back," says the old man. He takes the crew inside.

"It's a disaster. Our sticker is not red. The first time they came, we got a yellow one. After that, no one came; this is the third year. They haven't been here at all, just that one time. And for me, all the documentation, all the papers, everything is fine. The house has a usage permit; everything is there, and I am the sole owner. There, see how it cracked. The walls below, the foundations, everything cracked. Nothing can be done in the house. Come in, see. There, see the holes in the walls. Cracked there, cracked upstairs, everywhere. Look at the garage; that hurts the most. As if it was shelled. See how it cracked. Disaster, you can't stay in the house. If it were possible, I wouldn't be living in the barn", says Stevo and returns to the house. He's showing what used to be the kitchen.

He and his wife have lived in the next-door barn for three years. There was no other way. They say they received a container, but it also started to leak. Little by little, Stevo and Mira built a stable space, making it somewhat bearable for living. That's not in good shape, either.

"I didn't even register the barn. At least let this be resolved so that there is somewhere I can make food. If you can't make yourself food, you have nothing. You can't live. And this - cows used to live here. And now it's me. The cows are gone; I used to keep them long ago in cooperation with Belje. Now, here, we live on a 1,200 kuna pension. And they bring us lunch. They didn't want to admit her to Public Works, though she submitted all the papers," says the man and leads the crew into the former barn.

There are planks nailed to the ceiling that is too high—lined with nylon. Two beds squeezed into one corner. They built a furnace into which they would throw big logs to keep warm for longer. Smoke. Moisture clinging to the walls. The floor is not level; it is on a downhill slope.

"I renovated everything after the earthquake. On my own, of course. I built this. Put up boards and nylon. The furnace has to be lit constantly, and it is difficult to heat this space. It was good for the cows but for us... Here's this, we made this ourselves. Got it all out. I made this wall. They promised to come and help, but nothing came of it," Stevo shakes his head.

Mira points her finger at the opposite wall of the 'bedroom'.

"This is a hole. As it started to leak, we ran out in our underpants to make a hole so the water could escape somewhere. Because it is on a slope, we might be sleeping; it starts to rain, so we run, close, and open the hole. And mice live there. Running around. It stinks in here. Barn, what are you going to do - the women shrug.

She had surgeries on her gallbladder and uterus. Stevo has got issues with his prostate; he is on medication.

"You see, we have nothing to lie to you about. I can't understand that. I'm not saying that you should cry; I'm not crying. I don't like to complain. But what is normal... I'm not asking for much. We just need a small, ordinary, wooden house. Just to have a place to lie down and make something to eat. Let alone have someone visit. I'm ashamed to show them this," says the old man. He points to the stove; he received it from a donation.

They lead the crew to the container.

"It's leaking; you can't stay there. It all falls on the bed. They mentioned something about putting some kind of roof on the container, but there is moisture there. We've been in the barn ever since the thing happened. If it weren't for the barn, we wouldn't have a place to stay. I can't believe I had to experience that, to sleep in a barn," - seventy-year-old Vilić shakes his head.

"Have some cola," Mira tried one more time before the crew left.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

April 14, 2023 - Croatian and Polish Caritas will restore 20 family houses in Banovina, build seven new prefabricated houses, and install 30 underground tanks for drinking water, thereby helping 57 families in the earthquake-affected area.

As Index writes, this is a joint project to improve the living conditions of people affected by the 2020 earthquake in Banovina, and the implementation of the project was made possible by monetary donations from Polish and Croatian citizens, who together donated 1,420,641,65 euros.

Of that amount, Polish Caritas donated EUR 920,641.65, the largest donation that Croatian Caritas has received from a national Caritas. For that, it is extremely grateful to Polish citizens and Polish Caritas, the press release states.

Reconstruction of 20 damaged houses and construction of seven prefabricated houses

Croatian and Polish Caritas signed a contract on the implementation of the project; preparatory activities began on January 1, 2023, primarily intending to carry out structural and non-structural renovation of 20 damaged family houses and the construction of seven new replacement prefabricated houses.

This part of the project includes 27 socially vulnerable, multi-member families who currently live in Caritas' modular housing units, where Croatian Caritas has provided housing for more than 540 people who died in the earthquake in Banovina from 2021 to today.

Support for this part of the project is provided by the Republic of Croatia, as a friend of the donors, because the new Law on Reconstruction provides for the project "Country - Friend of Donors", to remove damaged family houses, clean the land and lay the foundations for those residential buildings that will be built by donors. The Republic of Croatia will do this for seven prefabricated houses that will be built by Croatian and Polish Caritas, the press release states.

Drinking water for 30 families

The communal part of the joint project of the two Caritas will provide drinking water for 30 families. The plan is to install underground water tanks for families in the wider area of the city of Glina, in villages that do not have access to drinking water, and whose wells were damaged in the earthquake. The acquisition of a tank for the delivery of drinking water is also planned.

"Helping people in need is a clear sign of the care of the Caritas family in Croatia and the world and is an expression of active love, which reflects a complete concern for the good of man.

Caritas' mission is concrete help to people in need, regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliation. Caritas, its employees, and numerous volunteers, as well as benefactors, are inspired by the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, who said: 'Whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,'" said the director of Croatian Caritas, Fr. Tomislav Glavnik.

The duration of the project is two years

The planned duration of the project is two years, but it is expected that most of the activities will be completed by the end of 2023.

In addition to this project, Croatian Caritas also implements five other projects in cooperation with the Diocese of Sisak and Caritas of the Diocese of Sisak, worth almost 800,000.00 euros, which include the renovation of the premises of the Caritas Parish of St. Lovre in Petrinja, renovation of the premises of Caritas and the parish house in Glina.

This also includes the renovation of the House for the accommodation of female students of the Pedagogical Academy in Petrinja, the carer program of Caritas Sisak Diocese, and support for increasing the capacity of the Caritas Soup Kitchen in Sisak.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

ZAGREB, 19 April 2022 - Croatian MP Milorad Pupovac and the director of the Bosnian Serb entity's secretariat for the displaced and migration, Davor Čordaš, on Tuesday signed an agreement on the construction of houses for Serb families whose homes were destroyed in the 2020 earthquake in Croatia's Banovina region.

The agreement is worth HRK 6 million and envisages the construction of ten prefab houses, to be made by the Steco factory in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The agreement was signed in the Bosnian Serb entity's capital of Banja Luka.

Prior to that, Pupovac held talks with the entity's prime minister, Radovan Višković, telling the press he expected the houses to be delivered by the end of the summer.

ZAGREB, 12 March 2022 - Post-earthquake reconstruction in Banovina has not stopped even once, 29 family houses are being built and next week the contractors for ten blocks of flats will be known, the head of the task force dealing with the aftermath of the 2020 earthquake, Tomo Medved, said in Petrinja on Saturday.

"At no moment has the reconstruction process been stopped or brought into question, despite all the circumstances cased by Russia's aggression on Ukraine," he told the press after a task force meeting which was attended for the first time by the new Construction Minister Ivan Paladina.

Medved said he was confident that reconstruction would intensify following Paladina's appointment and that citizens "waiting to return to their homes will be satisfied."

Paladina said he was detecting the obstacles to reconstruction and that they were being dealt with. Construction has begun on ten replacement houses and soon there will be 30, he added.

Sisak-Moslavina County prefect Ivan Celjak said the county had submitted 68 projects worth HRK 700 million to the Solidarity Fund, with 52 projects for the construction of 40 houses, 12 roads, 20 medical facilities, 11 schools and nine cultural facilities.

Asked by the press if a possible investigation into his previous activities was an aggravating circumstance, Paladina said he was focused on the work ahead.

Reporters asked Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milošević if he had become a burden to the post-earthquake reconstruction process due to a possible investigation into incentive allocations.

He said it was not a pleasant situation but that, as a public figure, he must be ready to deal with such a burden and that he would continue to contribute to the reconstruction process.

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - Over the past fortnight 100 houses have been reconstructed per week, the task force dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake which hit the Banovina region in December 2020 said at a meeting in Petrinja on Friday.

The value of the works contracted to date is HRK 280 million, HRK 457 million worth of works are at the procurement stage, and HRK 1.2 billion worth of reconstruction works will be contracted by June.

To date, 1,428 houses have been reconstructed, said Gordan Hanžek, state secretary at the State Reconstruction and Housing Office. He added that homeowners have reconstructed 692 houses on their own.

Works are underway on more than 1,000 houses, Hanžek said.

As for the construction of family houses, 60 contracts have been signed with contractors and the construction of another dozen houses should begin next week, he said.

Another 56 houses are in the final administrative stage and construction should begin by the end of the month, by which time the construction of more than 160 houses should be contracted, he added.

Hanžek said the start of seismic retrofitting had been markedly stepped up and that a tender was expected by the end of the month. Documents are being prepared for about 400 houses and about 15% of the houses inspected so far should be torn down, he added.

Hanžek said tenders for the construction of four blocks of flats in Glina would be launched on Monday and Tuesday.

To date, the Construction Ministry has adopted 1,203 decisions on the reconstruction, construction or demolition of quake-damaged houses in Banovina.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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December the 10th, 2021 - Several Croatian companies can be found on the list of those engaged in the Banovina house reconstruction plans, which are admittedly going far slower than anyone could have imagined, even by domestic standards.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes, the reconstruction process following December 2020's devastating earthquake which struck the Banovina area is finally entering a new phase. According to the plan for the construction of houses and buildings with the beginning of the implementation of projects of the first replacement family houses, things will finally get going in a concrete sense in around five weeks.

There are two types of replacement Banovina house at the moment, in terms of family homes that is - urban and traditional, six technological solutions have now been created, and the procedure began a few days ago with the launch of a public procurement procedure for the reconstruction of the first thirty houses, as was announced by the competent ministry.

In four phases throughout the month of December (given that the first has already started) tenders are planned for another 135 replacement family homes that are 100 percent financed by the state, while those for apartment buildings in areas where the disaster was also declared will be published from the end of December, firstly for ten buildings.

Tenders for the first thirty typical houses have been announced for those according to the urban model of dry wooden construction. Then, on December the 12th, there will be a tender for Banovina house construction in the traditional model of classic masonry, with a floor area covering 55 m2, 70 m2 and 85 m2.

One week later, a tender is expected for thirty houses - the Urban model, classic masonry construction, and on December the 29th, the procedure for another 75 houses will begin.

With the planned duration of these reconstruction procedures according to the Public Procurement Act, this means a fast pace with the start of work three months from the date of initiating the procurement. According to Minister of Construction Darko Horvat, people can choose between two types of replacement houses in this Banovina house procedure, but they have to make a key decision whether to hand over the renovation to the Central State Office or decide on a contract to start construction so that the state body pays them in accordance with the dynamics of the reconstruction.

As far as the construction of replacement apartment buildings is concerned, the managers have the right to receive the total amount for renovation after the technical and financial control, and after that, to verify everything done with the final report of the supervisory body.

"Renovation is underway, first comes the construction of replacement family houses, after the preparations we've made, we'll be giving the task primarily to Croatian companies to build nearly 4,000 replacement facilities in Banovina," said Horvat.

"Our task was to build houses in accordance with all European regulations on construction, for them to be fully functional and safe from further earthquakes, all while respecting the traditional architecture and functionality of the area, as well as making sure they're energy efficient," said Gordan Hanzek.

The launch of public procurement for the construction of apartment buildings is planned (for its 5th phase) on the 28th of December, with four buildings in Petrinja (72 apartments) and Glina (52 apartments) and two in Topusko (26 apartments). This was preceded by activities such as the amendment of the GUP Petrinja, which was recently adopted by the City Council, and the construction sites were harmonised with the needs and urban requirements of Glina.

In Topusko, on a construction site where several apartment buildings will be built, a 7,000 m2 plot of land is being used which is state-owned. For these replacement buildings, which will be built with EU funds, the expected start of construction is the end of March 2022, and completion must happen within a year.

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ZAGREB, 30 Oct, 2021 - The European Commission has decided to award €319 million in grants to Croatia to help it repair damage caused by the 29 December 2020 earthquake in the central region of Banovina.

The EC said on Friday that it had adopted a decision to award Croatia grants from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) based on the country's application for the compensation of funds used to repair damage caused by the 29 December earthquake, the Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The EC decision is a draft that will be forwarded to the European Parliament and Council of the EU for further proceedings and the payment will be made once those proceedings are completed.

The ministry recalls that in August 2021 Croatia received a part of an advance in the amount of €41.325 million and under the EC's draft decision, the total amount of grants for damage repair is €319,192,359.

Also, Croatia has so far received €683.7 million in grants to repair damage caused by the 22 March 2020 earthquake in Zagreb. The total amount of grants for earthquake damage repair to be obtained from the EUSF is more than a billion euros, the ministry said.

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ZAGREB, 6 Aug 2021 - In order to stop and reverse a negative natural increase, stop emigration from and encourage immigration to Sisak-Moslavina County, hit by a strong earthquake in late 2020, the Regional Development and EU Funds Ministry has launched a programme to invest HRK 15 billion in the quake-hit areas by 2029.

The programme is aimed at the social and economic revitalisation of government-assisted areas hit by the earthquake and envisages investments of HRK 15 billion in the period until 2029 or HRK 3.1 billion by the end of 2023, to be used for reconstruction and removal of damage caused by the earthquake, says the Večernji List daily.

An additional HRK 994.72 million will be invested as part of ongoing projects under the 2014-2020 Competitiveness and Cohesion Operational Programme.

The programme of integrated physical, economic and social regeneration of small towns in the once war-affected region envisages investments of HRK 196 million while government decisions adopted after the earthquake in Banovina envisage investments amounting to HRK 500 million.

Under the programme, direct damage caused by earthquakes that hit Croatia in 2020 has been estimated at HRK 41.6 billion, of which Sisak-Moslavina County accounts for more than 90% or HRK 37.5 billion.

According to the latest estimates by the national statistical office, Sisak-Moslavina County has a population of 144,599, with an average population density of 32.37 per square kilometre, which makes it the third least populated county. According to its size, it is the third biggest county.

The county population is estimated to have shrunk by 8.95% in 2019 in relation to 2015.

The ministry's programme proposes priorities for the county's future development, as well as special goals such as increasing productivity and employment and demographic revitalisation.

As for the post-earthquake reconstruction, the programme sets, as special goals, the reconstruction of housing and commercial units and infrastructure as well as the construction of new ones.

The programme is currently under public consultation.

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June the 23rd, 2021 - The Banovina motorway, often referred to as the Banovina ''rescue'' motorway has seen progress delayed once again following appeals launched.

As Novac/Vedran Marjanovic writes, Croatian Motorways has just announced the receipt of an appeal against the public procurement tender for the selection of a contractor for the construction of a 300 million kuna section of the Zagreb-Sisak motorway, known as the Banovina motorway.

''The appeal filed against the change of procurement documentation prevents the continuation of public procurement,'' HAC said on the occasion of a new appeal being launched against the tender for the completion of the Zagreb-Sisak highway, more specifically for the section of the A11 highway from Lekenik to Sisak.

It should be noted that after HAC invited interested companies to submit their bids for the construction of the Lekenik-Sisak section on March the 8th this year, the Bulgarian company Trace Group Hold complained to the State Commission for the Control of Public Procurement Procedures (DKOM) on May the 27th.

However, DKOM rejected the appeal of the aforementioned Bulgarian company because, according to the explanation of the Commission, no proof of payment of the appeal fee was provided. This, however, only temporarily blocked the public tender for A11 because a new appeal was lodged.

According to HAC's original plan for the completion of the so-called Banovina motorway, the opening of the bids received for the tender was scheduled for May the 27th, which was postponed until further notice by Trace Group Hold's appeal. Therefore, the announcement of the Croatian Government that the construction of the Lekenik-Sisak section could start in autumn this year must be dropped.

According to the tender documentation, the company that will be entrusted with the construction of the Banovina motorway or ''rescue'' motorway is expected to complete the work within two years from the start of construction.

The state began building the 47.5-kilometre Zagreb-Sisak highway back in 2006 and cut it off in May 2009, completing the section from Mraclin to Busevac. Construction continued a few years later, and in 2015 the 11.2-kilometre-long Buševec-Lekenik section was completed, with almost all activities being halted for many years. The construction of the A11 was intensified after the earthquake that hit Sisak and Banovina back in December last year and was declared the ''rescue highway'' for the area.

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