April 14, 2022 - MEP Karlo Ressler has visited the city of Osijek, where he was presented with several Osijek-Baranja County projects currently in progress that were financed by European funds.

As SiB.hr writes, after a reception in the Osijek-Baranja County, MEP Ressler was accompanied by the prefect Ivan Anušić to visit the construction site of the Economic Centre, which is also financed by European funds

"Osijek and the Osijek-Baranja County do not need additional instructions on how to withdraw money from European funds because they do an excellent job", said MEP Karlo Ressler during his stay in Osijek, adding: "It seems to me that the idea, the perception of a difficult situation as it used to be is no longer associated with the Osijek-Baranja County nor the city of Osijek, and I also think that the new mayor Radić certainly played a big role not only in that but everything that the county has been doing in recent years".

In the company of Osijek Mayor Ivan Radić, MP Ressler visited the construction site of the Osijek Fortress, which is another project financed with European money.

"The city of Osijek is a large construction site, which I explained to MEP Ressler. At the moment, the value of investments in the area of the city of Osijek exceeds one billion kuna, and is largely financed with European money”, said Osijek Mayor Radić and thanked MEP Ressler for showing interest in the city of Osijek and the Osijek-Baranja County.

After the reception in the Osijek-Baranja County, accompanied by the prefect Ivan Anušić, MP Ressler visited the construction site of the Economic Centre, which is also financed by European funds.

"We are implementing numerous projects through the funds of the European Union, through a new financial perspective where our office in Brussels, which has a permanent representative of our 5 Slavonian counties, communicates directly with our MEPs, including Mr. Ressler", said the prefect of the Osijek-Baranja County Ivan Anušić. He concluded that the Osijek-Baranja County and the City of Osijek really have something to boast about.

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April 6, 2022 – Most of the projects that are being implemented in the city of Osijek are financed with extra-budgetary European and national money.

As Lokalni.hr writes, Osijek has become a large construction site. There is no part of the city without cranes and machines everywhere. At the moment, projects worth a billion kuna are being implemented. Most of them are financed by extra-budgetary money, both European and national.

An underpass is being built on Čepinska, which will solve traffic problems that are more than half a decade old. Reconstruction is underway at the Copacabana beach, which will provide Osijek with its first real Olympic swimming pool. The tram line is also being reconstructed, which is a prerequisite for the introduction of low-floor trams. The baroque core of the Fortress is being restored. The most modern wastewater treatment plant is being built in Nemetin. The City of Osijek has donated land to the Osijek-Baranja County in the Nemetin Economic Zone which will serve for the construction of the regional distribution centre for fruit and vegetables. The construction of the Economic Centre is also underway, with the most modern fair space for Osijek.

“The city of Osijek has taken big steps forward. There are many projects. We have listed only the largest. But we don't mean to stop there. We are ready to apply for projects worth HRK 440 million with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The documentation has been prepared. We paid special attention to the construction of new kindergartens, as well as the extension of the existing ones and the expansion of schools”, says the mayor of Osijek, Ivan Radić.

One of the projects planned for application with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan is the already mentioned reconstruction of the Copacabana beach, for which the city budgeted 34,743,875 kuna in 2022. The list of the projects further contains arrangements of the Cultural Centre with a budget of HRK 7,884,209, as well as the reconstruction of Trpimirova Street from Vukovarska to the Drava River with roundabouts and pedestrian/bicycle underpasses – the preparation of the project documentation.

Another important project is the construction of road, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure in the function of developing public transport and promoting zero-emission transport to improve flow, eliminate bottlenecks and increase traffic safety in the City of Osijek, worth 35 million kuna. It integrates three transport infrastructure construction projects. One of them is the construction of an intra-zone street in Jug 2 in Osijek with traffic areas, mixed sewerage, and public lighting from Opatijska to Medulinska street. Another is the reconstruction of a pedestrian (and bicycle) bridge over the Drava river in Osijek, while the third is the reconstruction of Bizovačka and Osječka streets in Josipovac.

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21 March 2022 - There will be no gas shortages in Croatia, gas production is growing and will continue to grow in the next few years, Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Ćorić said on Sunday.

The minister made the statement in an interview with the HTV public broadcaster in which he commented on countries' turning to their own gas production in the context of the war in Ukraine.

Croatia will increase its gas production with six new wells. With the additional annual output of 285 million cubic metres this year, total domestic production will exceed one billion cubic metres, which meets 40% of domestic demand.

Asked if in the case of a complete suspension of gas supply from Russia the increase in own production could help fully meet domestic gas demand, Ćorić said that domestic gas production was growing and would continue growing in the next few years.

"The government's goal is to affirm domestic production and increase self-sufficiency, both as regards gas and as regards electricity. Croatia will not suffer any gas shortages," he said.

Construction of LNG terminal has secured sufficient gas supplies for households, business sector

"The coming years should bring an increase in gas production not only in INA's fields but also in the fields operated by some other companies, in relation to the current production, which meets around 30% of domestic demand. I believe we can ensure up to 40% coverage of domestic demand. The alternative supply route, the LNG terminal on the island of Krk, is the absolute guarantee that our business sector and households will not be left without gas regardless of the developments in the east of Europe," he said.

Asked if Croatia could be certain that the gas from the LNG terminal on Krk would stay in the country considering that its lessees are foreign companies, Ćorić recalled that lessees are both domestic and foreign companies but that even in the event of gas shortages on the global market, the alternative supply route and own production would help meet domestic demand to the largest extent.

Asked about the price of gas, Ćorić said that the government could influence supplies but that it did not have a more significant influence on prices as they were determined by the market.

ZAGREB, 31 January 2022 - Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković presented farmers in Sisak-Moslavina County on Monday with four new contracts for aid from the Rural Development Programme for local projects.

Vučković said that projects worth HRK 1.18 billion had been agreed so far for this county and that most of this amount had been paid out. She said that this had helped farmers maintain and develop their production during the times of the coronavirus pandemic and earthquakes.

An additional HRK 1.2 billion in aid has been paid out from other programmes since 2014, which makes it a total of HRK 2.4 billion, the minister stressed.

Vučković said that new measures for Sisak-Moslavina County were also in the pipeline, including a further HRK6.5 million "to encourage new demographic trends", and additional aid to help farmers cope with increased costs due to the rise in energy and mineral fertilizer prices.

Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Ivan Celjak said he was confident the ministry would continue to be a partner to the farmers in repairing the earthquake damage, increasing production and marketing their products.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 26 February, 2021 - Zagreb, Karlovac and Sisak-Moslavina counties have, by signing a letter of intent on Thursday night, shown interest in common development and in that regard, a development agreement is being prepared for signing for about ten projects valued at €50 million and more, the Karlovac County administration said.

On Thursday evening the three county prefects and heads of their development agencies met with Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved and Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak, and during the meeting it was said that the Regional Development Act enables strategic objectives to be achieved faster through common areas of cooperation and by financing joint projects from EU and national sources.

Tramišak described the development agreement as a "tool to achieve strategic development" and one of the preconditions is to select with the ministry about 10 strategic projects, each with an individual value of €50 million or more, that will require the support of several ministries and guarantee the development of the counties.

Medved offered his full support to the efforts for a joint development agreement between the three counties to be signed because that will enable an equal regional development and broader support from the government and relevant ministries for individual projects.

County prefects Martina Furdek Hajdin, Ivo Žinić and Stjepan Kožić agreed that the problems encountered by all three counties are very similar, from floods to a poor demographic situation and sparsely settled rural areas that cannot compete with developed European regions.

Žinić believes that development would benefit from projects for transport infrastructure and religious, health and conference tourism, while Kožić believes that the urgent repairs in the aftermath of the earthquakes are a priority as that would prevent migration. Kožić also believes that one of the most urgent priorities is broadband Internet.

Furdek Hajdin cited agriculture and tourism as possible projects for cooperation.

"It is up to us how we will prioritise the development of our counties, and European funds will contribute towards achieving the set objectives in the National Development Strategy until 2030. In that regard, the support of the government and its ministries is of exceptional importance," Furdek Hajdin said.

December 2, 2020 – With the new initiative named "Grow Croatia with Google" presented by Google, the goal is to significantly contribute to the recovery and development of the Croatian economy and accelerate the digital transformation, and thus respond to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Novac.hr reports, the coronavirus pandemic and the simultaneous lockdown greatly affected the economy. However, the current situation also opens up new possibilities, as consumers turn to the internet which increases the need to accelerate the digital transformation of business.

The technology that has enabled us to work and learn remotely in recent months, virtual socializing with friends and family, shopping, and using a variety of online services can play a significant role in helping SMEs survive the crisis today.

But not all companies are ready for such a rapid change, and the main obstacle for most of them who have already started an online business or are planning to do so is the lack of knowledge, skills, and tools.

‘Digitization is a significant challenge'

That's why the Grow Croatia with Google initiative seeks to accelerate economic recovery and development through the use of technology, tools, education, and advice to help 10,000 local businesses, communities, and people become stronger, more resilient, and enable faster development by the end of 2021.

"In Croatia, in cases of lack of own resources, the Ministry of Labor, Pensions, Family, and Social Policy through the network of the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) and active employment policy measures funded by the European Social Fund seeks to support individuals and companies through measures to educate the workforce. These measures enable the training of employed and unemployed in order to strengthen their employability," said Dragan Jelić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, Pensions, Family and Social Policy.

He also pointed out that the goal is to encourage the digitization of the Croatian economy, which has been further accelerated due to the outbreak of the pandemic.

Source: Pixabay

The Grow Croatia with Google initiative is adapted to the "new normal" and is implemented in partnership with Algebra College and offers tools, courses, and advice such as free online digital marketing courses, free tools for collaborating with teams and suppliers using Google Meet and workshops to help people in acquiring relevant digital skills that can help them find a job, advance in a career, or develop a business.

"For micro and small entrepreneurs, digitization of business and the acquisition of appropriate skills is a significant challenge. That is why, in cooperation with Google and Algebra as a workshop provider, we have provided free support to our customers. I would put special emphasis on those who have decided to use our measure of self-employment and start their own entrepreneurial story. We are talking about more than 20,000 users who represent a completely new generation of entrepreneurs who will have to continue their business in the 'new normal' in which digital business and digital skills are the basis for business success," added Dragan Jelić.

Online workshops

The director of the Croatian Employment Service, Ante Lončar, also took part in the presentation of the initiative. As part of the Digital Garage initiative, the CES cooperates with the Ministry of Labor, Pensions, Family and Social Policy, Google, and Algebra by organizing digital marketing workshops aimed at strengthening the country's current and future workforce with digital skills and helping small and medium-sized enterprises.

"During July and October, the CES included a total of 390 beneficiaries of self-employment support in the workshops, thus allowing them to further improve their business. Since we saw the benefits of the workshops during our participation in the initiative, we decided to expand the target groups for education, and we offered an introductory workshop called Introduction to Digital Marketing to unemployed people and other job seekers who are in the records of the Bureau and want to expand their knowledge," said Lončar.

The mentioned workshop is currently held once a week in an online form, and since the beginning of its implementation (through November) they have included a total of 560 people. This workshop is still conducted for all interested candidates.

Reducing the digital divide

"As the traditional main drivers of economic growth gradually disappear, the digital economy, whose potential in Croatia has not been fully exploited, is taking on the role of catalyst for economic growth," said Joško Mrndže, Google's director for Adriatic region.

Namely, Mrndže says that according to the report of the consulting company McKinsey, with a strong focus on digitization, Croatia has the potential to generate 8.3 billion euros of GDP by 2025 (additional about 2,000 euros of GDP per capita).

"With this in mind, we presented the Grow Croatia with Google initiative as a continuation and expansion of the Digital Skills learning platform, which is part of the Grow with Google program, which we have trained more than 37,000 people since its launch in 2016. Through the Grow with Google initiative, we will accelerate this pace to help 10,000 Croatian citizens and companies find jobs, digitize and grow, and thus participate in reducing the digital divide in Croatia," concluded Mrndže.

The Grow Croatia with Google initiative was launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family, and Social Policy and the Croatian Employment Service, and under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia.

To read more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, September 18, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with county prefects and mayors in the central town of Gospic on Friday to present the government's economic recovery plan, tax reform, local government reform, possibilities of using EU funding, and five development priorities.

Plenkovic said that the government's aim for the next six months was to develop programmes and documents for the long-term strategic development of Croatia in five priority areas: social security, a prosperous future for the enterprise sector with emphasis on new technologies and job creation, self-sufficiency in food production, promoting solidarity in society and strengthening Croatia's global position.

This is the government's eighth meeting with county prefects and representatives of the associations of towns and municipalities. Its purpose is to coordinate the multi-level management and partnership of the counties, towns and municipalities and to ensure balanced regional development of Croatia. The previous meetings were held in Zagreb, Pozega, Sibenik Varazdin, Rijeka, Zadar and Koprivnica.

Plenkovic and other participants are expected to address the press after the working part of the meeting which is closed to the public.

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April 25, 2020 — A proposed fishmarket in Dubrovnik's Old Town stalled after leaked 3D renderings of the pointy structure caused a stir among locals with functioning eyes. Conservationists and the Ministry of Culture approved the prefabricated building's placement inside the old town's port in a closed-doors setting, then backpedaled after a growing chorus of angry locals forced politicians to stop supporting the project.

Renderings of the "peškarija" began circulating social media, creating reactions as sharp as the building's angles.

"The city should be preserved," Marin Krstulovic, president of the City District, reportedly said. "We are working on a management plan, and at the same time with one stroke of a pen we will turn it, as our neighbors would say, into a fair.”

The outcry grew until Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković finally joined the chorus of people demanding the project be stopped.

Conservators and the Ministry of Culture accepted the plan on Dec. 23, 2019. Part of the pre-assembled facility would be used by border police and customs. The County Port Authority commissioned the project and paid it HRK60,000.

"The project was presented to the Ministry of Culture, Assistant Minister, and presented by the designer and the Conservation Department in Dubrovnik," Zeljko Dadić, director of the Dubrovnik County Port Authority, told Dnevnik Nova TV. "It then, in accordance with their guidelines, went on to approval and construction."

The city and the county have called for a halt to the project, arguing that the public must agree. After that, the Ministry became involved. 

The ministry and conservators sent a Morski.hr a statement stating a subsequent audit found the design solution deviates from the system of protection measures for the cultural and historical urban unit of the city of Dubrovnik. Also, they wrote that in cooperation with the City and the County, the Ministry decided to further stop the implementation of this project.

The private investor, who is a concessionaire of the area and uses it as the terrace for a hospitality business, says he has already invested more than one million kunas in the project and is preparing a lawsuit.

"We have information that someone stopped the project, but as an investor, we have not received anything yet," said the investor Maro Hajdarhodzic. "I am a legalist, if I worked and started investing in legal documents, now I am waiting for a legal document that supposedly invalidates everything."

The architect from the architect's office says the Ministry's decision stunned her because the civil service had enough time in a year and two months to carry out the revisions it cites in its decision.

"My amazement is the fact that the reason is the deviation from the protection measures," said Jelica Pekovic from the architect's office.

None involved wanted to suggest that, perhaps, aesthetics, the obscure approval process and the general public rancor around the building did it in.

''We need to give young people the ability to learn and improve, to be informed about the measures implemented by the EU through EU funds and self-employment,'' stated the mayor of Virovitica.

As PD i VL native tim/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of February, 2019, Virovitica is the fourteenth Croatian city in which the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds organised an informative-educational event entitled Regional Days of EU Funds, with the aim of informing the general public about the possibilities of financing from EU funds and strengthening regional development, as well as the possibilities for overall social and economic growth of Croatia which derive from EU fund availability. The event was held at the Virovitica Cultural Centre, which, ironically with the help of the EU funds, is about to be reconstructed soon.

Since Virovitica is mainly made up of agricultural land, its projects are mostly reported by small and medium-sized entrepreneurs and farmers, and according to the latest statistical data, Virovitica-Podravina County is among the best in Slavonia and Baranja in terms of EU cash withdrawal for rural development funds and for micro and small enterprises - up to 3,400 kuna per capita. "EU funds concern everyone, we're working on public projects in the public sector to set standards, and it's important to utilise them and improve business," said Ivica Kirin, Virovitica's mayor.

National development strategy

Virovitica-Podravina County Prefect Igor Andrović presented some statistical data according to which the VIDRA Development Agency in 2018 carried out 194 projects for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs and farmers, totaling a massive 450 million kuna.

"We've started on projects which concern Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, such as the renovation of the hospital, the construction of a network of entrepreneurial incubators, the construction of a technological innovation centre, the hall for the Viroexpo fair and the energetic renewal of the cultural centre.

This year, we expect the realisation of about 150 projects we submitted last year,'' Andrović said, pointing out that with the new division in the four statistical regions, small and medium entrepreneurs in their area as well as in Sisak-Moslavina and Karlovac County will receive up to 75 percent of support from the EU funds, as opposed to the previous 45 percent.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, Velimir Žunac, reminded attendees that by the year 2020, the seven-year financial period during which Croatia learned, made mistakes and matured will end, and more opportunities in the next financial period of 2021-2027 will come.

"EU funds are our reality - this county and this city are a good example of how European Union money can be used, as statistics show. In January 2017, Croatia was [withdrawing] under 9 percent of the contracted funds and by the end of last year, that number was more than 62 percent, or 6.6 billion euros of contractuality, we've made a significant step forward. In Croatia, 80 percent of public investment comes from the EU and it's important to maximise its use," Žunac pointed out.

He announced that the Croatian Government is ready and that the budget is stable for the new cycle and financial period from 2021 to 2027, recalling that the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia is under development up until 2030, with twelve thematic and working groups working intensively.

An interesting panel discussion was then held, entitled "The development of Virovitica through European Union funds", involving representatives of various institutions as well as local entrepreneurs with experience of using money provided by EU funds. At the very beginning, Mayor Ivica Kirin emphasised that in the near future they want to identify the strategies and priorities that Croatia needs to develop which will create faster and better economic growth.

"We need more staff, especially those who will write projects. At the same time, we must give young people the ability to learn and improve, to be informed of the measures that the state is implementing through EU funds and self-employment," Kirin said.

The results were presented by Tihana Harmund, Director of the VTA Development Agency, who works for all institutions in Virovitica, companies, institutions, as well as for entrepreneurs and farmers, to whom she offers advice and assistance in writing up and implementing EU projects.

"We have prepared the documentation for all projects, including Pejačević Castle worth 82 million kuna, the improvement of Virovitica's water and communal infrastructure of 150 million kuna, as well as the renovation of schools, kindergartens and other institutions. For smaller projects, we provided the necessary funds to farmers, entrepreneurs and civil society organisations,'' stated Harmund.

Cooperation between the city and the county

''Services and institutions were networked for the preparation of projects, and the cooperation between the City of Virovitica and Virovitica-Podravina County is excellent,'' said Neda Martić from the VIDRA Development Agency.

"An entrepreneur can now get a valid building permit in two days, and in addition to being a regional coordinator, our agency is working on strategy and writing up infrastructure projects. We currently have 245 projects related to the economy,'' Martić added.

Make sure to stay up to date by following our dedicated politics page for much more.

Click here for the original article by PD i VL native tim on Poslovni Dnevnik

Croatian islanders might enjoy what many of us would assume to be a life of paradise on one of the many stunning islands dotted along the coastline, our naive view tends to hide a lot of the issues faced on a daily basis by island inhabitants. While numerous initiatives have sprouted over the last few years to try to equalise the standards on Croatia's islands to that of the mainland, things are, of course, slow. Despite that, the Croatian Government has put forward an island development plan for this year.

As Morski writes on the 27th of January, 2019, the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds is continuing to invest heavily into Croatia's many islands through the island development program by encouraging local and regional self-government units to invest in the development of their own, respective island infrastructure and economy, the competent department of the aforementioned ministry stated.

The overall objective of 2019's island development program is the creating of preconditions for sustainable economic and social development by enhancing the general quality of life of the inhabitants of the islands through encouraging the development of certain things specific to islands and island life.

The program's users will be numerous units of local and regional self-government which, in their administrative boundaries, include Croatia's inhabited islands and their associated periodically inhabited and uninhabited islands and islets, as well as the Pelješac peninsula.

The coverage of the program refers to the inhabited islands of the Republic of Croatia which are located within the six units of regional self-government, ie, the six coastal counties which have islands under their jurisdiction (Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Lika-Senj County, Zadar County, Šibenik-Knin County, Split-Dalmatia County and Dubrovnik-Neretva County).

To briefly recall, in 2018, the Croatian Government invested a massive 19,000,000.00 kuna in the same program on a total of forty different projects. More projects for the islands and their development are set to come throughout the course of this year.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated politics page for more on the Croatian Government, and on both domestic and European politics.