ZAGREB, 9 June 2022 - Minister of Regional Development and European Union Funds Nataša Tramišak on Thursday awarded 15 contracts at the Split-Dalmatia County offices from the Island Development Programme for financing small capital infrastructure projects.

The Ministry implements the program once a year, and its goal is to enable island communities to implement small capital infrastructure projects in an attempt to systematically reduce regional development inequalities and differences in Croatia.

This year, a total of 56 projects were selected. Along with the 15 projects in Split-Dalmatia County another 41 projects were selected for Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Lika-Senj, Zadar, Šibenik-Knin, and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties.

"These funds are for investments in the small municipal infrastructure that makes everyday life easier. Islanders are having their settlements beautified and in some way the level of development raised, but we know that the needs to live on the islands are much bigger," said Tramišak.

She underscored that, along with state funds, a total of €150 million will be available from the European Regional Development Fund, because the Integrated Territorial Programme for Islands in the period from 2021 to 2027 is one of the programs planned for funding in the new European Union program period.

This year the Island Development Programme received a record number of applications, Tramišak underscored.

"There are more and more applications, both from local government units and businessmen, more than 500 this year. This is a sign to us that we need to further strengthen and increase these programs," she said.

The state budget for 2022 has HRK 17.6 million available for the Island Development Programme.

Among the selected projects in Split-Dalmatia County, the largest possible amount of HRK 450,000 was allocated for the completion of the Pučišća Stonemason's School on the island of Brač, the reconstruction and energy renovation of the Starine Business Zone on Vis island, a playground next to the kindergarten in Bol on Brač, and the second phase of construction and equipping the Borići Park in Nerežišće. Other projects will be financed with amounts of HRK 105,000 to 420,000.

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ZAGREB, 1 Sept, 2021 - Representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds presented the National Plan for Island Development and Island Register in Preko on the island of Ugljan on Wednesday, saying these were strategic documents that should enable a better quality of life on all Croatian islands.

"The National Plan for Island Development is a comprehensive document, presenting various sources of financing and aims, priorities, measures and projects for the development of the islands in the period from 2021 to 2027," the ministry's state secretary, Šime Erlić, said.

The document covers many areas, from social and cultural to traffic and other areas vital for people living on the islands, Erlić said. It underscores the key issues that bother islanders and they will be resolved with the help of national and European funds, he added.

Some of the key problems are transport connectivity from the islands to the mainland, access to health care, water supplies and environmental protection, he said.

"This plan is a basis for negotiations with the European Commission. Croatia is negotiating a new financial envelope and preparing priority investments," said Erlić.

Asked about the problem of water supply, he said that owing to legislative changes, the quantity of water available to islanders had increased from 45 to 85 cubic metres per person but he underlined the importance of building water supply and drainage systems on islands. He added that funding for those investments would be available as well.

He said that measures under the National Plan for Island Development were estimated at HRK 7.8 billion.

Speaking about the Island Register, Erlić said that this was the first time all the islands had been listed and categorised in one place - all 1,244 islands, islets and rocks.

"We have created a database that will serve as the basis to prepare analytical reports necessary to direct and manage efficient policies for island development," he said.

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