As Morski writes on the 3rd of February, 2020, the revitalisation of St. John's Fortress is the largest project ever awarded to the City of Sibenik with the use of EU funds. With a total value of more than 50 million kuna, the project was submitted on January the 29th, 2016 to a tender entitled "The preparation and implementation of integrated development programmes based on the restoration of cultural heritage".

On the first day of August of the same year, a contract was officially signed, whereby the City of Sibenik received a grant from the European Regional Development Fund. The European Union revitalisation of the Fortress of St. John was co-financed in the amount of 41.5 million kuna from European Structural and Investment Funds (under the Competitiveness and Cohesion operational programme), while the City of Sibenik provided the rest of the funds.

With this project, the City of Sibenik continued the restoration of its fortification systems (Fort St. Michael, Fort Barone), which is a significant element of both local and national cultural heritage. With the revitalisation of the Fortress of St. John, two units of the fortress will be renovated and equipped. The northern part is known as "Klijesta" and the southern part is known as "Zvijezda", or star.

The revitalisation of St John's Fortress with a total area of ​​18,657 square metres will see the restoration of the ramparts, the introduction of innovative facilities, attractions and content. At the foot of the northern defense rampart (klijesta), visitors will be able to enjoy a gastro-visual concept. With the help of the revolutionary 3D video mapping technique on the walls of the fortress, content will be displayed, which will create optical illusions and the impression of movement of static objects. St. John's Fortress will also house an educational campus equipped with smart interactive classrooms and presentation spaces. It will also provide quality accommodation with accompanying thematic programmes that will greatly contribute to the prolongation of the tourist season as well as the longer stay of visitors in the City of Sibenik.

Renovation of both parts of the fort and investment in the development of innovative facilities, adapted to different groups of visitors, will significantly improve the tourist and cultural offer. The project will network key actors in the cultural and tourism sector, with the aim of creating high value-added content and improving the overall strategic management of cultural heritage. Foundations will be created for the sustainable management of the resources and the offer of the City of Sibenik, and the popular Dalmatian city will be positioned as a cultural and tourist attraction, in which tradition and modern technologies are successfully merged.

The revitalisation of St John's Fortress will also be a channel for the promotion of (local) SMEs. In this way, with a direct increase in the number of visits, the number of employees will increase, according to a statement from the City of Sibenik.

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Šibenik and its surroundings within the wider Šibenik-Knin County are an area for the possible extension of the implementation of the Integrated Territorial Investment Mechanism in the financial period from 2021 to 2027.

As Lucija Spiljak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 6th of October, 2019, the past weekend in Sibenik was marked by European Union funds as part of a three-day event organised by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, which presented more than 300 people in the Amadria Park tourist resort with results and good examples of using funds to change Croatia for the better.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković opened the Days of Regional Development and EU Funds on Saturday, pointing out that when taking over the EU Funds management system, Croatia was only at nine percent of the projects contracted, and it is now, rather encouragingly, at 75 percent.

Minister for Regional Development and EU Funds, Marko Pavić, visited the EU Funds Fair, where 38 Croatian OPGs and entrepreneurs who have been fund beneficiaries presented themselves.

"We have been paid 22 billion kuna so far. EU funds improve health care and 1.7 billion kuna has been invested in hospitals and equipment, more than one billion kuna has been invested in transport infrastructure, and Pelješac bridge, worth 365 million kuna, is a permanent ''monument'' to this.

''EU funds are also changing education in Croatia, and as such, more than one billion kuna has been invested in the e-school program, and 680 million kuna in curricular reform. 6.5 million kuna has been allocated to employment, so EU funds are also contributing to young people staying in Croatia,'' Pavić said.

He is optimistic about the financial period from 2021 to 2027, when one of the goals will be, as he announced, a simpler application procedure. The City of Šibenik is one of the most positive examples of the use of EU funds and a pioneer in the restoration of cultural heritage in Croatia.

They restored the fortresses of St. Michael (Mihovil) and Barone, making Šibenik the only city in Croatia with two cultural monuments that are inscribed on UNESCO's prestigious list of protected monuments. The fortress of St. John, a project worth 41.5 million kuna, expected to be completed by the summer of 2021.

"Thanks to EU funds and cooperation with various ministries, the economy, tourism, and the education system have developed, new jobs have started to be created and it's becoming easier to attract young people, and in the future. we'll focus even more on helping young families,'' said Šibenik's mayor, Zeljko Buric.

Money from EU funds is being invested directly in the entire area of Šibenik-Knin County, stated Mayor Goran Pauk, and the projects are either implemented, are currently underway, or are being prepared.

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The already somewhat traditional "Regional Days of EU Funds" event is intended for all citizens interested in the possibilities of taking advantage of the Republic of Croatia's access to European Union funds. The most recent such event was held in the historic Dalmatian City of Šibenik.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of June, 2019, The Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, in cooperation with the competent institutions operating within the management and control system of EU funds, as the holder of balanced regional development policy in the Republic of Croatia, has been organising informative and educational events entitled "Regional Days of EU Funds" throughout 2019.

Through numerous events, which will be organised in a total of thirty cities across Croatia, the wider public and all interested individuals will be able to get information on all funding possibilities from European Union funds in a more easily understandable and accessible way.

Free education aimed at all citizens interested in the possibilities of using EU funds was held on June the 10th, 2019 in the Juraj Šižgorić city library (Poljana 6).

The event was inaugurated by Željko Burić, Mayor of Šibenik, and Tajana Huzak, Assistant Minister of Regional Development and European Union Funds. At the end of the introductory speeches, a panel discussion entitled "The development of Šibenik through European Union Funds" was held, attended by Mira Lepur, the director of the J.U. development agency of Šibenik-Knin County; Radoslav Županović, the owner of OPG Županović; Petar Mišura, the head of the Department of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Development of the City of Šibenik; Martin Mrša, the president of the "Youth in the EU" association, and Ivan Malenica, Dean of the Polytechnic in Šibenik.

After the initial panel discussion, expert presentations entitled "EU funds as a possibility of financing" followed. Then, an integrated territorial investment program was presented by Irena Jurčić of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds. Rade Dubreta from HAMAG-BICRO spoke about the most common errors when submitting a project application, as well as the key points in project implementation, then Ivan Križanović and Domagoj Puljić from HAMAG-BICRO presented financial instruments for agriculture and rural development.

At the end of the training day, Boris Pekić from UHY Consultation held a workshop on "presenting rural development measures and application processes" with the aim of presenting the current funding opportunities within rural development measures, and introduce visitors to the application process via the AGRONET application. In conclusion, all participants at this Šibenik event had the opportunity to ask whatever questions they may have had about access to, and the use of EU funds.

Through interactive workshops, panel discussions and educational content, participants in the event also have the opportunity to exchange their own respective experiences and connect with lecturers and other participants, with the aim of enhancing collaboration at all levels and realising as many projects as possible with the help of EU funding.

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