Finance Minister Ivan Šuker met today with Matthias Kollatz Ahnen, the newly appointed Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) from Luxembourg, who is responsible for projects in the Republic of Croatia as part of his other duties, as announced by the Ministry of Finance
Minister Šuker emphasized that Croatia’s cooperation with the EIB is exceptionally good and that Croatia sees the EIB as one of the most significant financial partners in the realization of the most important projects, especially infrastructure projects, on its path to full membership in the European Union. Minister Šuker discussed with Vice President Kollatz Ahnen possible future projects in the transport sector, from highways to railways to ports, the continuation of the gasification of Croatia towards the southern part, financing small and medium-sized enterprises, and tourism through the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The EIB has approved nearly 1 billion euros in long-term, favorable loans for a total of 17 public and private projects since the beginning of its operations in Croatia in 2001, according to the Ministry of Finance. For the private sector, specifically commercial banks, the EIB has approved four global loans intended for financing small and medium-sized enterprises with a total value of 66 million euros. A total of 13 projects have been approved for the state or public enterprises, amounting to a total of 905 million euros. These public projects are mainly intended for financing large infrastructure projects, primarily highways, roads, and railways, the reconstruction of communal infrastructure in areas of special state concern, and the construction of the gas pipeline system in Croatia.
