Milan Bandić Reveals Which Projects in Zagreb Are Co-Financed by EU Funds in Brochure

Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić and the Head of the EU Programs and Projects Office, Jelena Ricov, presented the brochure ‘Projects of the City of Zagreb Co-Financed from the EU Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund’.

In the brochure, projects that have been co-financed over the past two years from European structural and investment funds, with a total value of 150 million kuna, of which the EU co-financing rate is 90.9 percent, are showcased.

– The projects presented in this publication are just part of the activities financed in the city of Zagreb through EU funds. The approved projects demonstrate that we have the capacity for their implementation; I hope this Government will enable us and other cities to realize other projects for the benefit of our citizens – stated Bandić, again complaining that he never met with the Prime Minister during the term of the previous Government.

– The partnership cooperation of all institutions is the only recipe for success; we know what needs to be done, but we cannot do everything alone. We deal with problems 365 days a year, and the Union has allocated one billion euros to solve these problems. We must hurry because too much time has been lost due to a lack of cooperation and focus – he emphasized, adding that there have been many controversies regarding the projects from the opposition in the city assembly, which he called ‘normal training of democracy’.

Ricov explained that over 50 projects are already in implementation.

– Some of these projects from the brochure are pilot projects, such as teaching assistants in schools. This is actually a kind of system exercise to test whether institutions can handle larger-scale tenders. It has been shown that everyone is ready and interested – said Ricov, noting that the city administration has mobilized all capacities in the offices.

– A major infrastructure project is the modernization of the water supply and drainage system; ZET has many projects that are already prepared. We will focus on establishing cooperation with the relevant ministries to identify the projects that Zagreb has through partnership and communication and to agree on the dynamics of announcing tenders and drawing funds – Ricov stated, adding that they will look to apply for projects through the Juncker Plan.

– The URIHO complex, the technology park, the Jedinstvo plant, these are all projects that could have already started but are forced to wait for tenders to be announced. Study documentation will be prepared for the de-leveling of the rotor; all of this can be integrated into the Master Plan of the traffic system of the city of Zagreb – she highlighted, listing some other projects from the traffic sector, such as connecting Pleso Airport with the city by rail and the Greenway cycling route along the Sava, which is expected to begin construction this year.

In addition to those already mentioned, the brochure also presents projects for the modernization of the zoo, Become/Stay an Entrepreneur, e-Schools, and ReStart, as well as the preparation of project-study documentation and application packages for the Zagreb and Glavinčica agglomeration.