EU Funds Secured 303 Million Euros in Grants for Sustainable Urban Development

The Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds signed an Agreement on the implementation of Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI mechanism) within the EU program “Competitiveness and Cohesion” for the seven largest urban centers, amounting to a total of 303.4 million euros in grants for projects selected by the cities in accordance with the thematic areas covered by the mechanism.

As of today, the City of Zagreb has 114.9 million euros available from EU funds, Split 46.6, Rijeka 43.7, Osijek 34.6, Zadar 22.8, Slavonski Brod 20.9, and Pula 19.8 million euros for projects they believe will best contribute to their development, job creation, and improving the quality of life for citizens, the Ministry announced.

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“We have secured 303.4 million euros from EU funds for Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar, Pula, and Slavonski Brod, so that they can implement projects necessary for economic development in their urban areas. We continue with the policy of decentralizing the management and control of European structural and investment funds in Croatia to improve the quality of absorption of available EU funds. I expect that the cities will seize the opportunity that has opened up with the signing of the Agreement. We have identified projects, we have a list and timelines, so I expect the cities to start implementation as soon as possible,” emphasized the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Gabrijela Žalac.

The ITI is an EU mechanism for the period 2014 to 2020 aimed at promoting sustainable urban development, strengthening the role of cities as drivers of economic development, and fostering cooperation between local and regional self-government units, as well as developing the administrative capacities of cities. It consists of a set of activities that can be financed in cities from three different funds: the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, and the European Social Fund.

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Eligible activities under the ITI mechanism are divided into three thematic areas: smart cities – cities as drivers of sustainable and technological economic growth, sustainable cities – cities combating climate change by promoting energy efficiency and environmental protection, and inclusive cities – cities fighting poverty and advocating for social integration.

The aim of the investments is to create a favorable environment for entrepreneurship development, increase the efficiency of the heating system, revitalize brownfield sites (former military and/or industrial areas), boost employment and tourism spending through the enhancement of cultural heritage, and increase the number of passengers in public transport, the announcement states.

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The signing was attended by the Mayor of Pula, Boris Miletić, the Mayor of Rijeka, Vojko Obersnel, the Deputy Mayor of Zagreb, Olivera Majić, the Deputy Mayor of Osijek, Žana Gamoš, the Deputy Mayor of Slavonski Brod, Tea Tomas, the Deputy Mayor of Split, Jelena Hrgović, and the Head of the Department for EU Funds of the City of Zadar, Šime Erlić.

The agreements and accompanying documents define, among other things, lists of calls for project submissions, lists of strategic projects, and a timeline for implementation, the announcement states.