Green, digital, and smart projects have become the backbone for many cities to engage in the trend of digital transition, thus enabling sustainable progress for their citizens. Some of these projects relate to, for example, energy efficiency, smart mobility, quality management based on sustainable strategies, and similar. However, one of the challenges that arises during the implementation of such projects is, of course, their financing.
How to finance smart projects in cities? What are all possible sources of financing? Answers to these and many other questions will be provided by Ana Fresl, director and president of the HUP Association of Professionals in EU Funds (HUP EUPRO) and director of the company Projekt jednako razvoj, at Lider’s Smart Cities conference. With her long-standing experience in the field of EU projects and examples at the conference, she will reveal how to best utilize possible sources of financing for smart projects in cities.
– Ahead of us is a period with double the generous amounts of EU funding compared to what we have been accustomed to so far. The usual sources of cohesion policy have been enriched by the Recovery and Resilience Plan, so Croatia will have significantly more opportunities for financing development projects in a short period of time. It is necessary to be prepared with a portfolio of projects, to identify the specifics of the funding goals of this period, and to align with them – says Fresl.
