ZAGREB, June 12, 2019 – Sisak-Moslavina County Day was celebrated in Sisak on Tuesday with emphasis on numerous projects, some that are already being implemented and others that are yet to start, and both President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković welcomed the application of new know-how and technologies, particularly in the ICT sector.
Addressing the county’s Assembly, President Grabar-Kitarović underscored that that county is the “geographical centre of our state” and that Croatia’s history is concentrated there too. She recalled Stjepan Radić who, “with his martyrdom, became a symbol of the Croatian people’s struggle for freedom,” and places like Gvozd, Dubica, Gvozdansko, Sisak and Petrinja, which represent “the sites of our tragedies and victories since the Middle Ages through to the Homeland War.”
She in particular made reference to the town of Zrin, saying it had been the seat of the Croatian aristocratic family Zrinski, but also the place of the murder and expulsion of hundreds of Croatians in September 1943, only for the Yugoslav communist authorities to deprive survivors and their descendants of all civil rights, assets, banning their return after the war. “We still not have amended that injustice. It is time for the relevant institutions to embark on amending what can be amended, she said.
She expressed her satisfaction that the county was directed toward industries that strongly include the use of digital technology, and said that it was encouraging that, compared to 2014, workers in the ICT sector a less likely to emigrate.
Investing in the education of young people, in their projects and dreams is a true investment in the future of Croatia as a country made to the measure of man, she underscored and added that that is why she launched the branding Croatia project. In that regard, counties need to be the main pillars in investing energy and know-how in developing Croatia. Subsidies and state aid to counties has to continue, primarily through concrete development investments she added.
The president spoke about the Sisak refinery and assessed that it needs to be upgraded and given new business opportunities. Let’s not delude ourselves, without industry there is no desired progress, and that is why we have to create competitive conditions for investors who will bring modern technological industrial projects to Croatia, she said.
She added that in her capacity as president, she promotes other energy projects like the LNG terminal on Krk island, which is regularly connected to a series of other investments that she advocates during visits to other countries, in particular within the Three Seas Initiative, which she said strongly separates Croatia from everything that is negatively connected to the Balkans and the so-called region, and firmly positions Croatia where it belongs, along the belt between the Mediterranean and Central Europe.
In her address, the president said that the main source for any responsible policy is to listen to the people and respect the will of the people.
Because the trust of the people can only be gained by trusting the people. That is the foundation of unity which I have been emphasising for four and a half years as the focal point of my policy. Unity is the denominator of Croatia’s development and progress. Unity combines our energy, work and creativity, it raises our optimism and self-confidence, it is the key to success at the municipal, city and county and state level, she said.
Prime Minister Plenković recalled that 50,000 people from the county fled their homes during the Homeland War and that the damage done to the infrastructure and factories at that time was close to 1 billion euro.
He said more than 821 million kuna was invested from 1998 to 2018 in demining the county and that another 9.4 square kilometres was expected to be cleared by the end of the year.
Plenković said his government held a meeting in Sisak in February 2017, “aware that this county needed incentive and support. Therefore, we adopted a score of concrete decisions to stimulate regional development and the projects adopted then were worth 250 million kuna.”
He said the county was important because of oil and natural gas, thermal springs, the development of agriculture, fruit growing and cattle breeding, and its tourism potential. He added that 8% more arrivals and 40% more nights were recorded in the first five and a half months of the year.
Plenković said huge progress was made in the county with regard to the absorption of EU funds, with 255.8 million euro contracted to date, most of which are to upgrade the water infrastructure. He said 24 projects worth 120 million kuna were approved for the development of the local infrastructure, and that 75 projects worth 216 million kuna were signed for energy-efficient buildings, including 117 million kuna in grants.
Plenković said some of the European money would be used for new business opportunities, and that the county was becoming a gaming industry centre. He added that the government would continue to support all projects that benefited the county.
The prime minister said he was pleased the government and the president were making complementary efforts towards cooperation between the central and local governments. “We are in non-stop intensive dialogue and cooperation,” he said, adding that that was the best way to achieve synergy regarding projects, funds, and the realisation of common development goals.
Prefect Ivo Žinić said the projects that were currently being implemented in the county were worth 400 million kuna. “These projects confirm our desire for progress. Our job is to work for better living standards for all citizens in the county.”
More news about Sisak-Moslavina County can be found in the Lifestyle section.
