January the 12th, 2025 – Croatia is set to invest in its air quality with a massive sum of 220 million euros this year, with a special programme intended just for that purpose.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, 2025 is set to be a big year for Croatia as the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, as well as the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (EPEF) are launching a programme to improve air quality. That programme is worth more than 220 million euros.
The aforementioned ministry has emphasised that in Croatia, overall air quality has improved in the last decade. With that being said, over more recent weeks, concentrations of pollutants in the air in some cities have reached values higher than prescribed.
The main causes of pollution are emissions from small domestic fireplaces that use solid fuels such as wood for heating, and emissions from traffic. 2025 will bring updates to the legal, strategic and planning framework in the field of air protection and emission reduction. This year will also welcome the initiation of additional intergovernmental cooperation. This will all improve the conditions in Croatia for monitoring the implementation of air quality programmes.
Numerous projects will be financed over a two-year period, including zero-emission vehicles for users who drive high mileage, such as taxi services or delivery vehicles. That project will be worth 90 million euros.
Refrigerators will be replaced and new equipment with ozone-depleting substances will be purchased to eliminate fluorinated greenhouse gases in distribution centres. That alone will be worth 35 million euros. Single-family homes of people at risk of energy poverty will be properly renovated with energy efficiency in the amount of 25 million euros, and alternative fuel vehicles will be purchased, with accompanying electric charging stations being built. Combined, those efforts will be carry a hefty price tag of 53 million euros.
In addition to all of the above as Croatia tackles its air quality issues, investments are being planned to replace home furnaces. That will replace outdated boilers in cities with excessive emissions. The installation of photovoltaic power plants for the general public will also be co-financed.
