The cities of Čabar, Delnice and Vrbovsko and the municipalities of Mrkopalj, Fužine, Skrad, Brod Moravice, Ravna Gora and Lokve received funds for projects such as the construction and extension of a kindergarten, a recreation centre, the reconstruction of unclassified roads and public lighting.
Minister Tramišak said that HRK 8 million had been provided from the state budget for projects that ensure better living conditions.
“For the first time this year 30% of the funding from the programme for the sustainable development of mountainous regions is earmarked especially for the Gorski Kotar area,” she said, announcing a programme for the development of mountainous regions for this year, which will define new measures and activities for businesspeople and entrepreneurs, that is, for investments in those areas, especially Gorski Kotar.
That will, in addition to the European funding in the new programming period, certainly help the development of the economy, entrepreneurship and thus demographic revitalisation, she said.
“The government has by this year invested over HRK 36 million in Gorski Kotar, and there is a total of HRK 190 million worth of European projects, especially for water infrastructure”, Minister Tramišak said.
Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković said that the fact that cities and municipalities had submitted their applications indicated that they knew how to prepare and manage projects and that the ministry and the government were willing to continue assisting them.
Answering reporters’ questions, he recalled that four years ago assistance had been provided for the maintenance of local roads in Gorski Kotar, that is, for the winter service through the Hrvatske Ceste road company, which was still being done.
“This government has done a lot to financially stabilise all local units,” Butković said, noting that it is good that in addition to big, strategic infrastructure projects, there are also smaller projects, important to local units.
“The duty of all of us in the government is to help smaller local units, especially in Gorski Kotar, Lika… Dalmatinska Zagora, Slavonia, particularly quake-hit areas, to realise and finance their projects,” Minister Butković said.
(€1 = HRK 7.56)
