ZAGREB, June 7, 2019 – Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday informed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker about the course of reconstruction of Dubrovnik Airport and the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, both co-financed from European funds, saying Dubrovnik-Neretva County was among the most successful counties in European fund absorption.
By visiting southern Croatia, Juncker began a two-day visit to the country. On Friday, he will arrive in Zagreb.
“We presented to… President Juncker the course and realisation of an important project, the reconstruction of Dubrovnik Airport’s infrastructure, which is co-financed from European funds in the amount of 155 million euro,” Plenković said.
The reconstruction is worth 225 million euro, with 158 million euro coming from the European Regional Development Fund. In the first stage, completed at the end of 2016, the terminal was built for 64 million euro. The second stage, whose completion is planned for the end of 2020, includes the renovation of a 3,300-metre airstrip and building a new fuel storage.
Plenković said the reconstruction of the airport would significantly increase the transport capacity of the city and the county as well as the quality of tourism in, as he said, the southernmost and most attractive part of Croatia.
“We also informed Mr Juncker about the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, a strategic project for connecting Croatia’s south with the rest of the country. This project is progressing very well and is also co-financed from European funds in the amount of 357 euro million,” he said.
He underlined that European funds are being used in Dubrovnik-Neretva County to renew the water infrastructure, the cultural heritage, student dormitories and many other projects.
Plenković went on to say that he and Juncker would talk about the work of next European Council and European Commission, the enlargement policy, including a possible Zagreb summit on the topic, the multiannual financial framework and Croatia’s priorities for chairing the Council in the first half of 2020.
He said Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Gabrijela Žalac said at today’s cabinet meeting that Croatia had contracted 69% of EU funds available in the current budget period.
“That’s very good news and all departments are continuing to work on making that absorption really effective, so that part of the public investments coming from co-financing from EU funds can be felt on the overall economic growth.”
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