A government grant agreement valued at 266.4 million kuna (€35.8 million) was signed on Friday for funding mine clearance in forest areas which are part of the nature conservation project Natura 2000 in Croatia's Lika-Senj and Zadar counties.

The clearing of mines left over from the 1991-95 war is expected to be completed by June 2023, by which time nearly 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) of forests located in the Velebit Nature Park and the Paklenica National Park would be cleared.

EU funding will cover 85 percent of the cost of the project, with the rest paid for by Croatia’s government, and the grant was agreed by the environment ministry and the state-owned forest management company Hrvatske Sume.

Experts estimate that almost a quarter of a century after the war ended Croatia still has some 355 square kilometres (87,700 acres) of suspicious areas which need to be cleared of leftover landmines.

“Currently there are 355 square kilometres of mine-infested areas in Croatia. That is a frightening number considering the fact that there are more than 30,000 mines and other unexploded devices in those areas. This government aims to clear Croatia of mines. That is why I am pleased with the signing of this agreement, which is in large part co-funded with EU money,” Environment and Energy Minister, Tomislav Coric, said in a press release.