Split has joined the EBRD's Green Cities Progamme, whereby this European development bank is going to approve a €20 million loan for the construction of a drinking water purification plant in this biggest Croatian Adriatic, the local authorities reported on Thursday evening.

A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed by Split Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara and the EBRD director for Croatia, Victoria Zinchuk, in Split on Thursday.

The conclusion of the agreement paves the way for the elaboration of an action plan for Split as a green city in accordance with the methodologies of te EBRD and the OECD.

Through the adoption of a Green City Action Plan (GCAP), Split will take a systematic approach to addressing its urban environmental challenges with specifically tailored actions and visions, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development says on its web site.

“EBRD Green Cities strives to build a better and more sustainable future for cities and their residents. The programme achieves this by identifying, prioritising and connecting cities’ environmental challenges with sustainable infrastructure investments and policy measures,” the bank says.

The €250 million Green Cities programme was launched in 2016. The budget for this purpose was renewed two years later due to a rise in demand, and in the meantime, the financing of the projects under this programme has risen fourfold.