EU Funds Minister, Natasa Tramisak, said in Brussels on Tuesday that the programming documents for the 2021-27 financial period have been harmonized with the bodies of the European Commission, thus completing Croatia's programming process.

A press release from the ministry notes that Tramisak met with European Commissioner, Elisa Ferreira, for talks on the programming documents for the 2021-27 financial period  and on the Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme, the Integrated Territorial Programme, and the Partnership Agreement.

“After a long process at the national level, the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, from local to the regional and national level and competent ministries, our programs have now been agreed to with the European Commission. In the coming days we will submit our Partnership Agreement and our regional programs, that is, the competitiveness and cohesion and integrated territorial programmes,” Tramisak said.

She underscored that the most important political issues have been concluded. “There are no more outstanding, unresolved answers to the European Commission and we can say very positively that Croatia has completed its programming process,” the minister said.

Tramisak underscored that the new programmes offer new opportunities to absorb funds from the cohesion policy.

More than €9 billion are available to Croatia in the new seven-year period.

The priorities are set and direct Croatia to a smart and green, digital age, with better transport connections and social rights, where most elements have been arranged based on development in the form of strengthening the education and science system and retaining investments in schools and kindergartens.

“When talking about the health sector, which is one of the prominent topics, it will be possible to invest in primary health care, hospital facilities, the Immunology Institute, in the form of social rights, veterans’ centers have been retained and should be financed from the Cohesion Fund fund, and additionally, I would like to highlight that new opportunities are being created for investments in culture and in the development of cultural activities, in the development of tourism, but in the new perspective we will invest even more in underdeveloped parts of Croatia,” said Tramisak.

She added that the program provides a much greater territorial dimension with emphasis on strengthening industrial transition in those regions that will be given a strong opportunity to boost their economy and using the potential and resources that each region concerned has.