The European Commission which put a billion euros at Croatia's disposal for the post-earthquake reconstruction believes that the Croatian government should make the communication towards beneficiaries clearer in order to accelerate the rate of the absorption of that allocation.

So far Croatia, which was struck by two devastating tremors in March and December 2020, has tapped 61% of the €1.003 billion from the European Solidarity Fund, and the country is supposed to accelerate the absorption of the remaining 39% of the allocation in the next three months before a deadline for the use of that allocation expires.

Recently a meeting was held in Zagreb between officials of the EC and the Croatian Ministry of zoning and construction which is in charge of coordinating the use of the allocation provided by the EC for Croatia’s post-quake reconstruction.

A source from the EC has told Hina that on that occasion the EC said that the ministry should provide more concrete and clearer information to potential beneficiaries of the fund and that so far the communication had contained too many technical details and unclear information about the use of the allocation put at Croatia’s disposal for addressing the consequences of the devastating earthquakes.

The source has told Hina that the suggestion about the improvement of the communication had been very well received.

The Croatian ministry also described the meeting chaired by Minister Branko Bačić and the head of the EU Directorate-General for Regional, Cohesion and Urban Policy, Sofia Alves, as positive.

After the 22 March 2020 quake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale which hit Zagreb and its surroundings and the 29 December 2020 quake measuring 6.2 which hit Petrinja and Sisak-Moslavina County, the Croatian government requested financial aid from the EU Solidarity Fund (ESF).

The European Commission granted €684 million from the ESF for tackling the consequences of the Zagreb disaster and an additional €319 million for the post-quake reconstruction of Petrinja and other quake-affected areas in central Croatia.

In May 2022, the Commission extended the deadline for tapping the fund for one more year, and it now expires on 30 June 2023.

On 22 March this year, when the third anniversary of the Zagreb earthquake was commemorated, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that “the activities for the absorption of the allocation from the Solidarity Fund are being accelerated.”

Plenković said that he could confirm with a high degree of certainty that practically all the allocated money, €683 million, from the EU Solidarity Fund will be spent for the reconstruction of Zagreb.

“The reconstruction process is complex, long-term and financially demanding. We are in a position to say with a high degree of certainty that practically all the funds allocated for the Zagreb earthquake, that is €683 million, will be spent in accordance with the plans by the end of June,” said Plenković at the government session.

On the third anniversary of the earthquake, he also remembered the girl Anamarija Carević, who died in the earthquake, adding that 27 more people were injured at the time and that 25,000 buildings were damaged.