The European Commission has approved Croatia's programmes for the new programming period, and the Integrated Territorial Programme 2021-2027, with a budget of over €1.5 billion, will enable further investment in development, green transition and the improvement of living standards.

Croatia is among the first EU member states to have all its programmes approved for the new programming period, Minister for Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak said in a statement on Saturday.

After adopting the Partnership Agreement in August 2022 and approving the Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme, the largest development programme within Cohesion Policy, on 2 December 2022 the European Commission approved the last Cohesion Policy programme submitted by Croatia for adoption — the Integrated Territorial Programme 2021-2027, the statement said.

The approval of the Integrated Territorial Programme 2021-2027 lays the ground for investment targeting the specific needs of individual areas at local and regional level to ensure the even territorial development of Croatia. The guiding principle was that no area of the country should be left out, and this programme will provide funding for the further development of all areas of Croatia, Tramišak said.

Under the Integrated Territorial Programme, €1.569 billion is available to Croatia from the European Regional Development Fund and the Just Transition Fund.

The funding will be used to strengthen the regional economy through the process of industrial transition and investment in the development of smart and sustainable islands and towns, and in mitigating the impact of the transition towards the climate-neutral economy in Sisak-Moslavina and Istria Counties.

€554.76 million will go towards the industrial transition of the Croatian regions and €146.55 will be invested in clean municipal transport, bicycle infrastructure and digitalisation of municipal transport. €682.76 million will be used for the development of urban areas as drivers of regional growth and the development of sustainable and green islands, while €185.5 million will go towards mitigating the impact of the transition to the climate-neutral economy.

Investments will also be made in public social and business infrastructure, the development of green and blue infrastructure, the reconstruction and revitalisation of cultural heritage, and energy efficiency.