Construction Minister Branko Bacic briefed the national crisis management team for post-quake reconstruction of his Ministry's roadmap for speeding up the reconstruction, during their meeting in the quake-struck town of Petrinja on Tuesday.

One of the priorities is the maximum absorption of the €1.3 billion that Croatia has at its disposal  from the EU Solidarity Fund for the reconstruction of public, utility and transport infrastructure and the renovation of public buildings. Croatia is supposed to spend the funds allocated for this purpose by 30 June, the new minister recalls.

Taking care of all citizens who are in mobile housing units (containers) is a priority, and Bacic pointed out that the plan is to provide “appropriate accommodation” for all of them by November 1 through “seven types of accommodation”.

In the next 15 days, a housing care plan will be drawn up, which will be presented to the public when a new bill on reconstruction is presented at a government session. This plan will contain, Bacic stated, the stakeholders, deadlines as well as the addresses of all mobile housing units and the status of their future housing.

The new bill on reconstruction, which will be sent to e-consultation today, was made because all the participants in the reconstruction process are to be merged under the framework of the Ministry: the Reconstruction Fund of the City of Zagreb, Krapina-Zagorje County and Zagreb County, and the Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing.

The plan is extremely demanding and I am aware that it will not be easy to realise 2,208 different types of housing units by the end of October and make them available for for 4,500 citizens, he admitted during his working visit to the quake-affected areas of Sisak-Moslavina County.