By October 21, Croatia contracted €13.19 billion from European Structural and Investment Funds and the Croatian budget received 43.99 billion kuna more from the EU budget than it contributed to it, the Regional Development and EU Funds Ministry said on Thursday.

If the advance for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan is included, the difference is 50.12 billion kuna, it added.

At the closed part of today’s cabinet meeting, Minister Natasa Tramisak presented a report on the absorption of ESI funds in Croatia, which the cabinet adopted.

Croatia had €10.73 billion at its disposal from ESI funds for the 2014-20 period. By 21 October, it contracted €13.19 billion worth of projects, or 122.88% of the allocation, while 61.69% of the allocation was disbursed (€6.62 bn) and 49.98% was spent as intended (€5.36 bn).

If €763.17 million from REACT EU is added to the 2014-20 allocation as well as €597.56 million added to the Rural Development Programme, the total allocation until 2023 amounts to €12.09 billion.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)