As in the case of the Zagreb earthquake, the World Bank will be the government's consultant in applying for funds from the European Solidarity Fund (ESF) for post-earthquake reconstruction in Sisak-Moslavina and surrounding counties, Construction Minister Darko Horvat said on Friday.

Horvat and World Bank Director for Croatia and Slovenia Elisabetta Capannelli held a working meeting in Petrinja on Friday after which they toured its downtown area, severely damaged in the 29 December earthquake.

Horvat said that the World Bank would be the government’s consultant for the second application for funding from the European Solidarity Fund for the reconstruction of the earthquake-hit parts of Sisak-Moslavina as well as Zagreb and Karlovac counties.

According to Horvat, the World Bank will prepare an estimate of the damage within the next five weeks so that the application could be submitted by 23 March at the latest.

Horvat expects a positive response from the European Commission, as in the case of the Zagreb earthquake.

Capannelli expressed solidarity and gratitude to all those who have helped the local population and economy. She announced that an estimate of the damage ensues in line with internationally recognised methods, as a basis to apply to the ESF.

We did that for Zagreb and saw that help arrived from Europe and there is no reason for that not to happen now too, she added.

Mid-2020 Croatia submitted a request for a grant from the ESF in the wake of the 22 March earthquake that rocked Zagreb and its environs and was subsequently approved a grant of €683.7 million.

Calls for applications were recently advertised for reconstruction projects in the City of Zagreb, Krapina-Zagorje and Zagreb counties worth €383 million.