Croatia absorbs 93% of CEF funds, conference hears

With 32 projects approved worth HRK 3.2 billion, Croatia has absorbed 93% of the funds available from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butkovic said in Dubrovnik on Thursday at a two-day CEF conference organised by his ministry.

CEF is one of the many instruments we are using to finance projects that are in line with the transport policy priorities of Croatia and the European Union, Butkovic said, adding that the funds co-financed the preparation of documents, the construction, reconstruction and modernisation of the transport infrastructure as well as the improvement of transport services.

He said the fact that Croatia had absorbed 93% of the allocated funds showed CEF's importance for the financial support of projects that crossed national borders.

Croatia is implementing projects on two Core Transport Network corridors, on the Mediterranean Corridor and Rhine-Danube Corridor, which will contribute to Europe's territorial connectivity, Butkovic said, adding that this was in line with the policy of the Trans-European Transport Network, the aim of which is to complete the Core Transport Network by 2030 and the Comprehensive Transport Network by 2050.

(Hina)