20.03.2019.
A formal conference held in Osijek to mark the completion of energy renovation of 19 elementary and high schools in Osijek-Baranja County, and to announce renovation works on 23 public sector buildings. The overall value of investment in these projects amounts to HRK 144 million, of which 60 percent is secured from EU funds with the rest provided by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds together with Osijek-Baranja County.
Director Dubravko Ponoš said that the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund was monitoring the execution of these projects through its Intermediate Body, which is implementing more than 1500 projects co-financed from EU funds, with more than half in the public buildings sector. “When someone, like Osijek-Baranja County for example, withdraws significant amounts of money from EU funds, which is our common goal, their efforts really deserve praise. The Fund is always pleased when your County applies projects because we can be certain that a high percentage of them will be successful and funding will be secured,” concluded Ponoš, adding that the Fund and the County were partners not only in the implementation, but also in the preparation of the projects for the public call since the Department for Energy Efficiency reviewed all documentation before the application process. More about the role of the Fund in EU programmes was explained by Branimir Hartman, project manager for the projects of renovation of public buildings.
Head of the County, Ivan Anušić, said that by the end of 2021 it was expected that all school buildings, community health centres, and other institutions owned or established by the County would be renovated. “The ‘Green Certificate’, the prize awarded to Osijek-Baranja County last year as the most successful regional self-government in Croatia in terms of implementation of energy renovation and energy efficiency projects, testifies about our success,” said Mr. Anušić.
Other participants in the conference included Dragan Jelić, the Assistant Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Zdravko Vukić, the Assistant Minister of Construction and Physical Planning, and the representative of Deputy Prime Minister Predrag Štromar, and MP Stjepan Čuraj. They all agreed that thanks to the withdrawal of EU funding, Osijek-Baranja County has become one large construction site, and that all this activity will benefit not only the users of the renovated buildings, but also the development of the economy in the entire County.