31.05.2024.
The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund will co-finance 79 projects worth EUR 17m aimed at improving the resilience of local communities to climate change.The contracts were presented today to the representatives of counties, cities and municipalities in the National and University Library by deputy Prime Minister and minister of physical planning, construction and state assets Branko Bačić, minister of environmental protection and green transition Marija Vučković, and director of the Fund Luka Balen.
Apart from planting trees and development of the commons, co-financing of up to 350,000 euros per project by the Fund could also be obtained for greening canopies at public transport stops, installation of public drinking water fountains, the formation of urban gardens, and also for projects to inform the public about climate change.
Deputy Prime Minister and minister Branko Bačić pointed out that the green transition and decarbonisation were among the three basic priorities of the EU and were also in the Croatian’s Government programme for the next mandate period. "Cities are the largest consumers of electricity in the world emitting nearly 70 percent of all greenhouse gases while occupying only 2 percent of the space area. So, the aim is to reduce electricity consumption through the construction of green infrastructure and energy renovation of buildings. In Croatia, buildings consume 50 percent of the total electricity, so we started an ambitious plan - by the end of the current financial envelope - to have the energy renovation done on more than two million square meters of dwelling area in Croatia," he stressed.
He also reminded that the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets had drawn up several programmes that would contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions and the green transition of urban areas. These are: Landscape renewal programme of Croatia, the Urban green infrastructure development programme, and the Space and buildings circular management development programme, with implementation deadlines until 2030. "All this forms the basis for rethinking a different type of urban planning that contributes to reducing the risk of damage caused by climate change and is aimed at achieving ambitious EU plans of climate neutrality by 2050," concluded Bačić.
Minister Vučković also pointed out that the risks of climate change were on the rise and that Croatia was increasingly affected by extreme weather events. That is the reason why it is necessary to act urgently and resolutely to strengthen climate resilience to reduce damage to the environment, society, and the economy. "The aim of this Programme, which the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund has been implementing for three consecutive years, under the motto "The Green Side of the Street", is to increase the resilience of the local and regional communities to climate change, meaning reducing the vulnerability of natural systems and society to the negative impacts of climate change, and consequently contributing to the construction of a green and climate neutral Croatia. The 79 contracts awarded today to representatives of counties, cities, and municipalities worth 17 million euros, will be used to finance climate change adaptation measures to strengthen the resilience of urban areas", said minister Vučković.
Director of the Fund Luka Balen pointed out that in preceding years 122 such projects had been co-financed, and that the 79 new ones would surely contribute to the sustainability of ecosystems in which the development of new green spaces plays an important role. He also stressed the importance of climate change education. "While it often seems that we alone cannot influence the global climate situation significantly, each and every one of us can and must make our own personal contribution and take a step towards a more sustainable future on, as the namesake slogan says - the green side of the street," Balen said.
