Six co-financing contracts awarded in Trakošćan for "smart" city projects

18.07.2024.

Representatives of local self-government units in Varaždin County were awarded today contracts for co-financing the development of smart and sustainable solutions and services in the public sector by the minister of environmental protection and green transition, Marija Vučković, and the director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, Luka Balen. Resources for their projects were secured by the cities of Varaždin, Lepoglava and Novi Marof, as well as municipalities Donja Voća, Trnovec Bartolovečki, and Vinica.

"The six contracts worth 238 thousand euros in total are awarded as part of the call for proposals for financing smart solutions projects related to transport, public administration, and green transition," explained Minister Vučković. "So far, 419 smart solutions across Croatia have been co-financed with a little over 13 million euros that are in total worth 23 million euros," she said, announcing that a new such call for proposals was expected to be announced by the end of the year.

"Last year's call for proposals resulted in 99 co-financing contracts for the, so-called, "smart cities" projects. Through these projects, smart technologies are introduced, and new urban services are created, while local units are transformed into sustainable ones, with less burden on traffic, parking, air, and ultimately on the local budget. This, of course, is just one in a series of programmes implemented by the Fund, and it will continue at the end of this year. The call for the visitor infrastructure, which has just been completed, was aimed public institutions, protected areas, nature parks and national parks, while another call for the reduction of harmful gases and freons in outdoor cooling units worth 5 million euros is underway, intended for public buildings - primarily hospitals, educational institutions and schools", said Balen.

County prefect Anđelko Stričak said that mayors from the area of Varaždin County were doing a good job in preparing projects and that pass rate in applying to calls for proposals was always very good.  "These contracts represent only part of our investments encouraging energy efficiency, environmental protection and sustainable development," he said.

Minister Vučković, together with the county prefect Stričak, managing director of Hrvatske vode Zoran Đuroković, the director of the Fund and associates visited the works on Lake Trakošćan. Prefect Stričak was satisfied with the dynamics of the works and announced that all works should be completed by the end of August, after which the filling of the lake with water would begin in September.

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