€7 Billion Paid to Croatia From European Structural and Investment Funds

January the 9th, 2022 - A massive seven billion euros has already been paid out to the Republic of Croatia from European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), with a massive 13.2 billion euros of projects contracted.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the country contracted over 13 billion euros in order to finance various projects by the end of last year from European Structural and Investment Funds. So far, 6.95 billion euros or 64.8 percent of the allocated funds from EU funds have been disbursed, as was announced on Wednesday from the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds.

At part of a recently held Government session, Minister Natasa Tramisak presented a report on the state of utilisation of ESI funds in the Republic of Croatia, which was then adopted by the Croatian Government, the statement said.

As the competent ministry noted, a total of 10.73 billion euros and 81.56 billion kuna was available to Croatia from European Structural and Investment Funds for the period 2014-2020. Until December the 30th last year, projects worth 13.2 billion euros (100.34 billion kuna) or 123.03 percent of the allocated funds, had been successfully contracted.

According to a statement from the ministry, a total of 6.95 billion euros or 52.85 billion kuna had been paid out, which is 64.8 percent of the allocated funds, and 5.97 billion euros or 45.36 billion kuna or 55.61 percent were certified allocated funds.

Compared to the end of 2020, last year, the financing of various different Croatian projects worth 9.05 billion kuna were contracted, 15.03 billion kuna was paid out, and 12.01 billion kuna of that amount was certified.

The percentage of contracted funds increased from 111.93 up to 123.03 percent, the percentage of disbursed shot up from 46.38 to 64.80 percent, and the percentage of certification of those funds went up from 40.89 to 55.61 percent, they also added.

If 763.17 million euros from REACT EU and 597.56 million euros added to the Rural Development Programme are added into the mix of the original allocation of ESI funds for the period 2014-2020 from a total of 10.73 billion kuna, the total allocation by 2023 stands at 12.09 billion euros, the statement said.