Funds awarded to the largest flood protection project in Croatia
The award ceremony of the Grant Agreement for the project "Flood Protection System of the Karlovac-Sisak Area, Phase 2 - Karlovac Area" was held on April 16, 2026 at the National and University Library.
The contract worth 192.7 million euros in grants was awarded to Croatian Waters within the framework of the Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme 2021-2027. This is a continuation of one of the largest flood protection infrastructure projects in the Republic of Croatia, with a total value of almost 260 million euros.
Minister of Environmental Protection and Green Transition Marija Vučković emphasized that this is the largest, most important and most complex flood protection project in the Karlovac-Sisak area, the first phase of which has already brought concrete results and protected around 2,700 residents from floods.
"Upon completion of this project, more than 22 thousand residents, their lives and property will be protected from floods, and there is nothing more important than that. That is the fundamental purpose of such investments," said Vučković.
She also addressed the complexity of the project preparation, emphasizing that a series of administrative and technical steps were necessary to launch this project, including the preparation of extensive project documentation and the resolution of property-legal relations, with more than 8,100 cadastral plots out of a total of more than 10,200 having been resolved so far.
She also added that the project has a strong environmental component, emphasizing: "This project, in addition to its technical complexity, also has a strong green component - more than 60 kilometers of defensive structures will be built and retention areas will be expanded by more than 1,800 hectares, thereby strengthening resilience to climate change."
She also highlighted long-term investments in the sector, saying that over the past ten years, more than 5 billion euros have been invested in the water and utility sector, of which 550 million euros have been directed towards protection from the harmful effects of water, which confirms the continuity and strategic direction of the Government of the Republic of Croatia's investments.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds Zrinka Raguž pointed out that today we are signing the largest project co-financed by the European Union in the flood protection sector, which represents an important step forward in strengthening the security of Karlovac County and the wider area.
She also highlighted the broader investment framework, stressing that thanks to the Government's decisions, 611 million euros have been secured for such projects from the European Regional Development Fund, a significant part of which relates to investments in protection from the harmful effects of water, in the amount of 238 million euros in grants, with this project making up the largest part of them.
The Director of Croatian Waters, Zoran Đuroković, emphasized that it is most important that we continue with the implementation of already started and new projects in the Karlovac area, recalling the event from October 2024 when the water level of the Kupa River reached +840 centimeters, which was the fifth highest water level in the city's history, without causing any significant damage, which shows the effects of the investments made so far.
He added that this year, the implementation of projects worth more than 70 million euros will begin, including the Korana–Kupa canal, the Brodarci embankment, the eastern embankment, the Šišljavić dam, and works on the Selce–Rečica stretch, which will further strengthen the Karlovac flood protection system.
"At this moment, an additional 24 kilometers of defense structures are ready for construction. With the already completed 12 kilometers from the first phase and an additional 5 kilometers, a total of almost 40 kilometers of new water structures are being built out of the planned 64 kilometers," said Đurković.
The project "Flood Protection System for the Karlovac-Sisak Area" is being implemented in two phases. The first phase (2014-2020) enabled the construction of 12.3 kilometers of defense structures and flood protection for 2,701 residents. The second phase includes 51.8 kilometers of new protection systems, including embankments, regulation structures and retention areas, which will benefit a total of more than 22,700 residents from flood protection measures.
The project increases the capacity of retention areas by 1,815 hectares and reduces the area exposed to flood risk by more than 95 km⊃2;, significantly contributing to climate change adaptation and strengthening the resilience of local communities.
The awarding of the contract was also attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition Anja Bagarić, the County Prefect of Karlovac County Martina Furdek-Hajdin, the Mayor of Karlovac Damir Mandić, the Director of the Directorate for Water Management and Marine Protection Elizabeta Kos, the Director of the Water Management Department for the Middle and Lower Sava Ivan Rosandić, and the Head of the Sector for Protection from Harmful Effects of Water Goran Milaković.