The level of absorption of the European Union's Pre-Accession IPA funds in Croatia rose to 53.2% in the first eight months of 2012 from 37% last year, and our plans are to raise the absorption level to 60% of the total allocation, Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Branko Grcic said at a conference held in Zagreb on Monday on the occasion of the completion of a project within the IPA – Component IIIC on regional development.
Within this project, agreement was concluded on the payment of grants in the amount of EUR 25.2 million for 24 projects throughout Croatia. Most of those projects were presented at today's fair of grant projects in the Mimara Museum.
Grcic said that 10 of the 24 projects came from less-developed counties, which, he added, showed that fears of the division of Croatia into two statistical regions were irrational.
The head of the European Union's Delegation to Croatia, Ambassador Paul Vandoren, said he was pleased with the projects showcased at this fair, emphasising that regional development was a priority of the EU.
