Mrak Taritaš: By participating in the Academy's seminar, you've won a winning lottery ticket!

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Zagreb, 20th of September 2014 – „By participating in the Academy's seminar on projects, you've won a winning lottery ticket as today you will learn something of great importance for your counties, cities and municipalities", said the Minister of Construction and Urban Planning and the President of the City Organization of the City of Zagreb Anka Mrak Taritaš at the beginning of the seminar on projects in the regional and local governments.

„Short-term, mid-term and long-term projects are important. Short-term projects are realized in a short period of time, the mid-term in the course of the mandate, while long-term projects count on winning another mandate.", also said Mrak Taritaš.

While talking about local projects, the Minister highlighted some of the structural challenges Croatia faces with regards to attracting investments through EU funds. She also presented some of the strategic documents of Croatia, operational programs for the term 2014-2020 and strategic development projects of the Ministry of Construction and Urban Planning.

Seminar dealt primarily with how counties, cities and municipalities can plan, develop and implement strategic development projects by getting financing through EU funds, as well as how to strategically plan in order to better prepare for projects.

„It is important to take advantage of the opportunities and funding that is available", emphasized the Assistant Minister of Economy for Trade and the Internal Market Vedran Kružić.

Kružić focussed his lecture on the theme of European structural and investment funds and opportunities for directing investments from these funds to realize goals and objectives as determined for the period from 2014 to 2020. Special emphasis was given to the strategy of smart specialization (from the concept stage to political agenda) with opportunities for funding of the local and regional governments in the development of clusters of competitiveness in twelve priority areas. The lecture was concluded with a presentation of socially beneficial innovations, which besides the business and scientific sectors include the local and regional governments as they can demonstrate the impacts of innovations on the resolution of global social challenges.

„For a successful public-private partnership, three things are needed. Political support, political support and again political support", added Damir Juričić, the Director of the Agency for Public-Private Partnership, emphasizing that Croatia doesn't just need investment, it needs efficient investments. Conditions for implementing PPP projects are excellent; however, problem is that we do not have any projects available.

Assistant Minister of Construction and Urban Planning Ines Androić Brajčić talked about projects of energy renewal of public buildings, family homes and housing buildings. She also spoke on the available measures for increasing energy efficiency as well as sources of financing of such projects. The lecture was concluded by presenting concrete facts on benefits of implementing of such projects.

„All of the projects mentioned during the lecture will allow us to efficiently and sustainably manage our energy consumption", concluded Androić Brajčić.

„When you think about projects and how to implement them, you need to think of their parts, you must think of individual slices rather than the whole cake. In operational programs in the area of culture, there should not be a single goal, rather a horizontal approach is needed, as in Croatia, cultural heritage matters", said the Assistant Minister of Culture Tamara Perišić.

Perišić continued the lecture by talking about five concrete projects in culture that are aimed at improving the management of human resources, while also emphasizing the importance of programs of rural development. She concluded her lecture with speaking about planning as a precondition for successful projects, while presenting and analysing the necessary project documentation.

Seminar was opened by Boris Blažeković, Head of the Academy and the CPP's MP, who highlighted the importance of such an event.