European assistance for the residential energy efficiency projects in Croatia

The Croatian Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency (Fond za zaštitu okoliša i energetsku učinkovitost) will offer free legal advice and assistance to residential building managers in the energy efficiency projects. The projects are now financed from the European Union restructuring funds.

The first in a series of workshops on energy efficiency was held in the coastal city of Zadar on November 3, gathering significant number of residential buildings managers or other formal residents’ representatives. The representatives of the Fund’s Sector for Energy Efficiency (Sektor za energetsku efikasnost), which organised the workshop, believe the co-financing subsidies of 60% for energy efficiency helped spark interest among residents of Zadar and adjacent Šibenik municipalities. Previously, the subsidies used to make up 40% of the expenses.

At the recently held similar meeting in Croatian capital Zagreb, the Fund’s manager Ljubomir Majdandžić outlined that, starting from this year, the energy efficiency projects co-financing moves from the national to the European level. That includes projects like the Programme of energy renovation of multi-residential buildings.

Croatian Ministry of Construction and Physical planning (Ministarstvo graditeljstva i prostornog uređenja) has published a call for funds worth 147 million Croatian kuna (EUR 19.5 million), as a part of the “Energy renovation of multi-residential buildings” project.

Depending on volume of works the sum awarded could range from EUR 13,000 to EUR 1.73 million. The multi-residential building representatives are required to submit some 15 different documents to win the funds.

Ljubomir Majandžić announced several workshops to acquaint building managers with the terms and procedures. The list of locations and timetable will be posted on the Fund’s as well at the Croatian European Structural and Investment Funds portals.

Minister for building and physical planning Lovro Kruščević attended the event in Zagreb. He stressed that the residential building managers are important partners and added that the Ministry plans to completely use the currently available funds worth EUR 70 million in cooperation with the managers.

The head of the Fund’s Energy Efficiency Sector Mario Klobučar explained the changes in the procedures for the energy efficiency projects and also called the managers to join workshops in order to better prepare their submissions and so help the success of the project.