Final bill on affordable housing formulated

Hina - The government on Wednesday formulated a final bill on affordable housing, under which buildings intended for such housing for people aged over 65, persons with disabilities and those with reduced mobility will be required to include accessibility features.

The bill, sent to parliament, strengthens the role of local authorities, clarifies the system of legal remedies and better defines micro housing units. In terms of subsidies, it introduces an exception to the rule requiring a 10% co-financing contribution of estimated works, exempting volunteer war veterans, persons with disabilities, those with a disabled family member or a child with developmental difficulties, and families with three or more children.

Eligibility is capped so that beneficiaries’ income cannot exceed 2.5 times the regional median net wage for a single person, with the threshold increased by 0.5 of the regional median net wage for each additional close family member.

The bill provides for the reconstruction of residential and mixed-use buildings as an affordable housing measure and, in addition to sales, allows for the leasing of commercial premises within such developments.

Construction Minister Branko Bačić said €4.6 billion had so far been spent on post-earthquake reconstruction, with €2.7 billion for the Zagreb earthquake and €1.9 billion for the Petrinja quake.

Reconstruction has been completed on 13,837 private buildings and 823 public-use buildings financed through the EU Solidarity Fund. A total of 520 family houses have been built and 87 purchased, while 42 new multi-apartment buildings have been constructed in Sisak-Moslavina County.

“By the end of June we must complete the full reconstruction of 600,000 square metres, and the disbursement of the 10th tranche under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan is expected,” he said.

The government also granted 14 land plots to Velika Gorica, worth €31.6 million, for the construction of the Kušanec-East business zone, which must be completed within five years of signing the contract.

A property in Zagreb, consisting of construction land and a public-use building valued at €502,000, was granted to the Gospić-Senj Diocese. The value will be deducted from the state’s obligations to the Catholic Church for assets confiscated during the former Yugoslavia that cannot be returned, in line with the treaty between the Holy See and Croatia on economic matters.

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