Minister Branko Bačić on a working visit to Slunj – energy efficiency renovation and affordable housing in focus

Today Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Branko Bačić visited the City of Slunj, where he held a meeting with Mayor Mirjana Puškarić and County Prefect Martina Furdek-Hajdin. He toured several multiapartment blocks under energy efficiency renovation in Slunj.

“We held a meeting with the county prefect, mayor and their associates, where we addressed the issue of energy efficiency renovation and discussed affordable housing projects in the City of Slunj. We put special emphasis on projects against energy poverty in Karlovac County,” Minister Bačić said.

After the meeting, Minister Bačić toured the locations of multiapartment blocks which undergo energy efficiency renovation within the Programme for Mitigating Energy Poverty in Assisted Areas, carried out by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets.

The Programme, at the level of the Republic of Croatia, entails 387 multiapartment blocks comprising a total of 5,200 apartments - once fully owned by the Republic of Croatia but now under mixed ownership between the state and private owners. The renovation includes all external common sections - from the façade and roof to joinery, and it is financed from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

“Most of these buildings in the Karlovac County area are in the City of Slunj, and the first phase of this project will enable renovation of 10 multiapartment blocks,” Minister Bačić clarified. All 10 buildings comprise approximately 130 apartments in different stages of energy efficiency renovation:
 

• renovation is completed for two buildings (Ulica 14. domobranske pukovnije 5 and 7)
• works are in progress for three buildings (Ulica kralja Zvonimira 17, 19 and 25)
• preparatory works are in progress for the remaining five buildings.

The overall worth of the contracted works for said projects in Slunj exceeds three million euro.

“We are truly pleased, since precisely these two buildings behind us are fully completed, the third building is nearing completion and two are under renovation. Regarding the completed buildings, and including the third one that is almost finished, the project is worth three million euro. These are large and significant investments in our city, and these buildings, apart from looking nicely, highly benefit our residents - there are 85 of them in these buildings, where the energy envelope, new joinery, chimneys and all renovated features will improve the quality of life, both during winter and summer,” Mayor Mirjana Puškarić said.

At the level of Karlovac County, energy efficiency renovation is planned for 31 multiapartment blocks comprising approximately 300 apartments. Three buildings are fully renovated, nine are under renovation, four are in the public procurement process and eight are in the project documentation development stage.

“Sustainable housing entails quality housing, so that our fellow residents living in such buildings spend less of their income on utilities and energy sources. Life is better in renovated buildings, and more funds remain for other necessities,” Minister Bačić concluded.

New affordable housing projects - state-subsidised housing construction and interdepartmental cooperation

The Minister also announced two new housing investments in Slunj - the construction of a multiapartment block under the Programme of State-Subsidised Housing Construction and a building under the interdepartmental cooperation programme aimed at providing housing care to young families and vulnerable groups.

“With regard to affordable housing projects, we are developing two locations in collaboration with the City - one under the interdepartmental cooperation programme and the other, a multiapartment block, under the Programme of State-Subsidised Housing Construction in collaboration with APN,” Minister Bačić said.

In late 2024 the City of Slunj established the final priority list for the building under the Programme of State-Subsidised Housing Construction, comprising 15 apartments in total. By September 2025, a concept design was completed and a contract on project documentation development was concluded, while the process of issuing a building permit is underway. The design includes approximately 926 m² of net usable floor area, including storage rooms and parking spaces.

Within the interdepartmental programme, the Ministry has asked APN for the purchase of a building plot comprising 14,273 m² for the construction of an additional multiapartment block. The purchase process is underway, and the estimated land value is 217,000 euro.

“We support all the efforts of the Ministry, with which we have excellent collaboration, in order to ensure better living conditions and to help our citizens acquire their housing space. We are aware this is a fundamental need - we too have been implementing our own Housing Programme for Young People for the past five years. Every year there is an increasing interest from young families and, by now, approximately 100 families have received a subsidy from Karlovac County to purchase, reconstruct or build a house. Next year, 300,000 euro will be secured for the Housing Programme for Young People,” County Prefect Martina Furdek-Hajdin said.

Post-earthquake reconstruction in Karlovac County

Minister Bačić also commented on the progress of post-earthquake reconstruction in Croatia. With regard to Zagreb and Petrinja area, post-earthquake reconstruction has been completed at 13,836 locations, including 450 newly built houses and 768 reconstruction projects of public use buildings and infrastructure. Overall investment in post-earthquake reconstruction of both private and public real estate has exceeded 3.98 billion euro.

In the Karlovac County area, reconstruction has been completed at 205 locations, including 157 family houses and 48 multiapartment blocks. Works are underway at 19 locations, and 15 new houses have been built.

News | Information