Minister Branko Bačić on working visit to Korčula

Today Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Branko Bačić visited the island of Korčula. During his visit, he toured the site of the reconstruction project of the western access road to Blato and participated in the opening ceremony of the Lokva civic amenity site. He emphasised substantial investment in Croatian islands, particularly considering the fact that every fifth overnight stay in Croatia takes places precisely on islands, which thus largely contributes to overall economic development of the country.

Minister Bačić started the visit by touring the site of the reconstruction project of the western access road to Blato, where he was joined by Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Blaž Pezo and Blato Municipality Prefect Jurica Petković. The project was financed by Dubrovnik-Neretva County, County Road Administration, and the first stage of development of the western entrance into Blato is currently in progress. The current project stage is worth 540,000 euro.

“Only a few hundred metres from here a separate access road as part of the road towards Smokvica will be constructed. The state has recognised the importance of transport and port infrastructure projects, and precisely Dubrovnik-Neretva County is one of the counties that participate the most in constructing port infrastructure,” Minister Bačić said, adding that this project is part of a “Croatian coast renaissance”. The first stage is expected to be completed in May.

“This is an important section for Blato Municipality because it represents an entrance to a settlement. In the future, I hope we will have a safer entrance for our citizens and surely a nicer entrance for all the tourists coming here, Municipality Prefect Petković said.

County Prefect Pezo pointed out the importance of listening to citizens’ needs at the local level and responding accordingly. He added that the County Road Administration works on a series of projects, one of which is connecting Metković and the zone before the motorway.

On the island of Korčula, according to Minister Bačić, a series of projects takes place - the passenger terminal in Vela Luka has been completed, the development of Polačište is in progress, the development of the Port of Prigradica has been put out to tender, and the contractor for the construction of the Port of Perna will be selected soon - which demonstrates the State’s dedication to island living conditions by raising the standards of transport and municipal infrastructure.

A working meeting took place on the premises of Blato Municipality. Apart from Minister Bačić, County Prefect Pezo and the host, Municipality Prefect Petković, the meeting was also attended by Deputy County Prefect Joško Cebalo, Head of Administrative Department for the Affairs of County Prefect and County Assembly Žaklina Marević, Director of County Road Administration of Dubrovnik-Neretva County Ivo Kaštelan and Director of Dubrovnik Roads Roberto Krile.

Lokva civic amenity site opened

Minister Bačić then participated at the opening ceremony of the Lokva civic amenity site, together with County Prefect Pezo and Mayor of the City of Korčula Frano Jeričević.

“Starting from 7 a.m. tomorrow morning, the citizens of Korčula can start using the civic amenity site. I believe this project will improve the quality of life of our fellow citizens. I am confident that the days of illegal dumping sites and landfills are now over,” Mayor Jeričević said.

The project is worth 1.353 million euro, and the Government of the Republic of Croatia secured 770,000 euro from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan through the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. Residents can use the civic amenity site free of charge.

“The opening of this civic amenity site contributes to infrastructural development on islands. By the end of 2030, we will establish a number of waste management centres, in order not only to preserve the environment, without which there is no tourism or local life development, but also to turn waste into raw materials,” Minister Bačić said. County Prefect Pezo emphasised that opening the waste management centre will be the final step in establishing an efficient waste management system in the county.

“Before we open it, it is important to establish waste separation and sorting in local self-government units, in facilities such as civic amenity sites and transfer stations. Regarding waste management centres, we have held several meetings with the contractor, the documentation for the fourth stage has been submitted, and once we obtain the permit, we will have more insight into the completion deadline of the centre,” the County Prefect said.

Balanced development and investment in islands

Investments being carried out on islands, from wastewater agglomeration and water supply to similar projects, raise the living standards which are, above all, important for residents, Minister Bačić pointed out.

“It is particularly important that we have secured funding for integrated island development through numerous projects. In Dubrovnik-Neretva County we allocate 28 million euro through the Islands Programme for projects contributing to developing social and municipal infrastructure. Year after year, we are increasing financial investment to implement projects important for citizens’ lives,” the Minister said, adding that small-scale municipal projects, which directly touch people’s everyday lives, are equally important.

Accordingly, the Government also discussed the report on the implementation of the Islands Act, which determines that “large, substantial funding is used for Croatian islands. The islands deserve such funding considering their contribution to Croatia’s development. As you know, every fifth overnight stay in Croatia takes place on Croatian islands, every fifth tourist is on Croatian islands. Therefore - by investing into islands, we invest into Croatia’s economic development,” the Minister explained. He announced that a meeting on the construction of a motorway to Dubrovnik and a highway from Dubrovnik to the airport of Čilipi and towards the border with Crna Gora will take place soon.

The visit to the island of Korčula concluded with a working visit on the premises of the City of Korčula.

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