Minister Branko Bačić presented the EEZ Spatial Plan Proposal

Today Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Physical Planning Branko Bačić, accompanied by Director of Directorate Tomislav Jukić and associates, visited Zadar County. In Zadar he presented the Proposal of the Spatial Plan of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Croatia in the Adriatic Sea, pointing out how important it is to support Zadar County, which is located in the centre of the Adriatic and which encompasses a large portion of protected coastal area.

The visit started on a meeting with County Prefect Josip Bilaver and Mayor Šime Erlić, where they addressed housing issues of local population, property and legal relationships and proposals of the new Physical Planning Act and Building Act.

“There are three acts and numerous regulations currently open for public consultation, aimed at changing legislative regulations, simplifying spatial planning and accelerating the process of issuing building permits for family houses,” Minister Bačić said.

County Prefect Bilaver supported the entire reform package, emphasising the importance of sustainable development in the field of physical planning, construction, tourism and affordable housing. He added that, through different measures, including subsidising interest rates for young families building family houses, the county aims to foster demographic development and the return of young people to the county and the state.

During the meeting, Minister Bačić and Municipal Prefect Tomislav Prtenjača signed a contract based on which the Government of the Republic of Croatia donates 50 properties comprising a total of 33,482 m2 and with a market value of 2.29 million euro to Polača Municipality. The properties are intended for providing housing care to young families and for demographic renewal, and the municipality is obliged to put them to their intended use within five years.

“This is a highly valuable project for Polača. I hope there will be more such projects in the future, not only for Polača, but for all locals across the state,” Municipal Prefect Prtenjača said.

County Prefect Bilaver pointed out that this is the first of nine such projects, whose implementation will enable young families to stay in their hometowns and build their own homes. The municipality envisages housing care by selling the donated land to young people under special conditions and favourable prices.

“This is a large area with the potential to become a proper settlement, and we as the state will participate by introducing our measures in order to help implement the programme,” Minister Bačić said.

He pointed out that Zadar County is the second-best county in Croatia in terms of speed and efficiency in managing state assets, since the transfer of authority to local and regional self-government units which marked a large step towards decentralisation.

“The county now disposes of state assets across the area, except in the City of Zadar - which is governed by the City itself. In agreement with the county, we have delegated the

management of land designated for the construction of a control centre, whereby Zadar is planned to become the centre for this part of Croatia and Europe,” the Minister concluded.

EEZ Spatial Plan presented in Zadar, focus on fisheries, mariculture and traffic

For the second time this week, the Proposal of the Spatial Plan of the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Adriatic Sea was presented, this time in Zadar, in the Center for Creative Industries.

“This is a highly maritime-oriented county, ranking first in Croatia in terms of fishing gear and total catch. This is also where the headquarters of a company disposing of the largest part of the Croatian fleet is located. Therefore, it was appropriate to present this Plan to the public of this county, namely since numerous experts from this county had participated in its development,” the Minister said.

The Plan is a strategic document which, for the first time, comprehensively defines maritime spatial planning of Croatia, with an emphasis on natural resources management, marine ecosystem protection and economic activity development in accordance with European and international standards.

“This plan is extremely important for the overall economic and social life of the Republic of Croatia, since it encompasses nearly 24,000 km2 of the Adriatic Sea. Croatia generates significant revenue when it comes to exploiting and managing the Adriatic. Our goal is to enhance these economic activities while preserving the Adriatic. We are guided by the notion that space, which is together with people the most important resource of the Republic of Croatia, should not be a burden to development but rather a resource for progress,” the Minister stated.

County Prefect Bilaver highlighted that this Plan is especially important for his county.

“Zadar County includes both the land and the sea in almost equal parts. Considering the number of ports, fishing ports, the importance of mariculture - this Spatial Plan focuses on precisely all of these extremely important matters,” he said. Mayor Erlić added that Zadar as a city “thrives because of the sea as a resource and it is definitely interested in a better, more sustainable and better-quality management of the sea area,” emphasising the significance of developed fisheries, mariculture and maritime traffic.

The Minister pointed out three main economic activities related to the exclusive economic zone in Zadar: maritime traffic, fisheries and aquaculture, and the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons. Maritime traffic is particularly important for the safety of navigation in the semi-enclosed Adriatic and for connecting Zadar to the Italian coast. Fisheries and aquaculture represent a key economy branch of Zadar County, and this Plan further fosters their development. The exploitation of hydrocarbons is limited to existing exploitation fields in order to preserve the Adriatic and encourage traditional activities.

The EEZ Spatial Plan Proposal was further presented by Director of Institute for Spatial Development Bojan Linardić, and an additional presentation will be given in Rijeka as well. You can participate in the public consultation until September 30, 2025.

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