The minister assessed the pace of the reconstruction as satisfactory, emphasising that the rebuilt buildings are of better quality than they were before, referring to the "build back better" (BBB) principle applied in the post-quake rebuilding.
Addressing the press, Bačić recalled the day five years ago when an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale caused enormous damage in the City of Zagreb, Zagreb County, and Krapina-Zagorje County, while also claiming the life of a young girl, Anamarija Carević.
Speaking about the pace of the reconstruction, he mentioned that more could probably have been done, and more quickly, but he also reminded that the same year, the even stronger Petrinja earthquake, which hit the area n 29 December 2020, caused more extensive damage to the area.
"I think we can have some balanced attitude, never be fully satisfied, but I believe that considering how we approached the reconstruction after both the Zagreb and Petrinja earthquakes, this pace and scope of the reconstruction is roughly satisfactory," Bačić assessed at the press conference held in the completely reconstructed building of the Ministry of Construction and State Property, where Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen was also present.
"Structural retrofitting has, in a way, slowed down the reconstruction process. If we, as a government, had opted for restoring buildings to their previous state at the beginning, today we would surely be witnessing a much larger number of completed buildings," Bačić said, stressing that they made the right decision to opt for the more complex process.
He mentioned that a total of 3.53 billion euros in European and national funds have been spent on post-earthquake reconstruction of private and public property, with 2.04 billion euros allocated for the Zagreb earthquake.
In the area affected by the Zagreb earthquake, reconstruction has been fully completed at 3,814 locations, of which 3,401 are private buildings and houses, including 35,747 residential units.
Additionally, 38 replacement family homes have been built.
Halfway through reconstruction
Bačić stated that the reconstruction is now halfway completed, and he expects that all replacement family homes will be finished by the end of June 2027, with the entire reconstruction process, especially residential buildings and blocks in the downtown Zagreb, completed by the end of this decade.
Culture and Media Minister, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, highlighted that the most damage was sustained by listed buildings of cultural heritage, as they were the most vulnerable to the earthquake, particularly in the Zagreb area.
As a result, the majority of the reconstruction efforts in this regard have been channeled through the Ministry of Culture.
Through the Ministry of Culture, more than 500 reconstruction projects are being carried out in the areas affected by the Zagreb and Petrinja earthquakes, across eight counties. In Zagreb alone, there are 130 projects involving the most valuable and complex buildings, as they are listed structures.