ZAGREB, 16 Nov (Hina) - Croatia's new action plan for the period until 2027, open for public consultation, envisages the implementation of disaster protection projects worth €409.5 million.
A €258 million flood protection project for Karlovac is the biggest among the new disaster protection projects, alongside a project to procure a supercomputer for the Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ) and a project to procure helicopters for Civil Protection.
Key projects include a complete DHMZ overhaul (€90 million) by 2029, with a new DHMZ building and a supercomputer to improve weather forecasts and early warning systems.
Three multipurpose helicopters for Civil Protection (€52.6 million) and two EU-funded amphibious firefighting planes (€89.4 million) will strengthen aerial capabilities.
To better and more quickly alert citizens to danger, an extensive modernisation of the warning system will be carried out by 2028. The project, worth €9.4 million, includes the procurement of new central devices, repair of existing ones, and the installation of new electronic sirens, particularly in densely populated and high-risk areas.
In flood protection, the state-owned water management company Hrvatske Vode will implement key projects. The largest single initiative is the flood protection system for the Karlovac-Sisak area, valued at €258.2 million, which includes the construction and reconstruction of 63.8 kilometres of embankments.
Additionally, the VEPAR project, worth €35.7 million, is planned to enhance non-structural flood protection measures, including modernising the hydrological network and improving forecasting models, along with the reconstruction of pumping stations across Croatia, worth €88 million.
For the protection of the city of Vukovar from flooding, €56.3 million is allocated, and for the city of Ogulin, €30.9 million.
Following the 2020 earthquake, there is a particular focus on reducing seismic risk.
The plan foresees the establishment of a €2 million memorial and education centre in Zagreb by 2027, as well as equipping and strengthening the Croatian Centre for Earthquake Engineering (€3.8 million) to ensure rapid building inspections nationwide.
An investment of €7.5 million is allocated for creating a risk management system for critical infrastructure, including the procurement of a mobile laboratory unit.
Additionally, €2.5 million is earmarked for analysing apartment blocks, and the seismic network will be expanded through the CROSSNET project (€13.3 million), which includes the installation of 95 new stations and the hiring of nine new specialists.
Other major investments include the establishment of a National and Professional Centre for Climate Change Adaptation (€9.9 million) and the procurement of equipment for marine pollution protection, valued at €10 million. The plan also includes a project for protection against soil and water salinisation in the lower Neretva region, worth €73.5 million.
For forest fire protection, in addition to aircraft, €21.6 million is allocated for the construction, reconstruction and maintenance of forest access roads to improve access for firefighting vehicles, alongside the FIRESTOP project, which will establish a forest video surveillance system.
Most of the projects will be co-financed by European funds, while the remaining funds will come from the state budget.
