The FINANCIAL — The EBRD is joining forces with the Croatian port city of Pula in the development of a sustainable urban mobility plan, financed by the government of Austria with a €195,700 grant.
The aim of the plan is to utilise the European Union (EU) Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI), which is a new tool introduced for use during the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) programming period. It is designed to be a more local form of policy-making, allowing for the bundling of funding from different sources and can be used for delivering the sustainable urban development objective. Pula has been allocated €30.6 million under this mechanism for the co-financing of public transport investments, according to the EBRD.
Davor Inđić, EBRD Associate Director, said: “Today’s agreement is another step in the long-term cooperation between the EBRD and Pula. The sustainable urban mobility plan will be crucial in securing future investments, as well as beneficial development for the population, visitors and the environment. It is our duty to support the city’s economic development and at the same time safeguard its heritage and natural beauty.”
The EBRD and Pula have been partners since 2006 when the Bank provided a first loan to the city’s public transport company for the acquisition of green buses. The EBRD’s goal is to promote greater efficiency in and higher quality of municipal services. In Croatia alone, the Bank has supported over 18 projects in municipal infrastructure and financed € 242 million of investments to date.
Boris Miletić, Mayor of Pula, said: “The city of Pula has fostered an exceptional long-term cooperation with the EBRD. The sustainable urban mobility plan will take an innovative and high-quality approach to sustainable city traffic planning while respecting the needs of our citizens. Thanks to this plan, our citizens will be able to enjoy more modern and secure public transport and we will use it as a basis for attracting investment from European funds.”
The EBRD signed its first project in Croatia in 1994 and has invested over €3.6 billion in 198 projects in the country to date. The Bank’s activities cover all areas of the economy but are especially strong in the infrastructure, corporate, financial institutions and energy sectors.
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