Pelješac Bridge will remain the most visible project of the first years of EU membership

With reference to the construction of the Peljesac Bridge, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced on Friday stronger cooperation with China.

​The project of building the Peljesac Bridge has changed China's attitude towards Croatia. Next year Croatia will host a large meeting of the prime ministers of China and sixteen Central and Eastern European countries. That will also be an opportunity for bilateral meetings. Our communication has been raised to a new, higher level, said the prime minister.

An agreement for the procurement of eleven buses for the Libertas city bus company, valued at HRK 22.8 million, of which HRK 15.3 million coming from EU funds, was signed in Dubrovnik on Friday with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic saying that this was yet another excellently organised European project.

The procurement agreement was signed by state secretary in the Ministry of the Sea, Transportation and Infrastructure, Nikolina Brnjac, Central Finance and Contracting Agency director Tomislav Petric and the director of the Libertas bus company, Ante Vojvodic.

The agreement was signed in the presence of the prime minister and Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic.

"I want to congratulate you on yet another excellently organised European project, a project that will modernise your Libertas public transport company. The new modern, economical, environmentally friendly buses will reduce the company's costs, modernise the existing system and, in the end, enable a better service for all Dubrovnians and their guests," Plenkovic said.

"This year I saw that, through good organisation, you managed to reduce the traffic jams in the Old Town, which is exceptionally good. And the initial data about the increased number of tourist arrivals and bed nights by about four percent, which is in line with the data we have in the Tourism Ministry and the National Tourist Board, speak about yet another record tourist season for Croatia and Dubrovnik and, I am certain, for the Dubrovnik-Neretva county too," added Plenkovic.

Prime Minister said that the European Commission had been informed of the government's decision which made it possible to pay workers at the Uljanik and 3. Maj docks their wages.

Plenkovic underscored that the government is trying to find a solution to all essential issues regardless of whether they were part of its platform.

"Just as I said at the meeting a few days ago, workers at Uljanik and 3. Maj have received their pay," Plenkovic said.

He commented on a decision by Hungary not to extradite MOL CEO Zsolt Hernadi despite a European Union Court of Justice ruling, saying that the relevant ministry had not yet received official documentation in that matter.

"When we receive the documents, we will respond in line with the law and protection of Croatian interests," Plenkovic said.

The project of building the Peljesac Bridge has changed China's attitude towards Croatia. Next year Croatia will host a large meeting of the prime ministers of China and sixteen Central and Eastern European countries. That will also be an opportunity for bilateral meetings. Our communication has been raised to a new, higher level, said the prime minister.

Referring to the results of the tourism season, he said that they were "very good," and the season was "yet another record one." 

"We expect about 4 to 5 per cent more bed nights and arrivals. With that we will have exceeded our forecasts. We can expect about 19 million tourists and 105 million bed nights. That is a huge number for Croatia. I believe that we will have a higher income, too, thanks to investments in tourism, which last year totalled EUR 1 billion and this year 840 million," he concluded.

Text: Hina

News | Plenkovic Andrej