Work on Cakovec Agglomeration project starts

Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic on Monday opened work on the Cakovec Agglomeration project worth HRK 273 million, of which 73 per cent will be provided by an EU grant.

Milanovic stressed the importance of insisting on such projects. "The EU has a lot of money and our money is also there, but poor organisers will not be able to absorb it. People in Cakovec knew how to do it and the government helped them to a smaller extent, which is a message for the future. The time when the government financed everything is over, and the sooner people realise this the better because Croatia will overcome the crisis sooner," he said.

In addition to Cakovec, Vukovar, Zupanja, Osijek and Porec have also successfully applied for similar projects, worth a total of 250 million euros.

Cakovec Mayor Stjepan Kovac said that the Agglomeration would upgrade the local utility infrastructure and protect the population and the environment from the negative effects of municipal waste waters.

The project includes the modernisation of the waste-water purification facility and reconstruction and extension of the drainage network. About 70 kilometres of the sewage network and 32 new pump stations will be built and more than 8,400 new users are expected to be connected to the new public drainage system.

Apart from Cakovec, the project covers five surrounding municipalities -- Nedelisce, Pribislavec, Strahoninec, Sveti Juraj na Bregu and Senkovec. The work should be completed by 2018.

The project is financed with 73 per cent of money from EU funds, 10 per cent from the Hrvatske Vode national water management company and the Ministry of Agriculture each, while the remaining 7 per cent will be provided by the local government unit.

(EUR 1 = HRK 7.6)

(Hina) vm

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