Preparing the ground for EU funds: Creating a pipeline of project ideas for Croatia’s less developed areas

1. Preparing the ground for EU funds:
Creating a pipeline of project ideas
for Croatia’s less developed areas
Zagreb, January 20, 2014

2. 1. The context
2. About the project

3. The context
• UNDP Croatia Local Development programme
present in the most underdeveloped counties for 8
years – over 400 different projects implemented
• Aware of the problems in accessing pre-accession
funding at local level – may multiply when accessing
Structural and Investment Funds
• Anticipate the problems that the Government will
face – systemic, staff, financing, capacity to plan
(integrated approach!) and implement at local and
regional level
• the niche – where UNDP can actually make a
difference with its own resources

4. The Project
Background info:
• Started in August 2013
• Duration: 15 months
• 3 counties (underdeveloped)
• Focus on ERDF, other Funds to be considered in an
“integrated” approach
• Total budget: USD 600,000 (1/3 UNDP, 2/3
Government)
• UNDP’s existing LD team + close co-operation with
County development agencies + synegy with other
UNDP Croatiaportfolios: Green and Social inclusion
+ outsourcing only when necessary

5. The Project
Activities:
• individual meetings with all possible stakeholders
from all sectors → assessment of the existing
project ideas and proposals
• Analysis of the existing strategic and programming
documents → setting the framework: developing
more precise “strategic guidelines”
• Information workshops – general and specific →
developing new ideas
• “Project clinics” → shaping the new ideas into
projects

6. The Project
Outputs:
• “Strategic guidelines” for programming the
Structural and investment funds for each of the 3
counties
• A catalogue of at least 2 bigger projects with
regional impact (> 3m€) and 3 “packages” of at
least 5 smaller projects per county
• Pre-feasibility studies and basic project
documentation for projects with regional impact
• Documented methodology of work + templates

7. The Project
Early results – examples of project ideas that need
further development:
• Lika-Senj county: 4 nature and national parks → a
“package” of projects that should create more benefits
for the local community: community infrastructure,
upgrading tourism infrastructure and offer, branding
and marketing of local products, etc..
• Sisak-Moslavina county: Energy efficiency measures in
public buildings; Commercial and community
utilization of thermal water springs; etc..
• Karlovac county: Innovation centre for metal
processing industry; Kupa river basin tourism
potentials; etc..

8. THANK YOU!
nenad.kocmur@undp.org