ZAGREB, 25 July (Hina) – Croatia has submitted its seventh request to the European Commission for a disbursement of €1.07 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), making it the country’s largest individual request for EU funding since joining the European Union in mid-2013, the government said on Friday.

The request is based on the successful completion of all 53 reform and investment milestones under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), which further confirms Croatia’s position among the EU’s top performers in implementing their recovery plans, the government said.

Alongside Italy and Portugal, Croatia is one of only three EU member states to have submitted a seventh payment request to date.

Examples of the strategic investments and reforms carried out under the NRRP, which form the basis for this request, include: commercialisation of innovation and support for entrepreneurship; upgrades to high-voltage electricity grids and the development of an additional 1,500 MW of renewable energy capacity; exploration of geothermal potential; establishment of a traffic monitoring and management system for passenger and freight road transport; creation of a central interoperability system and the development of electronic public services; upgrades to the eSpis court case management system; digitalisation of data on social benefits; and capacity-building for the provision of community-based services.

To date, Croatia has received €4.5 billion in RRF funding. The most significant investments have been made in green and digital transition, energy security and building renovation, education and science, healthcare, the labour market, social inclusion and demographic renewal, the government said.