Croatia approves €500,000 for diaspora return and integration projects
- by croatiaweek
- in News
ZAGREB, 22 May (Hina) – The Ministry of Demography and Immigration has approved more than €500,000 in non-repayable funding for 13 projects submitted by municipalities, towns and one county as part of a pilot programme aimed at encouraging the return of expatriates and members of the Croatian diaspora.
The largest individual grants, amounting to €50,000 each, were approved for three towns, three municipalities, and one county.
The recipients are the town of Otok for the adaptation of a housing unit, Biograd na Moru for the integration of returnees through language learning, Vrbovsko for a project encouraging the immigration of Croatian emigrants, the municipalities of Legrad, Maruševec, and Petrijanec for projects supporting return and assistance to returnees, and Split-Dalmatia County for the refurbishment of premises for the “RAZUMIN” Artificial Intelligence Development Centre.
Slightly smaller amounts were awarded to the towns of Pakrac (€49,900) and Daruvar (€48,900) for the “Dandelion for Return” project, aimed at improving preschool conditions for Croatian returnees in Pakrac, and for housing provision for returnees in Daruvar.
The smallest amount, €6,000, was awarded to the municipality of Podstrana near Split for the project “Home is the Most Beautiful Place”. The town of Petrinja received just under €11,000 for the project “Step Towards Home” – the integration of children and families of Croatian returnees in Petrinja.
The municipality of Tompojevci was awarded €12,000 for support with immigration and housing provision for Croatian returnees, while the town of Pleternica received €31,000 to improve healthcare and psychosocial services.
In total, the Ministry allocated €508,843 in grants.
The programme, entitled “Support to Local and Regional Self-Government Units for Encouraging the Return and Immigration of Members of the Croatian Diaspora”, worth €1 million, is financed from the state budget for this year and projected budgets for 2027 and 2028. An additional €300,000 is planned to be secured through a budget revision.
