EU funds

Good concepts can be realised

For the period 2014-2020, Croatia has been allocated EUR 10.6 billion from the European Structural and Investment Funds.

The goal of HBOR is to facilitate and promote the absorption of grants from the EU funds and to indirectly contribute to the sustainable development and balanced economic growth of the Republic of Croatia.

HBOR has developed special loan programmes for the pre-finance and co-finance of projects nominated for ESIF programmes, and the beneficiaries of EU grants have recognised HBOR as a key and quality partner. In 2018, interest rates for the financing of projects of EU funds have been reduced to 1.7 percent for private sector projects and rural development projects and to 2.5 percent for public sector projects.

Polić family is one of the success stories of using EU funds for the purpose of upgrading business operations.

Stella Mediterranea d.o.o.

The story of the company Stella Mediterranea d.o.o. begun on the island of Mljet in 2002. Guided by the idea of reviving gastronomic tradition of Dalmatia and the Mediterranean, Melita and Andrija Polić, the owners, started to produce delicacies on the basis of centuries-old recipes of family ancestors adapted to modern technological processes. The production is based on the natural and healthy foods of the Mediterranean region – dried figs, olives, plums, oranges and almonds. The products are well positioned in the market owing to their quality and the quality of raw materials as well as owing to production techniques founded on the European and world production standards.

Since 2011, HBOR has been supporting the development of their business through loan funds for investing in the construction of and equipment for the production facilities at Klis. The latest investment project, also supported by HBOR, relates to the new presentation/sales premises called “Etno Agro Park Stella Croatica” financed from the funds of HBOR and from EU funds.

“We expect this investment to have a significant impact on our business and to increase our direct sales, thus increasing production in already existing production facilities. By constructing the Stella Croatica entertainment park at Klis, we will enrich the tourism offer of Split and our county. It is maintained that the entrepreneurial climate is poor, that it is not possible to invest, but this is not true from our perspective. We have had excellent cooperation with ministries, state agencies, local community and especially with HBOR in terms of the successful draw-down of EU funds, which is reflected in our production facilities, presentation/sales premises and ethno village,” stressed Andrija Polić.