On September 30, 2024, a workshop entitled “How Municipalities Can Secure More EU Funds and Foster Local Development?” was conducted at the University of Zagreb. The event was organized by the Postgraduate University Interdisciplinary Specialist Study Preparation and Implementation of EU Projects in collaboration with the Croatian Association of Municipalities.
Sanja Maleković, co-head of the study program, played an integral role in the execution of both the workshop and the accompanying panel discussion. The primary objective of the workshop and panel was to enhance the capacities of municipalities and small towns in utilizing EU funds to initiate developmental changes in less developed regions of Croatia.
The workshop featured two presentations: Assistant Professor Jakša Puljiz provided an overview of EU programs and the challenges of their implementation in Croatia, while Professor Gojko Bežovan gave a presentation on the Study Program for the Preparation and Implementation of EU Projects.
Additionally, Sanja Maleković moderated a panel that focused on the experiences of rural areas in Croatia concerning their utilization of EU funds. The panelists included Mateja Janečić Miketić from the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Marija Bistrica, Anamarija Grabovac from the Entrepreneurial Center Zovnica in Imotski, and Ivana Pavić from the Center for EU Funds and Education Rastoke in Slunj.
During the panel, numerous successful instances of securing EU funds were highlighted, alongside a discussion of the various challenges associated with the effective preparation and implementation of EU projects in key developmental sectors within the regions represented by the panelists.
