Minimum cost of Zagreb’s post-earthquake reconstruction HRK 42 bn

(Photo: HINA/Damir SENČAR)

ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) – The minimum cost of the post-earthquake reconstruction of Zagreb is HRK 42 billion, which includes exclusively reconstruction through reinforcement of buildings’ structural elements, a conference heard on Monday.

The State Secretary at the Construction and Physical Planning Ministry, Zeljko Uhlir, said at the conference, entitled “The future of the construction sector: Reconstruction of Zagreb – The Croatian New Deal” and organised by the Poslovni Dnevnik business paper, that the HRK 42 billion was the cost of basic reconstruction work, and that buildings that were cultural monuments would be reconstructed individually.

The ministry’s projections envisage several other solutions, the price of which also depends on the scope of reconstruction work. According to the World Bank methodology, which includes damage and losses caused by the earthquake, the cost of the reconstruction work would be €11.5 billion while the best, comprehensive reconstruction would cost €17 billion.

“That figure was defined for the EU Solidarity Fund, which can allocate to a member-state funds in the amount of up to six percent of the total estimated damage. Considering that the whole of Europe has been affected by the virus, we do not expect that amount will be six percent. Everyone is reporting huge damage to the business sector due to COVID-19 and we have suffered additional damage caused by the quake,” said Uhlir.

He noted that the reconstruction of Zagreb could certainly be a new, Croatian New Deal.