The Town Motivating Croats To Stay At Home

A continuous exodus of Croatia’s youth heading abroad in search of a “brighter future” has prompted towns in Croatia to develop projects to motivate young Croats to stay in the country.

Otok, situated in eastern Croatia, is one of those towns. The Otok City Council is gifting land to its residents so they can build homes on them. The state has joined in, contributing just over 10,000 euros in building materials to each project. The Otok City Council initiated the project which is being led by the Ministry of Regional Development. The first group of young families are expected to start building homes in the suburb of Petkovac this summer.

“Here there are 250 plots ranging from 450 – 600 square metres and till now we have received 240 requests, mainly from people from Otok, but also from all over Croatia, including Vinkovac, Osijek, Zadar and Dubrovnik,” said the council.

“I have an unemployed wife and a small baby and we probably would never have put a roof over our heads if it was not for this project. It should motivate young families. It is a good opportunity because I want to stay with my family in Otok,” one of the new land owners told daily newspaper Vecernji list.