Project Zagreb: Largest in the history of Croatia’s capital unveiled

Zagreb

The Mayor of the City of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, presented Project Zagreb on Tuesday, a generational leap in the improvement of the water supply and drainage network in Zagreb. 

This project marks the largest urban initiative in Zagreb’s history, valued at 323 million euros, and also stands as the largest EU-funded urban project. 

The City-owned company Water Supply and Drainage (ViO) submitted Project Zagreb on March 15, 2024, in response to the prioritisation call from the Ministry of Economy for EU co-financing.

“The oldest pipes in the network date back to 1878, underscoring the urgency for modernisation and renewal of the water infrastructure. Therefore, we have decisively tackled this challenge by launching Project Zagreb  – the most significant infrastructure investment in water supply and drainage in Zagreb’s history. It is also the largest urban project, equivalent to the value of four Sljeme cable cars,” announced Mayor Tomislav Tomašević. 

He explained that the main benefits of the project include expanding the water supply and drainage network, constructing the III stage wastewater treatment plant, and reducing water losses and pipe breakages in the system.

“We have clearly defined components and objectives and have already taken concrete steps, submitting the project a few days ago in response to the Ministry of Economy’s prioritisation call, having prepared all the necessary documentation,” emphasised Mayor Tomašević. 

“We have obtained 25 out of 27 construction permits, and property legal relations have been resolved on 99.82% of parcels, surpassing the required 80% resolution.”

The Mayor reminded that for decades, insufficient funds have been allocated to Zagreb’s water supply network, resulting in worsening conditions regarding water losses and network sustainability.

“I will remind you that in 2007, Zagreb Holding, including ViO, issued bonds worth 300 million euros for investments in the water supply network. However, only a few percent of that amount ended up in the water supply network. The rest was spent on other projects and real estate speculation,” said Mayor Tomašević. 

“And that is one of the reasons why so many pipes burst, why we have so many water losses in the network, and why some citizens still lack access to the water supply or public drainage network. We will correct this injustice,” Mayor Tomašević stated.

(Photo: Grad Zagreb)

The Mayor emphasised that thanks to responsible management of the city’s finances, the City of Zagreb can maintain the same price for water supply and drainage services while achieving record investments in infrastructure. “Our transparency in conducting public tenders and rational spending of taxpayers’ money enabled us to attract significant funds from EU sources and improve the credit rating of the City of Zagreb.”

It is expected that work on the Zagreb Project will commence in 2025 and last until 2029, with a long-term positive impact on the quality of life for the citizens of Zagreb.