Preparations for the reconstruction process in Zagreb are underway and organised reconstruction will begin in June, Construction Minister Darko Horvat said on Sunday, on the eve of the first anniversary of the March 22, 2020 earthquake that devastated the city' historical centre.

“The process has not come to a halt. It’s complex and it’s proceeding slowly,” the minister said in an interview with commercial broadcaster Nova TV, noting that buildings damaged in the earthquake had been prepared for demolition or reconstruction.

He noted that a delay was possible if problems occurred in the procurement and appeals procedures.

“But we plan to have concrete contracts and start with organised reconstruction in June,” Horvat said.

He noted that the reconstruction process would be carried out by Croatian construction companies but that foreign ones could be hired as well, depending on the dynamic of obtaining the necessary funding.

Asked if the state would cover interest on loans to be taken by citizens for reconstruction costs, Horvat said that this was being discussed with banks and that it yet remained to be seen if the state would also take over the financing of a part of the loan principal.

He said that staff at his ministry could help citizens write requests for reconstruction and that those requests could be submitted by mail or through the e-obnova system.

Until all contracts for the entire job of reconstruction are signed, there will be no excavators in the streets, Horvat said.

“If we want to use money approved by the European Commission fairly and in line with strict EC rules, the procedure must be followed,” he said.