Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen-Korzinek announced on Wednesday that the first public tender for funding from the €683 million EU Solidarity Fund earmarked for the reconstruction of Zagreb and related to cultural heritage would be advertised before the end of the week.

She added that after that other public tenders would be advertised too.

That €683 from the fund, she recalled, can be used to pay all urgent costs – removal and accommodation and all other needs following the earthquakes as well as remedying specific areas such as education, health, cultural heritage, infrastructure and other damage caused in Zagreb and two neighbouring counties.

Obuljen-Korzinek underscored that at the same time funds had been secured through loans from the World Bank regarding education and health. She added that reconstruction after the earthquakes would largely depend on the damage and estimates by experts.

Historical centres, particularly in Petrinja but also in Sisak, Glina and Hrvatska Kostajnica were damaged to such an extent that a systematic approach to a comprehensive reconstruction will be sought, she said.

Obuljen-Korzinek underlined that everyone wanted to register the damage as soon as possible. The Ministry of Culture and Media did its part of the job last week, she noted and added that it managed to note all the damage and that more than 40 conservationists were out in the field for that task.