Analysis

From swords to ploughshares: Croatia transforms old army barracks into business park

A project funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) aims to promote economic development in Croatia’s Karlovačka region by transforming an old army barracks into a new business park to accommodate as many as 10 companies.

In the city of Karlovac, 8,325 square metres of army barracks have remained unused since the end of the Yugoslav war in Croatia in 1995. The country’s ministry of defence has now handed the site over to the city council to develop a business park with the aim of stimulating job creation and economic growth in the region.

ERDF funding – worth 1.16 million euros, 85 per cent of the project’s total cost – will be dedicated to developing green infrastructure for the new business park, building roads, installing new sewage and water systems in the park and introducing novel communication infrastructure to the ex-army barracks. Financial support for production and manufacturing will also be made available for those companies that require it.

The park will provide space, offices and facilities for 10 companies in an effort to foster investment, new business opportunities, job creation and entrepreneurial initiatives in the city of Karlovac.

“The purpose of the business zone planning is to contribute to the smooth economic development of the region through attracting investment and creating opportunities for job creation in Karlovac,” said Damir Mandic, the city’s mayor.