This is the third such conference that gives priority to Sisak-Moslavina County after it was devastated by a strong earthquake in late 2020, Tomislav Sokol, a Croatian member of the European Parliament, said while speaking of the new concept.
He said that the aim of the concept was not just to restore the county to its pre-earthquake level but also to revitalise it for further development.
"The focus of the concept is on the least developed areas and the priority is to use modern digital technologies for the purposes of overall development, as well as to develop public services, including education, health and cultural services, and make them available in rural areas in the same way they are available in cities. This will make rural areas more attractive for living and will help stem the population drain," Sokol said.
Also attending were Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković and Minister for Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak.
Vučković said that the potential of rural areas included natural resources, notably agriculture. "Our focus is on people who will stay here, who produce food, and we must ensure that they are better connected with urban areas by investing in basic infrastructure as well as in infrastructure that will increase added value and encourage enterprise."
Tramišak said that cohesion policy should go hand in hand with agricultural policy in order to improve the quality of life in rural areas and stop the demographic decline.