"Intense work continues to ensure that the demining process, which has lasted for three decades, is completed by this time next year and Croatia is free from landmines," Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at the start of the government meeting, thanking everyone involved, "especially the explosives experts who have been working on this for all these years."
The 2025 plan includes the exploration and demining of the remaining areas contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance from the 1991-1995 Homeland War.
The remaining areas contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance cover 47.2 square kilometres, while areas contaminated solely with unexploded ordnance resulting from military depot explosions span 2.1 square kilometres, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said.
€76.3 million has been allocated for demining activities this year from all funding sources, with €42.7 million (nearly 56%) coming from EU funds
"We have included demining activities in all remaining mine-suspected areas of Croatia in the plan," Božinović emphasised, adding that the conditions are in place for Croatia to be free of mine hazards by 1 March next year, as planned in the National Mine Action Programme.
The government also adopted and sent to the Croatian Parliament a report on the implementation of the demining plan and financial expenditure for 2024, with Božinović highlighting as particularly significant the fact that no mine accidents occurred last year.