The delegation paid an official visit to Croatia on 19-20 July to gain an insight into the state of affairs of the country's administrative capacities for EU funds management and into absorption capacities, the European Parliament Information Office in Croatia stated.
Croatia had a slow start in the absorption and allocation of EU funds. but other countries have had the same situation. the press release from the Information Office reads.
Officials in parliament and the government have informed the EP delegation that this year, Croatia's EU funds absorption rate will have been 23% and Zagreb hopes that it will reach 50% in 2018.
Vaughan told a news conference on Thursday that it seemed to him that Croatia was drawing the EU funds for quality programmes.
We are happy to see that the Croatian government is committed to this cause and that it underlines that those projects are funded by the EU, which many countries fail to do, Vaughan said.