round-table debate on the subject heard on Thursday.
The statement was made by the state secretary at the Environmental Protection, Zoning and Construction Ministry, Visnja Jeslic Mueck, who also urged adopting a national sustainable development strategy.
She said the strategy should provide an effective framework for regional development management and enable every county to contribute to Croatia's sustainable development and economic competitiveness, thus also diminishing the social and economic differences among the counties.
Sustainable development should be financed from the national and local government budgets, as well as by enterprise and international organisations.
The debate was organised by the Croatian Journalists Association, the International Relations Institute and the Odraz association, with financial support from the Dutch Embassy and the Environmental Protection, Zoning and Construction Ministry.