The meeting, which will focus on the launching and financing of new projects to prevent the pollution of the Danube and Black Sea regions, started with the presentation of a EUR30-million waste water purification plant project for Karlovac and Duga Resa.
Opening the meeting, DABLAS Task Force chief Claude Rouam said the meeting was taking place in a town that is known for beer, but that could become known for pure water.
Project chief Kresimir Veble said Karlovac was the first town in Croatia prepared to use pre-accession funds and that the water purification plant project would be presented in Brussels this week, including a request for 20 million euros of non-repayable funds. This was preceded by the granting of a ten million euro loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The project, which is expected to be completed by 2010, includes the construction of a waste water plant and a water supply system for Karlovac and Duga Resa.
The project is expected to contribute to reducing water losses, which now amount to 40 percent. It also envisages the reconstruction of water wells and tanks and the construction of a sewerage.