The donation agreement was signed in the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar on Friday by the Dutch Minister of Development Cooperation, Agnes van Ardenne, and the Senior Regional Coordinator of the World Bank office in Croatia, Karin Shepardson.
Present at the signing ceremony was the Croatian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Petar Cobankovic, who estimated the cost of adjustment at 41 million euros.
Cobankovic said that the cost would also be covered with 11 million euros from the government budget and a 26 million euro loan from the World Bank, with which negotiations were set for November this year.
The Dutch donation is the single largest aid package Croatia has received to date for a government project, Cobankovic said.
Van Ardenne said that the Croatian ministry would face many obstacles in adjusting the agriculture sector to European standards.
Starting talks is one thing, but becoming a member is something else, she said, expressing confidence that the donation would facilitate Croatia's progress to the EU.
Shepardson said that the donation was also intended for establishing a Food Agency and a Food Safety Laboratory.