January 24 (SeeNews) - Croatia's 1.29 billion kuna ($193 million/175 million euro) project for the purchase 21 electric trains for state-owned railway passenger carrier HZ Putnicki Prijevoz (HZPP) has qualified for European Union co-financing, the transport ministry said.
Experts from the JASPERS programme have submitted their positive evaluation on the proposal for EU co-financing of the project for modernisation of the fleet of HZPP, the transport ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
JASPERS is a technical assistance partnership between the European Investment Bank and the European Commission and an important instrument of the EU's cohesion policy. EU cohesion funds will finance 85% of the 1.04 billion kuna portion of costs eligible for co-financing.
The European Commission is expected to issue its official approval for the co-financing in the coming months, the transport ministry said.
The project includes the purchase of 11 urban-suburban and 10 regional electric trains. Its aim is to improve the regional connectivity and mobility, providing for a better access to the job markets and services in the country's largest cities.
The investments currently ongoing in the Croatian railways amount to 1.2 billion euro, the ministry said, adding a total of 3.5 billion euro will be invested by 2030, most of the sum to come from EU funds.
(1 euro = 7.44382 kuna)