In the presence of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Šime Erlić, the Director of the Central Finance and Contracting Agency for EU programmes and projects (CFCA), Dragan Jelić, and the Director of the Regional Coordinator of Sisak-Moslavina County, Andreja Šeperac, signed an agreement for the project ‘Gaming Industry Center’ in Novska.
The Public Institution Regional Coordinator of Sisak-Moslavina County has been allocated €26.3 million for the realization of the Gaming Industry Center. In the first phase of the project, necessary roads, university buildings, student dormitories, sports facilities, an energy plant, and other complex facilities will be constructed in the Entrepreneurial Zone of the City of Novska.
Prime Minister Plenković expressed satisfaction that the construction of this center will be financed from the Just Transition Fund.
“Sisak-Moslavina County and the City of Novska have shown strength in adapting to new trends and development directions. They have embarked on the industry of the future and digital transformation, placing themselves on the gaming map of Europe,” said the Prime Minister. Minister Erlić emphasized that Novska is entering a new era of development.
“This is a strategic project for Croatia and the first to be financed from the Just Transition Fund. The area of traditional, technologically outdated, and environmentally unacceptable industries will be transformed into a center of future industries, which are still scarce in Europe,” the Minister highlighted.
County Prefect Ivan Celjak and Mayor of Novska Marija Kušmiš emphasized the significance of the Center for Novska and the entire county, particularly in terms of education and retaining young people in the region. They also expressed gratitude to Minister Marin Piletić, who as the former mayor of Novska, initiated the idea in 2018, which is now successfully being implemented.
Sisak-Moslavina County was known for its industries, particularly metallurgy and oil industries, but today it is undergoing industrial transition. The challenges faced by such regions in Europe have been recognized by the European Commission, which has created a new instrument called the Just Transition Fund under the financial perspective 2021–2027. Its goal is to ensure the transition from “heavy industries” to development based on “future industries.”
Sisak-Moslavina County, along with Istria County, is the only region in Croatia recognized as eligible for funding from the Fund. For Sisak-Moslavina County alone, over €100 million has been secured from the Fund.
