Tomorrow, July 13, 2021, at 1 p.m., we will officially open EUROPE DIRECT Rijeka, an information centre which is part of the European network of Europe Direct and one of the 10 such centres operating in the Republic of Croatia.
The honor of the solemn act of opening will have Ognian Zlatev, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in the Republic of Croatia, and welcome speeches will be sent by Peter Mamula, Deputy Prefect of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Marko Filipović, Mayor of the City of Rijeka and Dario Zoric, Director of the Rijeka Development Agency Porin d.o.o., which also hosts the ceremony.
At the event, we will highlight important topics for the future of Europe: a new budget for 2021-2027 and the framework of the European Green Deal, and the improvement of green infrastructure through the presentation of the Blue and Green City project.
The New Generation Europe Direct information centres across the EU operate in the Republic of Croatia through ten such centres (Čakovec, Koprivnica, Osijek, Slavonski Brod, Karlovac, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Opuzen, Rijeka) which represent important links between EU institutions and citizens by providing timely and objective information on European issues, and by trying to involve citizens in discussions on the current state of the European Union and its future. Through outreach and citizen engagement activities, the hubs will contribute to the European public sphere and raise awareness of the EU and its priorities, opportunities and challenges.
Rijeka Development Agency Porin d.o.o. participated in the 1st online meeting Leadership Groups for Industrial Transition of Adriatic Croatia organized by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, as part of the process of drafting the Plan for Industrial Transition of Adriatic Croatia in order to effectively prepare the Republic of Croatia for the use of EU funds in the period 2021-2021. 20-2027 to strengthen regional competitiveness.
The development of industrial transition plans of Croatian regions is a pilot initiative of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, which, in cooperation with the private sector, develops a strategic and implementation framework for industrial transition of priority sectors (blue growth sector, green growth sector, health sector, high added value service sector and smart industry) in the area of 7 counties of Adriatic Croatia by planning the financing of major transformation projects and business sector support programs from EU funds within the Integrated Territorial Programme 2021. 20-2027
The meeting presented the directions of the European Territorial Agenda 2030 for achieving the goals of balanced development and regional policy for regional competitiveness of the members based on the 5 priorities of the EU cohesion policy and sectoral niches and needs in the use of EU funds.
Leadership Groups thus play a key role in the process of drafting the Industrial Transition Plan through Defining priority niches within the sector and directions of change and making transformative roadmap-and the preparation of transformation projects for the industrial transition of Adriatic Croatia. The aim is therefore to Leadership Groups include leaders within each sector (large entrepreneurs and innovative companies and representatives of economic associations) in order to jointly identify the direction of transformation of priority sectors in Adriatic Croatia and enable entrepreneurs to effectively use EU funds.
Today we had the honor of participating in the online the Regional Conference "Local Partnerships for Employment and their Sustainability" as part of the project ‘Further development of Local Partnerships in Montenegro’. The project team has chosen Good Practices of Local Partnerships from the wider region, according to which we represented Croatian practice, i.e. Local Partnership for Employment of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Activities of the Local Partnership for Employment of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County presented Doris Sošić from the Rijeka Development Agency Porin d.o.o. and the Chair of that body. Representatives from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia also participated in the conference.
All participants of the project highlighted the importance of local partnerships in general employment and the development of entrepreneurship at the local level and the financing of various employment measures and activities that contribute to the well-being of the local community.
The Montenegrin project is co-financed from the EU-IPA Fund under the Sectoral Operational Programme for Employment, Education and Social Policies with the aim of encouraging the development of local partnerships to improve the labour market and increase employability.
According to the Call the European Commission for the submission of proposals for the selection of partners to be led by EUROPE DIRECT in Croatia in the period from 2021. In 2025, the project proposal of the Rijeka Development Agency Porin received a high pass mark and a five-year framework agreement was signed in the past weeks. RRA Porin became the seat of the ‘EUROPE DIRECT Rijeka’ centre for the territory of the City of Rijeka and the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in the period from 2021. 2025.
EUROPE DIRECT Rijeka officially starts operations on 1 May 2021, as part of the Europe Direct network in Croatia and a new generation of Europe Direct information centres across the EU whose network manages European Commission.
The task of the EUROPE DIRECT Rijeka Centre is to establish itself as a direct link between citizens and EU institutions, i.e. to act as an extended hand of the European Commission, which will provide support in the direct flow of information related to the opportunities and advantages available to citizens of EU Member States - local population at the level of the City of Rijeka and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The aim of the centre is to bring Europe closer to people on the ground through various activities and to encourage them to engage in debates on the future of the EU, including visits to primary and secondary schools where presentations will take place, debates on the EU will take place and official publications will be distributed.
All EUROPE DIRECT Rijeka services will be free of charge for all citizens involved, but it is important to note that they do not include the provision of legal advice or interpretation of EU legislation.
Details of our activities as well as more information about other centres in EU Member States, including Croatia, can be found on our website https://edrijeka.porin.hr/ and https://europa.eu/european-union/contact/meet-us/croatia_hr.
Find out more about the European Commission and the Croatian Representation at the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/croatia/home_hr.
EUROPE DIRECT Rijeka
Milutina Barača 62, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
E-mail: ed-rijeka@porin.hr
Phone: +385 51 514 156
Europe Direct Centres represent important links between the EU institutions and citizens by providing timely and objective information on European issues, and by seeking to engage citizens also in discussions on the current state of the European Union and its future. Through outreach and citizen engagement activities, the hubs will contribute to the European public sphere and raise awareness of the EU and its priorities, opportunities and challenges.
