Istria County President Boris Miletić held his regular monthly press conference on 29 September at the county headquarters in Pula, where he outlined the key activities and projects that characterised September.
Free bus transport has been provided for all secondary school students in the area covered by Istria County. The county has allocated €1.6 million for this purpose, which accounts for 25 per cent of the total transport cost, with the remainder funded from the state budget. The subsidy for extended care for pupils from first to fourth grade has also continued, with the programme covering 20 primary schools across 21 towns and municipalities. HNL 2,000,000 was allocated from the county budget for the renovation of the primary school in Krnica.
The county has secured two contracts with a total value of €2.2 million, of which slightly over €2 million consists of non-repayable funds. The money is intended for the purchase of medical and technical equipment, as well as vehicles, for healthcare facilities in Pazin, Poreč, Rovinj, Umag and Pula, as well as the Institute of Emergency Medicine of Istria County. Part of the project involves equipping the branch of the Istria Health Centres in Lupoglav.
The county has issued a new call for applications for positions in homes for the elderly, with benefits including a bonus of up to €5,000 and the provision of accommodation for staff. The 'Living in Istria' project, which provides housing, is also being implemented, with 22 apartments in Pula designated for staff in short supply. The project, presented in August, is valued at nearly €4 million, with over €3.3 million secured from EU funds. Over €181,000 has been allocated for tourism events and projects in areas less developed by tourism. The county has donated real estate owned by the Republic of Croatia to the town of Buje, and construction has begun on a new building for the Pula Port Authority, valued at around €1.2 million.
A thematic session of the County Assembly was held, during which councillors expressed opposition to the decision to process recyclable waste in Koromačno. A special working group comprising experts and members of the council has been established, which held its first meeting and requested data on waste, emissions and air quality from the relevant authorities. The deadline for submitting the requested data is five working days.
Miletić stated that the cases of Pazin and Koromačno should not be conflated. Regarding Koromačno, he noted that it is an existing production facility operating with environmental permits, whereas in Pazin, the situation involves the illegal storage of waste, for which those responsible must face the consequences. The Environmental Protection Fund has included the site of the former plastic plant in the programme for waste management and remediation, with the estimated cost of remediation exceeding €8 million. The county president stated that he understood the request of the mayor of Pazin for the state, or the Fund, to fully cover the cost, highlighting that the 85 per cent co-financing represents a significant state contribution.
