The Day of the Virovitica-Podravina County was marked by a ceremonial session of the County Assembly in Virovitica, attended by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. The gathering was welcomed by the President of the County Assembly, Dinko Begović. In his address, he highlighted the natural wealth of the Drava and Papuka, emphasising that the county's goal is for residents to live better today than yesterday, with more opportunities for children.
The Virovitica-Podravina County President, Igor Andrović, recalled that he took office almost ten years ago. During that period, the county has built and renovated 11 schools and four sports halls. Investment is being made in healthcare, a new building for the Institute of Emergency Medicine, care homes for the elderly, kindergartens, as well as in business, tourism, and agriculture, while irrigation systems are being expanded. At the start of the mandate, projects worth more than 100 million euros were initiated.
These projects enable students to attend school in one shift, provide children with a place in kindergarten, and offer athletes training in new halls, patients quality healthcare, and the elderly a place in care homes. Josip Đakić, a Member of Parliament, an envoy of the Croatian Parliament Speaker, Gordan Jandrović, congratulated the County Day, highlighting that the Croatian Army was founded in that region. Jasenaš became the first permanently liberated settlement in the Homeland War, while 223 Croatian knights laid down their lives in the county.
Among the key tasks are the completion of the highway to Zagreb and the continuation of agglomeration projects. Work on the highway to Virovitica is progressing, although there is a certain delay on the section in the Bjelovar-Bilogora County due to design issues. Total revenues of the county, cities, and municipalities have increased by 126 per cent.
Prime Minister Plenković, during his visit, inspected the company Jan Spider in Pitomača, the new building of the 'Cvrčak' kindergarten, and the renovated Virovitica City Library and reading room. He also attended the signing of the contract for the Pool Sports and Recreation Centre. The Virovitica-Podravina County, though small on the map of Croatia, is striving through these infrastructure and social projects to ensure a better quality of life for all its residents.
