15.07.2025.
Representatives of the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development, led by the President of the Management Board Hrvoje Čuvalo and Members of the Management Board Josip Pavković and Alan Herjavec, met the Prefect of Osijek-Baranja County Nataša Tramišak. The meeting was attended by the Head of HBOR's Regional office for Slavonia and Baranja Boris Čagalj, County Secretary Ivan Hampovčan and Head of the Department for the Economy Ivana Katavić Milardović.
The subject of the meeting was continuation of joint activities focused on strengthening entrepreneurship through interest rates subsidy programmes under HBOR credit lines, as well as the possibility of financing strategic projects of the County, such as upgrading of elementary school buildings for teaching in one shift and the construction of family houses for affordable housing.
President of the Management Board of HBOR Hrvoje Čuvalo thanked the County Prefect for the reception and emphasized that Osijek-Baranja County is the first institution in the Republic of Croatia that provided entrepreneurs with loans at zero interest rate.
“At today's meeting we tackled two main topics: firstly, development infrastructure projects in Osijek-Baranja County, and secondly, projects of private entrepreneurs, i.e. continued the county subsidising of investment loans approved by HBOR, primarily to small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Osijek-Baranja County. The cooperation of HBOR and Osijek-Baranja County is excellent. In 2018, HBOR signed the first agreement on subsidizing interest rates for young entrepreneurs, female entrepreneurs, and business start-ups with Osijek-Baranja County. By this, Osijek-Baranja County broke the ice and showed the way to other counties in Croatia that later followed its example. On average, we support here approximately 150 projects annually with an average size of about EUR fifty million and these are mostly projects of small and medium entrepreneurship. In other words, most approved loans, or almost 90% are intended for private entrepreneurs, both small and medium-sized. These are generally youth, women and start-ups, i.e. special targeted segments, which is exactly the role of a development bank in supporting these segments,“ emphasized Čuvalo.
County Prefect Tramišak commented the results achieved so far and emphasized that 96 favourable credit lines have been agreed in cooperation with HBOR, which has significantly facilitated investments of entrepreneurs from the County area. She also announced the continuation of joint work on the development of new support instruments, with special emphasis on promoting youth, female, and start-up entrepreneurship, as well as co-financing of large strategic investments necessary for further development of the economy and demographic revitalisation of the region.
Representatives of the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development, led by the President of the Management Board Hrvoje Čuvalo and Members of the Management Board Josip Pavković and Alan Herjavec, met the Prefect of Osijek-Baranja County Nataša Tramišak. The meeting was attended by the Head of HBOR's Regional office for Slavonia and Baranja Boris Čagalj, County Secretary Ivan Hampovčan and Head of the Department for the Economy Ivana Katavić Milardović.
The subject of the meeting was continuation of joint activities focused on strengthening entrepreneurship through interest rates subsidy programmes under HBOR credit lines, as well as the possibility of financing strategic projects of the County, such as upgrading of elementary school buildings for teaching in one shift and the construction of family houses for affordable housing.
President of the Management Board of HBOR Hrvoje Čuvalo thanked the County Prefect for the reception and emphasized that Osijek-Baranja County is the first institution in the Republic of Croatia that provided entrepreneurs with loans at zero interest rate.
“At today's meeting we tackled two main topics: firstly, development infrastructure projects in Osijek-Baranja County, and secondly, projects of private entrepreneurs, i.e. continued the county subsidising of investment loans approved by HBOR, primarily to small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Osijek-Baranja County. The cooperation of HBOR and Osijek-Baranja County is excellent. In 2018, HBOR signed the first agreement on subsidizing interest rates for young entrepreneurs, female entrepreneurs, and business start-ups with Osijek-Baranja County. By this, Osijek-Baranja County broke the ice and showed the way to other counties in Croatia that later followed its example. On average, we support here approximately 150 projects annually with an average size of about EUR fifty million and these are mostly projects of small and medium entrepreneurship. In other words, most approved loans, or almost 90% are intended for private entrepreneurs, both small and medium-sized. These are generally youth, women and start-ups, i.e. special targeted segments, which is exactly the role of a development bank in supporting these segments,“ emphasized Čuvalo.
County Prefect Tramišak commented the results achieved so far and emphasized that 96 favourable credit lines have been agreed in cooperation with HBOR, which has significantly facilitated investments of entrepreneurs from the County area. She also announced the continuation of joint work on the development of new support instruments, with special emphasis on promoting youth, female, and start-up entrepreneurship, as well as co-financing of large strategic investments necessary for further development of the economy and demographic revitalisation of the region.