A delegation from Croatia visits Rome's urban gardens

The Ministry is responsible for the planning and implementation of regional development policies, for the activities related to harmonization with the European Union in the field of regional policy and for the use of EU funds.

The visit was part of a larger tour to draw inspiration from good practices and experiences in Italy within European funding programmes in order to help the Croatian cities and towns strengthen their capacity in using EU funds and financial instruments in Croatia. In fact, the delegation traveled to Rome, Naples and Salerno to learn more about the benefits of well-functioning EU-funded projects. The aim of the Croatian Ministry is to foster innovation, investment and growth in strategic sectors such as urban regeneration of deprived areas through integrated sustainable development strategies addressed to the Croatian towns that were in war-affected areas.

The cooperation between Local Authorities (City Administration of Rome and the District Councils) and citizens to valorize commons, as well as the management of commons by citizens associations as it is the case of the Casal Brunori urban garden, particularly draw their attention. “The organization and efficiency of these citizen associations are incredible”, they said, adding that “study visits such as this one are important because they can really open one’s eyes to what’s happening elsewhere, which in this case is just next door”.

The hope is for this this study visit to represent a first step to future collaborative projects with Croatian cities and towns.