In cooperation with the Office of the EU Parliament representative Mrs Ivana Maletić and Mr. Marko Curavić (originally from Krapanj-Brodarica, current Head of the Department for Space Research at the EU Commission and former Head of the Department for Entrepreneurship and Social Economy),the president of the Tourist Board Krapanj-Brodarica, Joško Bačelić, organized a visit of the local delegation to the EU Parlament and the experts of the EU Commission for all local participants and members of the EU Team. This two-day business visit was organized under the Visitors program.

Working meetings and lectures of several experts from the EU Commission, targeted lectures and interactive communication from the field of financing of entrepreneurship, tourism, social entrepreneurship, ecology, infrastructure, etc., were pointed out as a particularly important and useful part of the two-day working visit.
The delegation was formed by representatives of the local community of Brodarica and Krapanj i.e. the Tourist Board, local committees, civil associations, entrepreneurs, EU Project Team and associates on the development of local projects and other involved individuals of Brodarica and Krapanj.

Mr Marko Curavić, Head at the European Commission with years of experience (Stanford, CNB, World Bank, IFC, EU Commission), who has previously worked in the field of promoting of financing and entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship, is a big fan of his birthplace Brodarica and the island Krapanj, so this visit had a specially interesting and emotional character. The lecturers from the EU Commission received an interesting and unusual souvenir- a refined sea sponge from Krapanj.

Mr. Marko Curavić gave a very interesting and stimulating lecture and pointed to the guidelines for the development of local projects aiming to increase public, local, tourist and other entrepreneurial infrastructure, growth of employment and entrepreneurship in the local community. He praised the enthusiasm and work of people from the local community and supported the development ideas of the participants. He also expressed his sincere desire and will to help the local community Krapanj and Brodarica to progress in their further development.

Brussels expects from all EU member states, including Croatia, that local authorities (cities, counties) and state ministries monitor, assist, and operationally support development initiatives of smaller local communities and their peripheries in order to balance growth and improve infrastructural and economic development beyond urban areas, for the purpose of new employment and reduction of the current pressure on urban centres.

The representatives of the local community of Brodarica and Krapanj expressed their wish to witness an overall progress of the local community, and therefore the City of Šibenik and the County of Šibenik-Kninthe in the near future; they have set the scale very high and hope that the development projects will be easier achieved with the help of the city of Šibenik and EU funds. They also mentioned the particulary important developmental initiative “Coast” and “Mostun Bodarica – Krapanj”, which would enable new attractiveness of the place, new employment of young people, strengthening of entrepreneurship and tourism, and reduction of today’s very high seasonality of tourism, tourism earnings and employment.

Local representatives of Brodarica and Krapanj do not wish to spend the next 20 years waiting for the plans for arranging and civilizing the coastal strip for a further development of tourism and employment. Instead, they make plans with the City of Šibenik and the County, with the help of EU Funds and competent ministries, to start together and develop the new coastal projects (harbours, beaches, sports facilities and public areas). The ultimate goals are a significantly better quality of life and working conditions of the population and raising the tourist destination to a higher level. Brodarica represents an important southern entrance to the town of Šibenik, and due to its size and scope, it deserves a true infrastructure blossom in order to truly become a part of the city. Krapanj is a rare, unique island pearl but still with countless unresolved and inherited problems and throughout its work, the EU Team has highlighted many valuable public places that are now neglected and devastated although they represent a kind of cultural heritage and monuments of the former way of island life (Stara Gusterna, Bratska škola, old churches etc.). Through project ideas evaluated by the local EU team, all such sites are particularly marked and will feature separate smaller projects for applying for EU Funds.

On behalf of the delegation and the local community, the President of the Tourist Board, Joško Bačelić, and the head of the EU Project Team thanked everyone who helped the success of this visit, and especially the Croatian MPs in the EU Parliament, Mrs. Ivana Maletić and Mr Marko Curavić, who gave a special stamp to this visit with their personal engagement.

All the participants also thanked the Head of the Office of the IM, Miss Andrea Vodanović, who, in the opinion of all the participants, was indeed the best possible coordinator of all activities and a flawless guide of the delegation during the visit, and all the lecturers and others who participated in the realization of this important visit.

The next step is the transformation of evaluated – selected development project ideas into concrete projects, cost budgets and application funds, in cooperation with the competent offices of the City of Šibenik, the County and ministries and external associates. The bigger projects (such as the Brodarica and Krapanj coast arrangement) will be separately segmented and budgeted over several years to gradually ensure the domestic component in the co-financing. The domestic component is planned to be provided to a smaller extent from local budgets (City and County) and from a special co-financing fund for the domestic component. The city of Šibenik, as the competent local self-government, supports development initiatives, in particular the regulation of the coastal strip, and will directly provide technical assistance or provide it through EU technical assistance contests. From the local community, citizens also point out that the Mayor of Šibenik, Dr. Željko Burić, is very interested in arranging Brodarica and Krapanj as the southern entrance to the town of Šibenik, and during the presentation of the new beach project in Brodarica, he publicly promised the President of the Tourist Board, Joško Bačelić, MO members and gathered locals, all the necessary assistance of the City and city services in the gradual urban planning of Brodarica and Krapanj, and particularly for the arrangement of the coastal strip, and gave a clear official statement that the arrangement of the Beach in Brodarica on the former “shipyard” is the beginning of the complete arrangement of the entire coast of Brodarica, which will provide a new value for Brodarica and the City of Šibenik.

These plans fully fit into a new vision of the tourism-oriented Šibenik surrounded by interconnected coastal trails, beaches and new interesting social and commercial amenities.

Photo gallery of the visit of the local community Brodarica and Krapanj to Brussels, i.e. the Tourist Board, local committees, civil associations, entrepreneurs, the EU Project Team and associates on the development of local projects and other involved individuals of Brodarica and Krapanj.