Loan (Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund)

Updated: 07.02.2019

Author: Stefan Ćetković

The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund awards interest-free loans, subsidies, financial assistance and donations to renewable energy projects (Art. 10 Fund Criteria Rulebook) through a tendering process (Art. 2 § 1 Fund Decision Rulebook). They apply to all legal and natural persons with a seat in Croatia (Art. 8 Fund Criteria Rulebook). 

Eligible technologies

All renewable energy generation technologies are eligible (Art. 47 Nr. 6 Fund Statute).

Biomass

Eligible.

Hydro-power

Eligible.

Biogas

Eligible.

Geothermal energy

Eligible.

Solar energy

Eligible.

Wind energy

Eligible.

Amount

The amount of the loan is specified in the tender (Art. 8 Nr. 6 Fund Criteria Rulebook).

Addressees

Entitled party: All public or private legal entities and natural persons, whose place of residence, branch or head office is in Croatia, are eligible (Art. 2 and Art. 8 Nr. 1 Fund Criteria Rulebook).

Obligated party: The obligated party is the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (Art. 3 Fund Statute).

Procedure

Process flow

Application: The application must be submitted in written form in a sealed envelope and must entail the name and address of the applicant and the designation of the subject of the public tender (Art. 4 § 1 Fund Decision Rulebook).
Awarding of the incentives: The opening and the evaluation of tenders is conducted by the “tender commission” (Art. 5 § 1 Fund Decision Rulebook). The commission must bring a decision within 60 days after the expiry of the deadline for the application (Art. 5 § 1 Fund Decision Rulebook). The decision will be published on the website of the Fund and will be sent to all applicants (Art. 7 Fund Decision Rulebook).
Against the decision of the Fund on the selection of beneficiaries a tender participant may file a complaint within three days of receipt of the written decision (Art. 7 § 4 Fund Decision Rulebook).
The tender round: The Fund announces the tenders pursuant to the annual tendering programme once a year (Art. 2 § 2 Fund Decision Rulebook) and publishes them in the Official Gazette “Narodne Novine” and on the website of the FZOEU (Art. 3 § 5 Fund Decision Rulebook). The deadline for the submission of applications cannot be shorter than 15 or longer than 60 days (Art. 3 § 3 Fund Decision Rulebook).
Art. 8 of the Fund Criteria Rulebook prescribes that Fund resources can be achieved, if users

  • have their seat in the territory of the Republic of Croatia
  • invest their own funds into projects in the field of renewable energies
  • accept the terms of participation in the projects and programmes prescribed in the Fund Statute
  • apply for the use of the fund pursuant to the tender
  • conclude an agreement with the Fund on the joint investment (loan contract)
  • and meet the other specific requirements prescribed in the tender.

The Fund may grant the loan either directly or through a financial institution (Art. 12 Fund Criteria Rulebook).

Competent authority

Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund

Distribution of costs

State

The incentives are funded by the national budget and voluntary donations by national and international natural persons and legal entities and other incomes in accordance with the law (Art. 12 § 2 Fund Act).

Croatia

Further information