The World Bank last week approved a DEM 74 million
(US$40.6 million equivalent) Recon-struction Project for
Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem Loan for
Croatia. The project area is one of the most fertile
parts of the Balkans and prior to the war, was known as the
“bread basket” of the region. Due to damage to the extensive
flood control and drainage system, much of the agricultural
land has become unusable. The project will:
1) Repair and rebuild the flood control and drainage
facilities;
2) Clear the landmines left behind in the flood control
network;
3) Provide for sound and sustainable environmental
management of the adjoining nature reserve at Kopacki
rit;
4) Rebuild a partially completed wastewater system in one
of the major towns in the area.
The World Bank explains that the project is expected
to make a major contribution in stimulating the local
economy, thereby creating an incentive for people to return
home. It is an important contribution to reconstruction
and is the result of close cooperation with the Croatian
Government, the UN, several bilateral agencies, and numerous
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who provided input on
the project’s design.
TFF is one of these NGOs. This is what team leader of
the World Bank’s Reconstruction Program for Croatia, Susan
Rutledge, wrote to TFF:
“The final project was the result of the hard work of
many who provided valuable aid and good counsel to the
project team as we prepared the program. Your assistance was
particularly helpful at key points in the preparation
process and I would like to personally thank you for taking
time and trouble to help us in that effort. I look forward
to continuing to work with you in the future.”
TFF director Jan Oberg elaborates, “During one of our
missions last year, UN Civil Affairs asked us to answer
Susan Rutledge’s questions.The World Bank wanted our
judgment as to the security of the region and the prospects
of providing returnees with jobs and other development
opportunities. We also discussed how a loan could promote
peacebuilding and reconciliation. We are proud to have
helped Croatia do something vitally important for the
citizens of Eastern Slavonia.
But I think the Croatian government must provide much
more economic incentive for people in, and potential
returnees to, Eastern Slavonia. The region’s Serbs keep on
leaving for Serbia, Canada and elsewhere and few Croats see
any future prospects in returning. The official argument is
that Croatia is a poor, war-devastated country. You
certainly see that when visiting Serb-dominated schools and
villages and you wonder why there are so few major
reconstruction projects in the symbolically important city
of Vukovar. But when you see the brand new equipment of the
police – who is likely to stop you at about every 20
kilometres throughout the region – when you go shopping in
Zagreb or look at Croatia’s military development, it’s looks
like a wealthy country.
The international community has neglected Eastern
Slavonia. The large and expensive UNTAES mission (which left
the region on January 15) created a unique momentum; six
months later everyone can see that this has come to a
standstill. OSCE does not have the same executive power and
the Croatian government neither has the strategy and
administrative capacity nor the political will to provide
genuine peacebuilding, economic reconstruction and
reconciliation.
The loan helps Croatia help itself. It promotes
sustainable development, i.e. reconciliation between human
beings and Nature. What a wonderful world it would be if
there were also a big international organisation that
provided funds and expertise for reconciliation between
human beings and other human beings. But that remains a
dream,” Jan Oberg concludes.
