Hungary will rebuild a Croatian school

An agreement has been reached between the Hungarian and Croatian governments on funding for the reconstruction of a primary school, with Hungary’s help, in Petrinja in Croatia, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday.

The Croatian government has agreed to contribute the cost of the VAT, or 1.6 billion forints (EUR 4.2m), for the reconstruction of the school with 20 classrooms and a gym which was destroyed by an earthquake in 2020, Szijjarto said on Facebook. He added that earlier in the day, he had discussed the matter with Branko Bacic, Croatia’s minister of construction. The personal involvement of Hungarian ethnic MP Robert Jankovics was essential in resolving the issue, he said.

Hungary was among the first countries to offer its help for damage recovery following the earthquake, and it provided more than 8 billion forints for the project in Petrinja, he said. However, the issue of VAT payment requirement caused a delay, and this has now been resolved, he added.