December the 22nd, 2025 – Close to 5 billion euros have been secured for as many as 165,000 projects across eastern Croatia, more specifically in Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem.
As net.hr writes, almost 5 billion euros for 165,000 projects across five Slavonian counties have been secured so far by the Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem Project. This is part of a far wider cash sum of 16 billion euros which are planned for Croatia in the future financial period through the European Fund for Agriculture and Rural Development. This means that high quality projects should attract these funds, as was explained at the 20th session of the Slavonia Council held in Ilok.
In the place where the Danube kisses the sky, Ilok, the hometown of Traminac in the extreme east of Croatia, tourism potential is finally awakening and attracting an increasing number of tourists. Eastern Croatia in general has always been chronically (and criminally) overlooked in comparison to the rest of the country, with an enormous divide financially between the coast and the islands and the still struggling eastern swathes of the country that few foreigners even realise exist.
“The need for more accommodation facilities and beds arose, and our hotel, although we refresh and renovate it a little every year, really required a slightly larger reconstruction,” revealed Željka Kovčalija, a hotel owner. A reconstructed and modernised hotel on the very banks of the famous Danube means a lot for Ilok’s tourist offer, which is only now really coming into its own.
History, cultural heritage, local wine production…
“Ilok has an exceptionally long history and well preserved cultural heritage. Ilok is widely known for its intense wine production and all of this together really makes this most eastern Croatian settlement very special,” explained Renata Banožić, mayor of Ilok. The renovation of the aforementioned hotel on the banks of the Danube was co-financed by government funds intended for regional development and strengthening continental tourism.
“We’re currently implementing a grant investment in Croatian tourism in the amount of slightly more than 340 million euros, and approximately 75 percent of these funds are for tourism in the continental part of the country and in areas which are as yet still undeveloped in the sense of tourism,” explained Tonči Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sport. The commendable Slavonia project, launched for the balanced development of the five Slavonian counties, has so far secured almost 5 billion euros for 165,000 projects. Today, contracts worth 30 million euros have already been signed, with some of these funds also intended for young farmers – the hard workers who have powered the fertile east for centuries.
the importance of homemade, local products
“We grow wheat, barley, sunflower and corn, we do it as a family and I plan to stay in my village and continue doing precisely that,” assured Ivan Bagara, a farmer from Mohovo. At the meeting of the Slavonia Project Council, the importance of processing domestic agricultural raw materials into final products and revitalising pig farming was also emphasised. On top of this, the offer of homemade, local products carries huge weight for tourism for the entire area.
“We added the Ham House project in Stari Mikanovci to the Development Agreement of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem at the initiative of the municipality, and it’s a very important project that will contribute to the revitalisation of the area’s pig farming,” said David Vlajčić, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
As stated above, a massive 16 billion euros are planned to be poured into Croatia until 2034 through the European Fund for Agriculture and Rural Development. That means that high quality projects should attract these funds in order to increase the competitiveness of agriculture and domestic food production to the greatest extent possible – and nowhere in Croatia is this particular thing more vital than in the east.
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