After 366 Croatian local governments applied for the European WiFi4EU contest, which provides funding for the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment for Wi-Fi access points in public places, funds were approved for 224 Croatian municipalities and cities, which is a total of EUR 3 360 000,00. (approx. 24 930 000,00 HRK).
Among more than 13 thousand applications, €15,000 each for public Wi-Fi hotspot access will be provided by local government units across Croatia (list attached), which will enter the circle that will split the budget of the first call worth 42 million euros.
Municipalities will be able to set up public access points for free internet at squares, museums, parks and libraries, community centers. Tonino Picula, a Croatian MEP who has worked with the office of his office to promote tenders in the Republic of Croatia, is extremely pleased with the response of Croatian local government units.
“I congratulate the winners who have shown that we are equal in competition with a huge number of European municipalities. More than 60 percent of local government units in Croatia have applied for this competition. Public access to free Wi-Fi is just one of the steps in facilitating Internet access for all citizens of the Republic of Croatia, to help further digitize and move the entire country into the fourth industrial age", Picula said when announcing the results of the first of five WiFi4EU calls.
The European Union is financing the cost of equipping and installing wireless hotspots, and users will commit to financing connectivity (internet subscription) and maintaining wireless internet equipment for citizens and visitors for at least three years. The total value of WiFi4EU is as high as € 120 million by the end of 2020. The office of MEP Tonino Picula remains at your disposal for any additional information.
Find the list of winners in the document below.
