Croatia ’s coastline is becoming more easily accessible thanks to EBRD financing for the completion of the Zagreb-Rijeka motorway and the upgrading of this road from a single to a dual carriageway.

The EBRD is supporting the completion of this motorway construction, which is expected to boost tourism and trade, with a €50m loan to the state-owned Autocesta Rijeka-Zagreb (ARZ). The loan complements a €210m loan provided by the European Investment Bank.

The motorway connects the Croatian capital Zagreb with Rijeka, the country’s third largest city with 150,000 inhabitants and its gateway to the Adriatic, a popular destination for tourists. The citys economy largely depends on sea transport, shipbuilding as well as tourism. Rijeka is also an important junction with links to the peninsula of Istria to the west and the city of Split in the south.