30.06.2026.
The final conference of the project "Remediation of the closed non-hazardous waste landfill at the location Brezje Business Zone" was held at the Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin. This marked the completion of one of the largest and most important environmental projects in Varaždin.Apart from the host, the mayor of the City of Varaždin Neven Bosilj, other participants in the conference included: the minister of environmental protection and green transition, Marija Vučković, also serving as a representative of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković, the director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, Luka Balen, deputy director of the Fund, Mirko Budiša, representatives of the City of Varaždin, contractors, and many other guests.
Minister of environment and green transition Marija Vučković pointed out that Brezje landfill remediation project was the result of successful cooperation between all levels of government and institutions and an important contribution to the improvement of the waste management system in Croatia.
"For this project, 100% financing has been provided by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, and the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund. Without such support, local self-government units would be very difficult to realize such demanding investments on their own. This enabled the implementation of an investment worth almost EUR 30 million, which is fully financed by these funds", the minister emphasised.
The minister reminded that it was not just this single project but there were continuous investments in environmental protection. In the area of Varaždin County, more than 25 million euros have been invested in waste management projects, while more than 200 million euros have been invested in water and utility projects.
She especially emphasised the broader approach to solving environmental challenges at national level, demonstrated by solving the issue of hot spots throughout Croatia. The minister said that we all had to do much more to reduce the amount of waste, step up recycling, develop the circular economy and accelerate the construction of waste management centres, with open and reasoned discussions about the entire waste management system. The goal is a long-term and systematic solution to the problem of waste in Croatia.
Luka Balen, the director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, said that the remediation of the Brezje site marked the completion of one of the most complex environmental projects in Croatia. The problem that was troubling the Varaždin for more than twenty years has been successfully solved today thanks to the joint work of the City of Varaždin, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, and all project participants.
"By removing almost 95,000 tonnes of waste, not only has a long-standing environmental problem been solved, but space has been opened for the development of a new business zone that will contribute to the development of Varaždin and the entire Varaždin County," said Balen, emphasising that this project was part of continuous investments in environmental protection in northern Croatia.
In addition to the remediation of Brezje, the Fund also participated in the financing of the separate waste collection system in Varaždin, it supports the development of regional waste management infrastructure and a number of green infrastructure projects. "The most important result of all these investments is a better quality of life for citizens, a cleaner environment, and a more sustainable development of local communities," concluded director Balen.
"Today, we can proudly say that Varaždin is bale-free," said mayor Bosilj, expressing his thanks to the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the competent Ministry and the Fund for recognising the importance of this project and providing full financing. He added that the waste occupied five hectares and was at the same time an obstacle to the development of as much as 60 hectares of the Brezje Business Zone: "Investors are already showing great interest. Five Croatian and one foreign investor applied to the tender. This is the beginning of a new economic momentum not only for Varaždin and Varaždin County, but also for the entire north of Croatia," Bosilj concluded.
