The Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency, an organization that focuses on promoting sustainable and energy-efficient practices, has recently announced an open call for expressions of interest. This request is specifically aimed at manufacturers, representative offices, general representatives, or importers of motor vehicles operating within the Croatian market. The Fund emphasizes that this particular call serves as an initial step in the next phase of their program which focuses on the co-financing of energy-efficient vehicles. In this year’s implementation of the program, some slight alterations in the financing conditions are expected. However, participants and potential applicants should note that the allocated budget for this year’s program is at a record-setting 15 million euros. This substantial budget will be readily available for use by the citizens who partake in the program.
The Fund openly states that the primary objective of the call published today is to compile a comprehensive database. This database is intended to list energy-efficient vehicles and the associated sales points that are interested in conducting their business in collaboration with the representatives of the Fund. The ultimate goal of this endeavor is to ensure that citizens have a fair chance at co-financing, all under the same conditions. The Fund is committed to ensuring an equitable process for all its participants.
The application process for the Fund’s Call involves representatives providing detailed information about the brands and models of the vehicles they manufacture or represent. Furthermore, they are also required to specify the points of sale where these vehicles can be purchased by interested customers. A point of sale, as defined by the Fund, can be any physical or virtual location where a seller can establish contact with a potential buyer, and the purchase of a vehicle can take place. The minimum technical requirement for participating in the program is a computer with a consistent Internet connection, a printer, and a scanner. Representatives are granted the right to register an unlimited number of physical sales points, and a single virtual point of sale, which could be an online store.
Upon the conclusion of the call, the Fund plans to publish a list on its official website. This list will include all the registered agents, the brands and models of vehicles available for purchase, as well as the addresses of the sales points. Subsequently, a Public Call for all interested citizens will be released.
This year’s program also introduces a new feature. The price category of cars eligible for co-financing has been limited. As a result, only vehicles with a total price, inclusive of any discounts and VAT, of up to 50,000 euros will be considered acceptable for the program.
The Fund reassures citizens that they can anticipate grants of up to 40% for personal electric and plug-in vehicles, as well as motorcycles and scooters, just as in previous years. The amount of incentives has been adjusted this year, with up to 9,000 euros available for electric cars, up to 5,000 euros for plug-in vehicles, and up to 2,500 euros for motorcycles and scooters, as stated by the Fund.
Up until this point, the Fund has successfully co-financed more than 8,000 different categories of energy-efficient vehicles through its various programs. Their ultimate goal is to significantly boost the use of these vehicles in the coming years.
