Bačić: Illegal construction will become a criminal offense

Illegal construction will become a criminal offense in order to stop illegal construction and destruction of space, it was emphasized on Thursday at the 5th Architecture and Construction Fair "ArhiBau 2025".

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Property Branko Bačić said that illegal construction will soon become a criminal offense and that the state must not lose the game with illegal builders who systematically devalue space.

“Next year,” he emphasized, “illegal construction will be declared a criminal offense, in order to stop illegal construction and destruction of space.”

Bačić also said that the government is currently preparing a set of laws related to affordable housing to make it available primarily to young people. “The National Housing Policy Plan,” he added, “is a fundamental, strategic, medium-term and umbrella document for housing and the first such document since the establishment of the state.”

He pointed out that the prices of apartments per square meter in Croatia continue to rise, often in double-digit amounts, making these housing units inaccessible to a large number of Croatian citizens.

“With this document, we have submitted ourselves to all the activities that we will carry out as the Government, in cooperation with local communities, over the next five years,” said Bačić, adding that the first positive effects are already visible after a few months.

Namely, he said that this year the number of housing units in short-term rental is lower than a year ago.

“In previous years,” he stated, “the number of housing units in short-term rental has grown at the same rate as Croatian tourism. On the other hand, a smaller number of such apartments, which are most often rented for tourism, means less apartment development on the coast, but also the protection of parts of Croatia from excessive construction.”

He reiterated that there are currently 600,000 empty housing units in Croatia, and the Government's goal is to return these apartments to their original purpose - housing.

Affordable Housing Act Financially Demanding

He believes that the Spatial Planning Act and the Construction Act will offer new quality solutions. "With these laws, we want to change the approach to spatial planning," Bačić emphasized.

The Affordable Housing Act is also being prepared. He pointed out that this law is extremely demanding, especially in financial terms, since its implementation will require about 3.5 billion euros.

“It is practically completed in a professional sense, but we are troubled by the financial approach,” said Bačić.

Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) Mirjana Čagalj emphasized that housing is not only about square footage and price per square meter.

“An apartment, and everything that surrounds it, is the most sensitive point of social cohesion. This space encourages togetherness, safety and accessibility of construction,” said Čagalj.

The main theme of this year's "ArhiBau", a fair that deals with the culture of construction and sustainable development, is housing for a sustainable community. It runs until September 13th.

Source: HRT