About: Areas of Special State Concern

Areas of Special State Concern or ASSC (Croatian: Područja od posebne državne skrbi, PPDS) in Croatia are areas of relative underdevelopment compared to the rest of the country in which Croatian Government implements certain policies aimed at achieving balanced regional development. In addition to challenges faced by many other non-urban communities in Croatia, the ASSC areas face specific challenges which are a result of the 1991–1995 Croatian War of Independence, and include the return and reintegration of war refugees, lack of entrepreneurial capacity and support for business, destroyed or inadequate infrastructure, land under land-mines and insufficient social reintegration.