The armed conflicts in Croatia forced half a million people to leave their homes and despite the peace agreements, which gave priority to the return of these people to their pre-war homes, the rate of return has been fairly low. Today the European Commission decided to grant euro 10 million, from the OBNOVA budget for 2000, to a programme to improve the overall conditions for return. The objectives of the programme, which will be implemented over a 15 month period, are : the reconstruction of housing units as a first priority, the rehabilitation of public, social and economic infrastructure, the creation of basic conditions for economic development and the performance of mine clearance where necessary. Since 1996 the European Union has concentrated its assistance to Croatia to the return process and in the period 1996-99 the EU has provided over euro 46.5 million for projects helping refugees and displaced persons to return to their original homes.