The 1.7 million euro project, to last until January 2008, is aimed at reforming administrative procedure and establishing a new system of civil services, depoliticising the public administration and making it professional and reducing red tape as much as possible, it was said at the presentation.
"This reform will directly affect the lives of Croatian citizens," Kosor said, adding that the reform of the public administration and civil services, although necessary for integration with the EU, was actually most important for the quality of life in Croatia.
The Law on Civil Servants, which has been fully implemented since 1 January 2006, will contribute significantly to that process, Kosor said. Provisions of this law for the first time affirm professionalism in Croatia and introduce promotion in civil services. Once adopted, a law on salaries in the civil service sector will contribute to the process of reform as well, Kosor said.
She praised the government's project "One-Stop-Shop", which helped simplify the procedure of starting a business for Croatian citizens and foreign nationals.
Project manager Wolfgang Rusch said that the public administration was necessary because the public wanted quality services from the state and the business community needed fast decisions and legal security.