Twenty insurance companies last year earned net profits amounting to 329.8 million kuna, while five companies incurred losses amounting to 122.7 million, which are to be covered by the companies' owners, reads the 2004 report on the insurance market and the work of the agency supervising the operation of insurance companies.
The share of insurance premiums in GDP is 3.20 percent, which is at the level of the countries which joined the EU last year, but far below the level of old EU members (around nine percent), government officials said.
The government agreed to sign a preliminary contract with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development on a loan advance payment worth USD1.7 million, to be used to draw up relevant documents and carry out other preparations for the construction of two terminals in the southern port of Ploce. The project, to start in 2007, is worth around USD80 million.
Since under the existing legislation the government's power to pass regulations with legal force expires at the end of September, the government sent to parliament for discussion under urgent procedure a bill enabling the government to pass regulations on certain issues from within the jurisdiction of the parliament in the period when the parliament is not in session, between December 15, 2005 and January 15, 2006 and from July 15 to September 15, 2006.
Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec said that the growth of industrial production of nine percent in the second quarter was the highest growth rate registered in the last four years and that despite high prices of oil on the international market Croatia's inflation rate was slightly below three percent.
The government also agreed to set up a task force to create conditions for the construction of a dyke along the Mura River at Podturen near the border with Slovenia.
Agriculture Minister Petar Cobankovic said that the system of defence against floods was good and that Croatia had managed to protect itself from recent floods to a great extent. He warned, however, about the lack of a more developed system of third and fourth category channels, which he said was within the jurisdiction of local self-government units.
The government relieved a former head of the Zagreb Caritas charity, Jelena Brajsa, from membership of the Council for the Development of Civil Society.
It appointed a steering council of the Karst Centre and appointed Ana Brkljacic acting head of the Centre.
The government also appointed a 14-member commission for missing and imprisoned soldiers and civilians, to be headed by Ivan Grujic.