The budget is sufficient to ensure the functioning of the defence system, the gradual introduction of new equipment and staff and a stronger participation in international peace missions, Roncevic told a news conference.
He stressed that the 2006 budget was somewhat higher than the previous one, adding that next year the number of Croatian military personnel in international peace missions would double, for which he said the funds had been secured.
Roncevic said that 2005 was the last year in which a large number of people from his ministry were laid off, adding that the ministry had laid off 2,180 of the planned 2,828 people this year. The remaining 648 people will be laid off by the end of the year, he said.
Assistant Defence Minister Josip Budimir added that the 2006 budget was six percent higher than the one for 2005. The Defence Ministry budget accounts for 1.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product, as against last year when it accounted for 1.8 percent of GDP, Budimir said.