ZAGREB, Feb 25 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Wednesday adopted a programme of preparations for this year's tourist season, expecting an increase in tourist trade of three to five per cent and a 15 per cent increase in
revenue.
ZAGREB, Feb 25 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Wednesday adopted a
programme of preparations for this year's tourist season, expecting an
increase in tourist trade of three to five per cent and a 15 per cent
increase in revenue.#L#
The government sent to parliament for approval a draft decision on
joint Croatian and US military exercises to be held this year. Ten
such exercises are to take place in Croatia and two outside the
country (one in the Baltics and one in the Albanian part of the
Adriatic sea).
The government proposed that the restructuring and modernisation of
the railway network be postponed from 1 January 2005 to 1 January
2006, and sent amendments to the Law on Railways to parliament for
discussion.
Transport and Development Minister Bozidar Kalmeta said that the funds
planned for the Croatian Railways company for this year were not
enough to start implementing the modernisation programme, so the entry
into force of the Law on Railways should be postponed until 2006.
Kalmeta stressed that the programme of railway restructuring and
modernisation would not be abandoned.
The government proposed that a provision under which 60 lipa earned
from the sale of one litre of oil products would be used for the
maintenance of the railway infrastructure, should be removed from the
law because it would require a higher excise tax.
The amount of 1.4 billion kuna, which would be raised under that
provision, would be secured from the national budget, Kalmeta said.
At a closed part of the session, the government gave permission to the
Telecommunications Council to invite bids for mobile telephone
operating licences.
(1 euro = 7.6 kuna)
(Hina) vm sb