According to a report on the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO), at the end of last year there were 1,054,549 pensioners while the number of workers paying contributions to the pension funds was 1,443,995, the pensioner-employee ratio being 1:1.37 as against the 1:3 ratio in developed countries.
The expenses of the pension system in 2003 accounted for 13.4 percent of Gross Domestic Product, the HZMO director Mile Rukavina told the Sabor.
MPs were informed that 2003 saw the consolidation of the pension insurance market, and that 91.3 percent of the assets of compulsory pension funds had been invested in the country.
MPs will resume the discussion on the matter on Thursday.
All clubs of parliamentary parties on Wednesday afternoon supported a 2003 report on the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences (HAZU), urging the better use of the intellectual potential of the HAZU in the country's development.
In 2003, the Academy, which was involved in 44 scientific projects, had 140 full members, 136 corresponding members and 92 members-associates.
The lion's share of the funds for the Academy came from the state budget. The HAZU budget totalled some 60 million kuna.
The parliament will on Thursday continue the session with a debate on the government-sponsored bill regulating the status of Croatian Homeland Defence War veterans.