The bill, which goes into the second reading, would be applied as of 1 January next year. Under the bill, the period between 5 August 1990 and 30 June 1996 would be defined as the period of participation in the defence of state sovereignty.
The parliament also adopted the Law on Deposit Insurance as well as changes to the Law on Administrative Taxes in the Area of Intellectual Ownership Rights, which are both important for the adjustment of the Croatian legislation to that of the EU.
The Law on Deposit Insurance is aimed at providing better protection for citizens' deposits in case of bank bankruptcy.
The changes to the Law on Administrative Taxes in the Area of Intellectual Ownership Rights enable the implementation of several laws referring to the protection of intellectual ownership (on patents, stamps, industrial design, country origin marks, copyrights, etc.) which went into force early this year.
The Sabor also confirmed several international treaties and conventions and took note of reports on the work of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Pension Insurance Agency, and the work of pension markets in 2003.
After many delays and problems, the parliament's electronic voting system started fully operating today, so the MPs were able for the first time to see on a wall screen how they voted.
The parliament will continue the session on Wednesday.