The bill regulates different issues, including the issue of interest rates, with regulations on interest rates going into force in two years' time. Until then, the current Law on Interest Rates would be in force and the highest interest and agreed rates would be determined in line with that law.
A number of institutions believe that the HNB's discount rate is not relevant for the situation in the market at present, said a state secretary at the Economy Ministry, Snjezana Bagic.
The bill also includes regulations on compensation for non-material damage, for example in the case of injuries caused by traffic accidents, as well as several new institutes, including contracts on borrowing and on the giving of presents, contracts on life insurance, etc.
The government today also formulated a bill on civil service which proposes a reform of the system of civil service.
The bill will make it possible to depoliticise civil service and make it professional, said a state secretary at the Central State Office for Administration, Antun Palaric.
Under the bill, ministry secretaries and assistant ministers, who are now treated as civil servants, would become state officials, which would separate the political and administrative levels of civil service.
Servants would be employed on the basis of public applications and objective assessment of competence, and their promotion would be based on their achievements and capabilities.
The government also formulated a bill on public roads. Under the bill, there are state, county and local roads and highways in Croatia. The country is expected to have 1,220 kilometres of highways by 2008, said Transport Minister Bozidar Kalmeta.
As regards licences for road construction, the bill introduces a new regulation under which concessions are awarded exclusively through tenders. Until now, companies established by the government with the government as the only shareholder were able to win concessions without public tenders.
Decisions on concessions covering a period of up to 33 years would be made by the government, while those referring to concessions covering longer periods of time would be made by the parliament.