ZAGREB, Sept 8 (Hina) - A World Bank delegation which stayed in Croatia on Sept. 1-5 in order to evaluate the implementation of a Croatian Railways (HZ) restructuring programme said very good results had been achieved but that much
more needed to be done in terms of legal provisions, th HZ said in a statement on Monday.
ZAGREB, Sept 8 (Hina) - A World Bank delegation which stayed in
Croatia on Sept. 1-5 in order to evaluate the implementation of a
Croatian Railways (HZ) restructuring programme said very good
results had been achieved but that much more needed to be done in
terms of legal provisions, th HZ said in a statement on Monday. #L#
The delegation noted progress in all segments and that the goals
from the HZ restructuring and modernisation programme were being
realised.
This year's first six months saw a 17 percent increase in cargo
transport from the same time last year, while in the 1999-2003
period cargo transport went up 31 percent. Passenger transport, on
the other hand, was down 2.7 percent in this year's first half,
although revenue increased by 11 percent.
World Bank experts were also happy that a Railway Act had been
passed, saying it would reform and restructure the railway sector.
They noted, however, that a lot needs to be done in the application
of said act and in preparing acts on transport security, the
privatisation of the HZ, and the division of the HZ into a company in
charge of the infrastructure and one in charge of passenger and
cargo transport.
In early 1999, the HZ and the World Bank signed an EUR85 million loan
agreement binding the Bank to fund a series of projects envisaged by
the HZ restructuring and modernisation programme. Under the
agreement, the funding was to have ended on 30 June this year but in
February the Bank approved an extension until 30 January 2004.
(hina) ha