ZAGREB, Dec 22 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Monday adopted changes to the Law on the Government, based on which the new premier-designate will set up a smaller government, consisting of 14 ministries. The previous government
had 19 ministries.
ZAGREB, Dec 22 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Monday adopted
changes to the Law on the Government, based on which the new
premier-designate will set up a smaller government, consisting of 14
ministries. The previous government had 19 ministries.#L#
The parliament also adopted changes to the Law on the Organisation and
Jurisdiction of Ministries and Organisations of State Administration
and a new Law on the State Administration System.
The laws were supported, along with deputies of the Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ), by the Croatian Peasant Party, Italian
minority representative Furio Radin, three Serb minority deputies, and
independent MP Ivo Loncar.
The laws should provide a new concept of state administration, which
envisages a new office - that of state secretary, to replace the
office of deputy minister.
Although it was envisaged that state secretaries should answer for
their work to ministers and the premier, the HDZ club of deputies,
which sponsored the bills, integrated into the Law on the State
Administration System an amendment stating that state secretaries
should answer exclusively to ministers.
Under the amended Law on the Organisation and Jurisdiction of
Ministries and Organisations of State Administration, four new state
offices will be established, to carry out state administration tasks
which are of special importance for more efficient government
performance.
The office of the premier, whose establishment is defined by the
previous Law on the Government, will carry out expert and
administrative duties for the premier and will be headed by an
official at the level of a state secretary.
The parliamentary majority refused the proposal of the Libra club of
deputies that the government be bound to draw up, within 90 days, an
integral programme of reform of state administration, and propose,
within six months, a state decentralisation strategy.
PM-designate Ivo Sanader said the proposed deadlines were too short
and added that the proposal was part of the HDZ's programme anyway and
the first task of the new government.
The parliament ended today's session by voting about the bills. It
will resume its sitting on Tuesday, when it should take a vote on
confidence in the new government.
According to Sanader's nominations that should be confirmed by the
parliament, Ivan Suker (HDZ) will be Finance Minister, Berislav
Roncevic (HDZ) Defence Minister, Miomir Zuzul (HDZ) Foreign Minister
and Marijan Mlinaric (HDZ) Interior Minister.
The Justice Ministry will be led by Vesna Skare-Ozbolt of the
Democratic Centre (DC), and the Ministry of Economy, Labour and
Entrepreneurship by Branko Vukelic (HDZ).
Bozidar Kalmeta (HDZ) will be at the helm of the Ministry of Maritime
Affairs, Transport, Development and Tourism. Petar Cobankovic (HDZ)
will be the new Agriculture Minister and Marina Matulovic Dropulic
(HDZ) the Minister of Environmental Protection, Zoning and
Construction.
Andrija Hebrang (HDZ) has been nominated for the post of Health
Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Jadranka Kosor (HDZ) has been
nominated for the posts of Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of
Family, War Veterans' Affairs and Inter-Generation Solidarity.
Dragan Primorac, a non-partisan candidate, has been nominated for the
post of the Minister of Science, Education and Sport.
Bozo Biskupic (HDZ) and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic (HDZ) have been
nominated Ministers of Culture and European Integration respectively.
The government is likely to hold its first session on 5 January.
(Hina) rml