ZAGREB, Dec 26 (Hina) - Some of the most important political events this year in Croatia were the country's application for EU membership which the then coalition government submitted to Brussels in February, the parliamentary
elections in November and the return of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) to power after it had been the strongest opposition party for four years.
ZAGREB, Dec 26 (Hina) - Some of the most important political events
this year in Croatia were the country's application for EU membership
which the then coalition government submitted to Brussels in February,
the parliamentary elections in November and the return of the Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ) to power after it had been the strongest
opposition party for four years.#L#
The HDZ chief Ivo Sanader took over the authority from Ivica Racan who
was the Prime Minister in the coalition government, on 23 December
promising that his cabinet would spare no effort to enhance the
economic and social situation of the country and increase Gross
Domestic Product with cuts in taxes. Sanader also promised a new
strategy for privatisation and pledged to take Croatia into the
European Union and NATO until the end of his four-year term of
office.
Sanader thus will continue the job which the government of Ivica Racan
has commenced with submitting Croatia's application for EU membership
and drawing the country closer to NATO.
In late February the coalition government answered over 4,000
questions from the European Commission pertaining to the country's
bids to enter this association. Zagreb is expecting a positive answer
from Brussels next spring.
The work of the Racan government was burdened with relations with the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) over
the cases of generals Janko Bobetko and Ante Gotovina.
The case of Gen. Bobetko was formally closed in June, two months after
the general's death.
Gen. Gotovina has been on the run since the ICTY unsealed his
indictment in summer 2001. The Croatian interior ministry offered a
reward of 350,000 kuna for information on Gotovina's whereabouts in
May.
The Racan Cabinet signed a new stand-by arrangement with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) this year. The IMF, thus, supports
structural reforms in the country, and the deal was a signal to
international financial markets that Croatia was continuing to carry
out a policy of stability.
The coalition government maintained the country's marcoeconomic
stability, and achieved a rise of some five percent in the Gross
Domestic Product. It reduced unemployment with some 317,000 on the
dole in late November.
2003 was marked by intensive construction of new sections of the
Zagreb-Split and Zagreb-Rijeka highways.
As regards the privatisation process, the government managed to sell
25 percent plus one share of the national oil company INA to Hungary's
MOL for 505 million dollars. But the privatisation of the Suncani Hvar
hotel complex to Slovenia's Terme Catez failed becaise of omissions
in the procedure and decision-making process.
The agricultural and processing plants known as PIKs were also a great
challenge for the government in the privatisation process. It did not
manage to bail out the Viktor Lenac shipyard, and this ailing company
finally went into receivership.
During its four-year term in office, the Racan cabinet held 236
sessions and passed some 7,500 acts.
For four years, the fourth parliament discussed 1,400 items on the
agenda and passed 622 laws and four constitutional laws.
2003 was marked by intensified bids to adjust Croatia's legislation to
EU standards.
On 3 October , the Sabor proclaimed Croatia's protected fishing and
ecological zone at the Adriatic.
At the end of 2003, Croatia got the fifth parliament with 152 MPs and
Vladimir Seks of the HDZ as the new head of the Sabor.
(Hina) ms