ZAGREB, Dec 29 (Hina) - Former Labour and Social Welfare Minister Davorko Vidovic on Monday handed over his office to Andrija Hebrang and Branko Vukelic, who will be responsible for separate departments in the ministry.
ZAGREB, Dec 29 (Hina) - Former Labour and Social Welfare Minister
Davorko Vidovic on Monday handed over his office to Andrija Hebrang
and Branko Vukelic, who will be responsible for separate departments
in the ministry.#L#
Vidovic presented the new ministers with a report on the ministry's
work in the past four years and introduced his senior staff and
ongoing projects.
The scope of the ministry's work will be divided among the Health and
Social Welfare Ministry, which is headed by Hebrang, the Ministry of
Economy, Entrepreneurship and Labour, headed by Vukelic, and the
Ministry of the Family, War Veterans' Affairs and Inter-Generational
Solidarity, which is headed by Jadranka Kosor.
Vidovic said that the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare covered a
huge area and accounted for more than a third of the state budget with
annual funds totalling 27 billion kuna.
Croatia was commended by foreign experts for its reform of the pension
system and labour legislation, Vidovic said, adding that one of the
most important reforms, the establishment of the new system of social
welfare, was under way.
Hebrang, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said the new government
would continue all good projects of the former government and that
competence rather than party affiliation would be the most important
criterion in dealing with personnel issues.
He expressed satisfaction with the fact that the ministry's report
provided detailed information on the finances, which he said was very
sketchy in the health sector.
Hebrang also said that a number of mistakes had been made in the
reform of the health system, which is financed by the World Bank.
(Hina) rml