ZAGREB, Dec 6 (Hina) - Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac acted in line with previous announcements and on behalf of the government and with the support of the majority of MPs dismissed the first 100 amendments suggested by MPs to the
draft budget for 2003. There are more than 450 MPs' amendments.
ZAGREB, Dec 6 (Hina) - Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac acted in line
with previous announcements and on behalf of the government and
with the support of the majority of MPs dismissed the first 100
amendments suggested by MPs to the draft budget for 2003. There are
more than 450 MPs' amendments. #L#
The first dozen refused amendments relate to very similar requests
of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Croatian Bloc (HB) and
Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), which requested cuts in
expenses made by the President's Office by six million kuna.
The HDZ suggested reducing the President's spending for official
trips from three to two million kuna, and for office equipment from
500,000 to 100,000 kuna. The party also requested a reduction in
expenses for the Prime Minister's Office.
The finance minister said that the prime minister's expenses were
mainly used for the wages of his advisors, which is usual in other
European countries. Crkvenac added that "Premier Racan is now
working without any expert help".
The government refused several amendments proposed by the HDZ and
the HSP (Croatian Party of Rights) that instead of 5.2 million 6.2
million kuna be allocated to the Drug Abuse Prevention Office, that
another million be allocated for the implementation of the National
Drug Abuse Prevention Strategy, and that funds for education
regarding drug abuse be increased.
Refused were also HDZ's amendments envisaging an increase of
resources for the government's Office for Missing and Imprisoned
Persons from six to ten million kuna. Crkvenac explained that funds
for this office had already been raised and were sufficient for its
normal functioning.
HDZ's deputy Drago Krpina was quite angered with the refused
amendment that five million kuna be secured for defence expenses
for Croatian indictees before the U.N. war crimes tribunal.
Even though Crkvenac said that the government had secured some nine
million kuna for cooperation with the tribunal, Krpina replied he
was not talking about those funds and accused the government of
"evidently wanting to pay for documents from the state archives
which would be used to prove the guilt of Croats."
The government threw out amendments by the HB bench and several HDZ
MPs that 21 million kuna be secured, as last year, for the victims of
war in the Bosnian Federation, because the government has not
envisaged any funds to this end.
The two party's amendments on doubling the planned 25 million kuna
for subsidising Croat educational, health, cultural and health
institutions in Bosnia were also dismissed.
With the endorsement of the majority of MPs, Crkvenac refused some
20 MPs' amendments requesting increased funds for certain towns and
municipalities.
The government also dismissed amendments by HDZ's and HSLS's
deputies who requested cuts to budgetary expenses for the Defence
Ministry (marketing, entertainment, official travels), as well as
some amendments relating to road reconstruction, the
reconstruction of schools and churches, and the building of the
water-supply infrastructure.
HDZ, HB and Istrian Democratic Assembly benches voiced
dissatisfaction with the dismissal of all the Opposition's
amendments, and said they might leave the parliament session.
EUR1 = 7.4 kuna
(hina) lml sb