ZAGREB, Jan 18 (Hina) - The year we have entered will be crucial for reforms, development and employment, Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on Thursday outlining the government's four key goals in 2001.
ZAGREB, Jan 18 (Hina) - The year we have entered will be crucial for
reforms, development and employment, Prime Minister Ivica Racan
said on Thursday outlining the government's four key goals in
2001.#L#
These are to increase production and export and cut the
unemployment rate, decentralise the state and bring administration
up-to-date, complete the privatisation of the state portfolio and
wrap up preparations for a pension and health reform, and
associated membership in the European Union.
The success of the government programme calls for confidence and
tolerance in society, partnership relations, and the active
participation of all, Racan told a government session marking its
first anniversary in office.
Summing up what was achieved in 2000, the prime minister said
Croatia had improved its political and financial standing in the
world, coming out of international isolation, a fact he
corroborated with data on admission into NATO's Partnership for
Peace programme, the World Trade Organisation, and the holding of
the Zagreb Summit in November.
Commenting on the politically very delicate relations with UN's war
crimes tribunal in The Hague, Racan was hopeful Monday's talks with
chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte had managed to settle current
contentious issues and that Croatia was entering a calmer period of
cooperation with the tribunal.
Presenting economic successes, Racan said the government had
succeeded in halting a decreasing gross national product, settling
old state debts, relieving the economy's tax burden, reducing
labour costs, and stimulating small and medium-sized
entrepreneurship.
Speaking about welfare problems, the prime minister reiterated the
government had not the lost social partners' trust and that it would
continue investing joint efforts to ensure better living for all
citizens.
He believes the key goals for this year are reforms, development and
employment, with new jobs first on the list of priorities, followed
by the encouragement of foreign investments, the construction of
the infrastructure, as well as efforts aimed at reducing grey
economy and black labour. Wiping out and prosecuting organised and
war crimes remains a top priority as well.
Another important task is the privatisation of state-owned
companies, the biggest share of the Croatian Privatisation Fund's
portfolio, as well as the continuation of preparations for the
privatisation of oil company INA and power company HEP, reforms in
the agriculture, adopting an environmental protection strategy,
and establishing a fund and agency in charge of the environment.
Efforts will also be invested in decentralising state
administration and re-organising and modernising the defence and
the police.
Speaking about the foreign policy, Racan said all forms of
cooperation would be pursued. As regards rapprochement with NATO,
there are realistic preconditions for the adoption of the
Membership Action Plan.
President Stipe Mesic, the guest of today's session, said that in
2000 Croatia achieved what it aspired to, partly or entirely. The
objective observer has to say we have come to the turning point,
which is the moment when the growing unemployment trend is halted,
he said, adding Croatia did not stop it completely, but that it was
not as it used to be.
The president believes that the Croatian public will realise after
the government issues a report on its performance that it must not
be liable to cheap criticism and fault-finding on the part of those
responsible for the problems the incumbent government has to deal
with. He said the government's path was the right one.
All members of the government spoke about last year's achievements
and plans for this year. According to First Deputy Prime Minister
Goran Granic, the biggest problem is a slowed-down society in which
changes were both prepared and carried out slowly, and the
opposition to changes was huge.
This year, we will show if we are mature for key reforms, if we have
enough strength and if we can motivate the Croatian public, Granic
said.
(hina) ha