STUBICKE TOPLICE, Jan 19 (Hina) - The government is aware that there is a series of problems in the area of welfare policy and believes it is necessary to urgently find a new model which would ensure a better implementation of the
welfare policy, Deputy Prime Minister Zeljka Antunovic said opening a workshop entitled "Prospects of Croatia's Welfare Policy" in Stubicke Toplice north of Zagreb on Friday. The two-day meeting, which has gathered representatives from eight Croatian ministries, World Bank and non-governmental organisations, should result in a unanimous platform for the drawing up of a national programme for the prevention of poverty and social exclusiveness. Significant funds are being set aside for welfare purposes and at the same time both those providing them and the beneficiaries are dissatisfied, Antunovic said. Progress is hampered also by a low level of economic development, unclear criteria regulat
STUBICKE TOPLICE, Jan 19 (Hina) - The government is aware that there
is a series of problems in the area of welfare policy and believes it
is necessary to urgently find a new model which would ensure a
better implementation of the welfare policy, Deputy Prime Minister
Zeljka Antunovic said opening a workshop entitled "Prospects of
Croatia's Welfare Policy" in Stubicke Toplice north of Zagreb on
Friday.
The two-day meeting, which has gathered representatives from eight
Croatian ministries, World Bank and non-governmental
organisations, should result in a unanimous platform for the
drawing up of a national programme for the prevention of poverty and
social exclusiveness.
Significant funds are being set aside for welfare purposes and at
the same time both those providing them and the beneficiaries are
dissatisfied, Antunovic said.
Progress is hampered also by a low level of economic development,
unclear criteria regulating the right to assistance as well as by
frequent cases of abuse due to the overpoliticised social policy,
she said.
Labour and Social Welfare Minister Davorko Vidovic said the
government had to establish balance between requests that social
costs be cut to the benefit of the economy and citizens' justified
requests that they be given social security.
Vidovic said it was necessary to find a new model of social policy
which would be decentralised and efficient and preserve the
achieved level of social security. Sixty new projects of the
ministry for 2001 are oriented toward that goal, he added.
Participants in the meeting will discuss ways to improve co-
ordination between government bodies in charge of social policy,
economise funds and reduce poverty and inequality by improving the
allocation of welfare funds.
The World Bank representatives recalled that there was no official
poverty threshold in Croatia but that according to some estimates
in 1998 8.4 percent of citizens lived below the subsistence level.
The reason for this, they believe, are limited employment
possibilities and an inadequate welfare network.
(hina) rml