EXPERT: AUTHORITIES ARE CONDUCTING HDZ'S ECONOMIC POLICY

RIJEKA, Jan 28 (Hina) - The biggest failure of Croatia's current authorities is that they have continued implementing the pattern of economic policy as applied by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), said Branimir Lokin, head of the Croatian Chambers of Commerce (HGK) sector for economic strategy. Lokin was speaking at a panel discussion, organised by the Croatian Peasants' Party (HNS) in Rijeka on Sunday. Croatia's resources have been exhausted, the economy is in a cataclysmic state and a consequence of that is a rampant unemployment rate, Lokin said. Unemployment is also generated by bankruptcies, which are difficult to stop and unemployment is not being compensated with other measures, he said. Any rate of growth of Gross Domestic Product which is below four percent only increases a society's troubles and those who cannot guarantee a speedier growth should step down, Lokin said. It would be logical, he believes, for parliament to state that the growth of GDP must be at a rate of seven percent and that the government which cannot secure that growth be replaced even if this means having to replace several governments annually, he said adding the dynamics of political and economic movements had to be accelerated. Lokin recommended, as one of the solutions which could contribute to overcoming the economic crisis, directing Croatia's funds which are currently on the accounts of foreign banks into domestic economic programmes. (hina) rml