ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - By wrapping up a debate on amendments to the Trade Act, the Croatian parliament ended its Friday session. The session resumes next week. The parliament also completed a debate on the Croatian Democratic
Union's (HDZ) bill on changes to the Referendum Act, which sets a deadline of 30 days for the parliament to organise a referendum if this is requested by 10 percent of the electorate. According to the bill, the referendum would have to be organised 60 days from receipt of the request at the latest. Explaining the bill, the head of the HDZ bench, Vladimir Seks, recalled that the organisation of a referendum, if it was requested by 10 percent of the electorate, was a constitutional obligation. Seks dismissed the government's explanation that fulfilling this obligation does not require changing the existing law, reminding that almost two months ago the national headquarters for the protection of the dignity of the Ho
ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - By wrapping up a debate on amendments to the
Trade Act, the Croatian parliament ended its Friday session. The
session resumes next week.
The parliament also completed a debate on the Croatian Democratic
Union's (HDZ) bill on changes to the Referendum Act, which sets a
deadline of 30 days for the parliament to organise a referendum if
this is requested by 10 percent of the electorate. According to the
bill, the referendum would have to be organised 60 days from receipt
of the request at the latest.
Explaining the bill, the head of the HDZ bench, Vladimir Seks,
recalled that the organisation of a referendum, if it was requested
by 10 percent of the electorate, was a constitutional obligation.
Seks dismissed the government's explanation that fulfilling this
obligation does not require changing the existing law, reminding
that almost two months ago the national headquarters for the
protection of the dignity of the Homeland Defence War gave
parliament speaker Zlatko Tomcic a list with 400,000 signatures of
Croatian citizens, who requested that participants in the Homeland
War be given the same court treatment as that granted to the members
of all victorious armies in World War II.
If the act is not changed and if deadlines for fulfilling the
constitutional obligation about the referendum are not introduced,
voters will wait for the referendum for ever, he said.
Most parliamentary benches requested that a bill on amendments to
the Trade Act be sent into third reading because, they said, it
gives the economy minister the power to set the criteria for
determining the working hours of shops and for large chains of shops
entering the Croatian market.
The bill enables the economy minister to set, in line with a rule
book, the criteria town and municipal governments will apply when
deciding about the working hours of shops. The rule book would also
determine criteria for the location of supermarkets which, said
Tonci Tadic of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP), could lead to big
chains of stores lobbying for locations with the minister.
(hina) sb rml