ZAGREB, Oct 25 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Thursday passed amendments to a law on holidays, memorial and non-working days, under which the number of non-working days increases from the current 12 to 13. Under the new law,
Statehood Day will in the future be marked on June 25, as the day when first acts on Croatia's independence were passed. Current Statehood Day, May 30, will be marked as the Day of the Croatian Parliament, by the holding of a ceremonial parliament's session, as a memorial and non-working day. Also introduced was a new holiday - Independence Day - which will be marked on October 8 as the day when Croatia broke all state and legal ties with the former Yugoslavia. The new law also changed the way of the marking of some religious holidays. Therefore, instead of Epiphany, Corpus Christi will become a non-working day. This regulation raised a dilemma, because the Opposition's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)
ZAGREB, Oct 25 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Thursday passed
amendments to a law on holidays, memorial and non-working days,
under which the number of non-working days increases from the
current 12 to 13.
Under the new law, Statehood Day will in the future be marked on June
25, as the day when first acts on Croatia's independence were
passed.
Current Statehood Day, May 30, will be marked as the Day of the
Croatian Parliament, by the holding of a ceremonial parliament's
session, as a memorial and non-working day.
Also introduced was a new holiday - Independence Day - which will be
marked on October 8 as the day when Croatia broke all state and legal
ties with the former Yugoslavia.
The new law also changed the way of the marking of some religious
holidays. Therefore, instead of Epiphany, Corpus Christi will
become a non-working day.
This regulation raised a dilemma, because the Opposition's
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) stressed the regulation violated
an agreement with the Holy See, therefore religious holidays are
still to be discussed.
With the current 12 non-working days, Croatia fits into Europe's
average - Norway and Belgium have the same number of non-working
days. Slovenia and Austria have the most non-working days -- 16,
while Great Britain has only nine.
By a majority vote, the parliament also endorsed a report on a
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European
Union, which was presented by European Integration Minister Neven
Mimica on Wednesday.
It was decided that a bill on the SAA implementation, by which the
Democratic Centre proposed that the parliament be given a control
over the implementation of the SAA, would be discussed together
with the ratification.
Amendments to a law on public communications, under which the
public would have an insight into the ownership structures in media
houses, were endorsed unonimously.
Also passed was a decision under which the government is committed
to propose a new law on the public informing within 90 days.
(hina) it sb