ZAGREB, Oct 25 (Hina) - Croatia celebrates a new public holiday, the thirteenth, as of Thursday, MPs decided by adopting amendments to the law on national holidays, memorial days and non-working days. Under the amended law, Croatians
will celebrate Oct. 8 as Independence Day in memory of Oct. 8, 1991, when parliament adopted the final decision on the severance of all state and juridical ties with the ex-Yugoslav federation. The law introduces a new national holiday, June 25, to be celebrated as Statehood Day, previously marked on May 30, which has become Croatian Parliament Day, a memorial and working day. Changes have been made in the marking of religious holidays. MPs voted in favour of making Corpus Christi a national holiday and non-working day instead of Epiphany, Jan. 6. MPs of the strongest opposition party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), said this solution was contrary to Croatia's agreement with the Holy See,
ZAGREB, Oct 25 (Hina) - Croatia celebrates a new public holiday, the
thirteenth, as of Thursday, MPs decided by adopting amendments to
the law on national holidays, memorial days and non-working days.
Under the amended law, Croatians will celebrate Oct. 8 as
Independence Day in memory of Oct. 8, 1991, when parliament adopted
the final decision on the severance of all state and juridical ties
with the ex-Yugoslav federation.
The law introduces a new national holiday, June 25, to be celebrated
as Statehood Day, previously marked on May 30, which has become
Croatian Parliament Day, a memorial and working day.
Changes have been made in the marking of religious holidays. MPs
voted in favour of making Corpus Christi a national holiday and non-
working day instead of Epiphany, Jan. 6.
MPs of the strongest opposition party, the Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ), said this solution was contrary to Croatia's agreement
with the Holy See, which stipulates that Epiphany is a non-working
day.
The dilemma should be resolved by parliament's constitution
committee, which will assess if the adopted amendments are in
compliance with the Constitution and international law.
Parliament today adopted amendments also to the law on public
communications, which bind the media to disclose their ownership
structure.
Also adopted was a new law on Hina, whereby the news agency is
transformed from a state-owned into a public institution.
Parliament adopted a report on the Stabilisation and Association
Agreement (SAA) with the European Union, which was debated
yesterday, as well as a conclusion, moved by the opposition's
Democratic Centre (DC), on drafting a law which would enable
parliament to supervise the implementation of the SAA. This task
would be undertaken upon the ratification of the agreement.
In first reading, parliament debated a defence bill which should
provide conditions for a future reform of the defence system. MPs
objected to the fact that the bill was being debated without the
existence of a defence and national security strategy, and the fact
that the bill vaguely divided the authorities of the president of
the republic, the government, and parliament.
(hina) ha