GOVT: CENSUS TO BE CONDUCTED NEXT YEAR

ZAGREB, May 25 (Hina) - A census will be conducted in Croatia between April 1 and 15, 2001, and the Government forwarded a bill on that to the Croatian National Sabor Thursday. The census will include population, houses and apartments. It will be conducted by 27,000 persons, and will costs about 200 million kuna which will be ensured in the budget within the next three years. The census will be conducted according to the situation on March 31, 2001. The principle of the census is the international compatibility, and in line with that the number of residents who have been absent for over a year will not be included in the census. The Government also forwarded to the Sabor a bill which would regulate the business hours of shops. This has been done in order to see results of the bill during this tourist season. The law would regulate that shops be opened Sundays and holidays because, according to Croatian Economy Minister Goranko Fizulic, it was unacceptable that tourists "roam around" Umag and Dubrovnik and have no place to spend their money. A bill on customs tariff, which has been forwarded to the Sabor, establishes a new customs tariff which is in line with negotiations on Croatia's joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It should be applied as of July 1, 2000, and for food processing-agricultural products as of the day of Croatia's joining the WTO. (hina) it jn