CROATIAN AND SLOVENE LABOUR MINISTERS HOLD TALKS

MOKRICE, July 28 (Hina) - Croatian Labour and Social Welfare Minister Davorko Vidovic and Slovene Minister for Labour, Family and Social Issues Miha Brejc held talks in Mokrice Friday. After the talks, the two ministers said that the two countries not only have problems in this field, but open issues which needed to be solved as soon as possible. Primarily this refers to the issue of benefits of Croatian citizens working in Slovenia, the issue of daily migrations and providing health coverage to Slovene tourists during their stay in Croatia. After the talks, Slovene Minister Brejc told reporters that the two of them exchanged information on joining European integration and both sides expressed readiness for the solving of open issues in the near future. Minister Vidovic said it was agreed that labour and social welfare issues be dealt with independent of issues of border cooperation and local border traffic. Namely, this is issues involving people from both sides of the border and within our ministries' jurisdiction, Vidovic said. According to Brejc, one of the main problems were sickness benefit and disability benefit for Croatian citizens working in Slovenia At Croatia's initiative, the standpoint that the issue be solved in line with a special protocol, was endorsed, Brejc stressed. Vidovic positively assessed the exchange of experience and opinions on Slovenia's approaching th European Union. (hina) it