CROATIA'S GAS & ELECTRICITY MOST EXPENSIVE IN EUROPE - SAYS RESEARCH

ZAGREB, Jan 4 (Hina) - Gas and electricity per household in Croatia are more expensive than in any other European countries, either developed or in transition, a Croatian researcher concluded in a commentary published by "Hrvatska Vodoprivreda", a water management monthly. Branimir Molak's research consisted in comparing gas and electricity prices and the Gross National Product (GNP) per citizen in Croatia and other European countries. According to Molak, the absolute price of gas for households in Great Britain, for instance, is approximately the same as in Croatia, even though the GNP per citizen in Great Britain is 4.65 times higher than per Croat. Among countries in transition, only in Lithuania does the price of gas reach 70 percent of the price in Croatia, while all other European countries in transition are below that mark. Among developed European countries, gas per household is most expensive in Italy, where it reaches 50 percent of the price of gas in Croatia. Molak says the situation is similar with the price of electricity. It is highest in Portugal among west European countries, but still below 70 percent of the price in Croatia. Among countries in transition, electricity is most expensive in Poland which, according to Molak, is 65 percent of the price in Croatia. "There is no European country in which the price of either gas or electricity, in relation to the population's paying possibilities, is higher than in Croatia," Molak firmly stated. (hina) ha