CROATIAN LOWER HOUSE RESUMES 39TH SESSION

ZAGREB, May 5 (Hina) - The Croatian Sabor House of Representatives on Wednesday resumed the session which it began two weeks ago, by a discussion on a bill on the organisation and the scope of activities of ministries and the state administration. Prior to the discussion, MPs observed a minute's silence in tribute to the late Defence Minister Gojko Susak, on the occasion on the first anniversary of his death. The aforementioned bill proposes the reduction of number of ministries from the current 20 to 17, whereas the state administration's offices should be reduced from 10 to nine. In this way, the Ministry of Return and Migrant Affairs will stop working, and its job is to be assumed by the Development and Reconstruction Ministry which will change the name. The Government also proposes the cancellation of the Privatisation Ministry, activities of which are to be performed further by the Economy Ministry. The Administration Ministry will be transformed into the state directorate for administration and local self- government. Under the bill, the job of the state administration for the environmental protection is to be assumed by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and Housing which will get a new adequate name. However, after debates held by parliamentary committees, the Government has not held the firm belief any longer that such a change should be made, and is likely to accept an amendment on retaining the independent state administration for the environmental protection. The bill also suggests that three office of the Government - the office for the restructuring of public companies, for displaced persons and refugees, and for state-owned property - should stop working. Their activities will be performed in the future by three ministries - the Finance, Development and Immigration, Physical Planning Ministries. (hina) jn ms