CROATIAN GOVT ADOPTS PROGRAMME TO ASSIST TOURISM

ZAGREB, May 6 (Hina) - The Croatian Government on Thursday adopted a programme for the long-term rehabilitation of 26 tourist companies, all clients of the Splitska banka. "The Government has firmly decided to salvage tourism in Dalmatia", said Premier Zlatko Matesa announcing that a programme would soon be developed for tourist companies in the Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Even though this will be costly, we are determined to go through with this programme because of its strategic interest to the country, Matesa said, explaining that government support to rehabilitate the tourist industry is in response to damages caused by NATO attacks on Yugoslavia. Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic reported that the programme referred to was valued at US$71 million and that in addition to the highway to be built towards Split, the programme is to be the largest budget investment. The Government adopted a report on the realisation of the National Employment Policy. Last year the Employment Bureau focused its efforts to employ demobilised Croatian Homeland war veterans and persons under 30 years of age. This year, the Government is to concentrate its efforts to public works and particularly to a pilot programme for the eastern Croatian region of Baranja and the Agricultural Industrial Corporation (PIK) Belje. Funds to cover this programme are to be obtained from the budget earmarked for employment strategies. The programme will make 500 jobs available in addition to at least 1,000 to 1,500 additional jobs in the Belje industry alone. Considering the importance of small and medium businesses which employ 62 per cent of the total workforce, the Government adopted recommendations geared towards development policies for small economies as well as development policies for small and medium sized companies. hina sp/jn