CROATIA JOINS COUNCIL OF EUROPE'S FUND FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

STRASBOURG, June 24 (Hina) - Croatian Ambassador to the Council of Europe Vladimir Matek on Tuesday delivered to the Council's Secretary General Daniel Tarschys a statement by the Croatian Government on Croatia's joining the Council of Europe's Fund for Social Development. Croatia is the 26th of the Council of Europe's 40 member-countries to have joined the Fund, for which it must now appoint two representatives, one from the Finance Ministry or the National Bank, and one from the Foreign Ministry. The Council of Europe's Fund for Social Development was established in 1956 with the primary duty to aid refugees and displaced persons, especially from the eastern block. Aid-giving was later expanded to cases involving natural disasters, while today the Fund also assists in stimulating employment by opening small and medium-sized enterprise. The Fund is also active in health and education, environment protection and the building of the social infrastructure. Recently, it has expressed the intention to take part in international humanitarian efforts to aid war victims on the territory of the former Yugoslavia and assist in the reconstruction of this region's war-affected countries. Means from the Fund for Social Development, which is Europe's oldest bank for multilateral development, are 1-1.5 percent more favourable than on normal financial markets. (hina) ha jn 241730 MET jun 97