Sea Minister Bozidar Kalmeta said that the establishment of an agency to issue concessions for shipping lines would enable better supervision of the spending of budgetary funds used to subsidise shipping lines.
The bill, which is in the second reading, includes the government's position that it does not intend to privatise the national shipping company "Jadrolinija" in the foreseeable time, the state secretary for maritime affairs, Branko Bacic, said.
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) said his party would not support the bill because the privatisation of Jadrolinija, regardless of when it would take place, could lead to the closure of the company and disrupt the shipping system which he said was functioning well. Kajin was also against the proposal to establish the agency to issue concessions for shipping lines, adding that this could be done by the ministry.
Tonci Tadic of the Party of Rights (HSP) said the bill was unnecessary because the matter had already been regulated by the existing legislation.
Luka Roic of the Peasant Party (HSS) proposed an amendment under which Jadrolinija could not be privatised without the consent of the parliament.
Deputies of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) opposed the opening of the shipping market to foreign shipping companies.
Zivko Nenadic of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said that under the bill a ship's owner would have to be a Croatian company, ships would have to be registered in Croatia, a ship's crew would have to have Croatian citizenship, and the official language would have to be Croatian. He dismissed objections that the bill would weaken Jadrolinija's position, saying that it envisaged a transitional period for the privatisation of Jadrolinija and other domestic shipping companies.