Although they supported the bill, MPs cited a number of objections which primarily referred to the need to revive the domestic wood-processing industry and reduce fines for the violation of the proposed provisions.
In a debate on the final bill on public roads, the Social Democrats (SDP) stated that the bill was detrimental to units of local government because it envisaged transferring all road maintenance costs to those units. The opposition also criticised the proposed solutions regarding the granting of concessions.
The SDP also objected to the fact that the bill failed to define municipal roads, which account for almost one-third of all state roads, and the fact that the minister is given the right to decide which roads can be declared county roads regardless of whether they meet the necessary criteria or not.
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) said that roads, including state roads or highways, should not be leased.
Zeljko Pecek of the Peasant Party (HSS) believes that the bill will not prevent the granting of concessions without the necessary project documents, which he claims is what happened with a section of the Zagreb-Dubrovnik highway.
The bill on public roads envisages the obligation to grant concessions for highways and some facilities along state roads, such as bridges and tunnels, exclusively through public bidding.
Concessions covering periods of time of up to 33 years would be made by the government and those covering longer periods of time would be made by the parliament. Concessions would be granted only for state roads and highways.
The bill includes an EU directive which defines fees to be paid by foreign trucks and buses travelling on Croatian roads.
Along with state, county and local roads, the bill introduces a fourth category of public roads - highways.