ZAGREB, Oct 24 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Thursday discussed the "Sustainable Return of Refugees and Displaced Persons -- Restitution of Property and Accommodation" project. Reconstruction Minister Radimir Cacic said that by
the end of next year, 4,370 refugee and displaced families should be covered by the project, of whom a large number were refugees from Bosnia.
ZAGREB, Oct 24 (Hina) - The Croatian government on Thursday
discussed the "Sustainable Return of Refugees and Displaced
Persons -- Restitution of Property and Accommodation" project.
Reconstruction Minister Radimir Cacic said that by the end of next
year, 4,370 refugee and displaced families should be covered by the
project, of whom a large number were refugees from Bosnia. #L#
The project is worth about EUR80 million, half of which would be
financed by the Council of Europe's Development Bank (CEB), and the
other half by the government budget for 2003.
The government has authorised the Reconstruction and Public Works
Ministry to initiate the process of preparing and granting loans
with the Development Bank, which would be given under exceptionally
favourable conditions and subsidised interest rates.
Cacic said that was not all, adding that the government was
investing about EUR190 million into the accommodation project.
In the past two years, the number of 18,500 occupied housing units
have been reduced to 10,000. Currently, 5,000 units are vacant,
which their owners have not yet taken over, Cacic said, but did not
mention why they had not done so.
The government forwarded into parliament amendments to the Law on
the Protection of Military and Civilian Invalids of War, which will
expand the number of people to whom the law would apply, and correct
the injustice done to some categories of citizens. These are, in
particular, children who suffered injuries during the war, family
members of killed civilians and soldiers during their military
service and World War II widows.
The government established a State Institute for Environment
Protection, and granted a one-off assistance of EUR20,300 to the
Croatian Association for Training Guide Dogs and Mobility.
The government has postponed passing of a decision on the
establishment of a commission which would examine profitability
and suggest to the government the co-financing of industrial and
commercial zones along the Zagreb-Split highway.
(hina) lml sb