CROATIAN PARLIAMENT LOWER HOUSE CONTINUES SESSION

ZAGREB, Dec 5 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliament's House of Representatives on Thursday continued its session with a discussion on a bill preventing the conflict of personal and public interests of state officials and a bill on the publication of data on the property of public officials. Vladimir Seks of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), who proposed the first bill, said that the aim of the bill was to ensure that the private interests of state officials did not prevail over the public interests. Seks moved that a state official should not be a member of more than two supervisory or managing boards and that his overall monthly fee should not exceed his basic salary. According to this proposal, state officials should declare their property once a year, as well as when assuming and leaving office. Seks proposed that this matter should be handled by a Committee for the Prevention of Conflicts of Personal and Public Interests, which would be made up of deputies from both houses of parliament. The second bill, proposed by the Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS), was explained by IDS deputy Ivan Jakovcic, who said that public officials should be required to make public data on their property within 30 days from the day of taking office and within 15 days after they depart from office. Candidates competing in elections should present data on their property within 15 days from the day elections are called. Data should include all movable and immovable property at home and abroad, Jakovcic said. The Legislature Committee supported Seks' proposal and suggested that the bill proposed by the IDS be rejected. (hina) vm jn 051220 MET dec 96