Kosor: First Support Loans for Entrepreneurs in Mid-February

This morning, the Croatian Parliament began its first session of the year. The representatives established the agenda for the session, which includes 62 items. Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor proposed, on behalf of the Government, and the Parliament accepted the removal of the urgent procedure from the proposed law on residence, reports hrt.hr.

Kosor explained that the regular procedure will allow experts and the broader public to participate in the discussion about this law. Unofficially, explanations from the HDZ could be heard that this way they want to put an end to malicious interpretations that the new law on residence leads to the abolition of dual citizenship. The Prime Minister emphasized that the Government has demonstrated its social sensitivity through the budget. “We do not spend a single kuna to maintain our position, but we spend it on economic measures and to maintain as high employment as possible.”

The Government will adopt criteria for economic support programs tomorrow, propose a law on the guarantee fund, and the first loans can be expected in mid-February, announced the Prime Minister. “This means that the money is being spent to help the economy,” the Prime Minister replied to SDP representative Nadica Jelaš, who warned that the external debt is 43 billion EUR and that borrowed money is being spent only to keep the Government in power as long as possible.

Damir Kajin asked whether the Government will provide guarantees for the construction of roads in Montenegro, which he considers the job of the century. He also asked who is interested in destroying small shipbuilding while investing so much in large ones. The Prime Minister said that changes to the Law on the Tax on Vessels will be proposed at tomorrow’s Government session, which will show that the Government is interested in saving small shipbuilders. She added that tenders for shipyards will be announced in mid-February and that the Government has received a new deadline of 60 days from the announcement of the tender to help ensure that this job is completed as well as possible.

In response to the question of whether the Government will provide guarantees to Konstruktor for the construction of the Bar-Boljare highway, the Prime Minister said that the Government is primarily focused on guarantees for investments in Croatia. Responding to representatives’ questions, Minister of Science Radovan Fuchs said that 84 percent of all high school graduates have applied to take the state graduation exam. There are still five days left for applications, noting that students from vocational schools are not required to take the exam. The Minister stated that everything is ready for the state graduation exam.

According to official data, the number of artificial insemination procedures since the adoption of the new Law on Artificial Insemination is 17 percent higher, while the number of pregnancies is 23 percent higher, stated Minister of Health Darko Milinović. He called everything else media manipulation. In response to a representative’s question, Minister Jandroković said that Croatia is adapting its diplomatic network to financial capabilities. The financial crisis and new technologies are forcing us to redefine the diplomatic network. In the process of abolishing some existing embassies and establishing new ones, we primarily guided ourselves by the economic interests of the country, emphasized Jandroković. (HRT)