Proposals for the Law on the Trade of Wood and Obligatory Relations Submitted to Parliamentary Procedure

The government submitted on Thursday the final proposals for the law on the implementation of European Union (EU) regulations on the trade of wood and wood products, as well as the law on obligatory relations, which ensures the implementation of relevant EU regulations.

The government submitted on Thursday the draft final proposal for the law on the implementation of European Union regulations on the trade of wood and wood products, and as emphasized by Minister of Agriculture Tomislav Tolušić, this ensures the implementation of relevant EU regulations governing this area and repeals the existing law on the implementation of EU regulations regarding the trade of illegally harvested wood and products made from such wood from 2013.

>>> Tolušić to wood processors: You have ‘open hands’ to devise a new model for raw material distribution

In relation to the existing law, as he explained, the final proposal fully and appropriately prescribes the tasks of the competent authorities, the manner of conducting professional and inspection supervision, and the misdemeanor provisions with appropriate monetary penalties that are proportional to the value of individual shipments of wood and wood products, as well as tax losses and economic damage that may arise from violations of the provisions of the law.

– The aim of the law is to ensure the import of wood and wood products produced in accordance with the national legislation of partner countries into the domestic market and to ensure that in the trade on the domestic market, economic entities and traders apply a system of due diligence, i.e., a traceability system, to place on the market and trade wood and wood products produced in accordance with the national legislation of the countries where the wood was harvested, said Tolušić.

He also added that in relation to the proposed law that passed the first reading in the Parliament, there are several minor technical amendments, and the implementation of the law does not require the provision of additional funds in the state budget.

The Law on Obligatory Relations

The government also sent to parliamentary procedure on Thursday the final proposal for the amendments to the Law on Obligatory Relations, which aligns this regulation with the new EU directive on package travel and related travel arrangements, as well as abolishing the stamp for banking deposits and withdrawals of money in savings books.

>>> Bošnjaković: The negative perception of citizens towards the judiciary is more of an impression than reality

As stated by Minister of Justice Dražen Bošnjaković, the final proposal of the Law on Obligatory Relations was not in the first reading and did not undergo any changes compared to the presented legal text.

He stated that the proposed amendments would delete the articles of the Law on Obligatory Relations that regulated the contract for organizing travel from the old EU Directive on package travel from June 1990, which has been repealed by the new Directive on package travel and related travel arrangements from November 2015. The new directive has been transposed into Croatian legislation with the new Law on Providing Services in Tourism.

>>> Due to strengthening competitiveness, the proposal for the Law on Providing Services in Tourism has been accepted

An amendment is also proposed that would exempt banks and savings banks, in accordance with the digital age we live in, from using stamps for deposits and withdrawals of money in savings books, which is in line with the National Reform Program 2017.

The third change is related to the proposal of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities to align the terminology of the law with the terminology of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, thus replacing the expressions “mental illness and mental retardation” with the expressions “mental or intellectual impairment.”