Set of laws on mountainous and assisted areas adopted

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday adopted by majority vote a set of laws on hilly and mountainous and on assisted areas to help their development through the implementation of various programmes and measures. The purpose of the new legislation is to ensure balanced development throughout Croatia.

The new law redefines the conditions and terms for an area to be classified as a hilly or mountainous region. Thus, about 85 units of local government will be given the status of hilly and mountainous area. The legislation enables the introduction of specified identity cards for residents in the areas concerned so that card holders can have access to a system of entitlements and other privileges. 

Lawmakers from the Opposition, however, do not believe that the legislation will be beneficial for residents in hilly and mountainous areas, and said that the legislation was discriminatory.
The new law on assisted areas envisages the adoption of programmes for sustainable social and economic development of the regions concerned. A total of HRK 95 million will be set aside from the Croatian state budget and EU funds for the implementation of the law in 2019.