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Zagreb - The state budget for 2024 was adopted on Thursday by Croatia's 151-seat parliament with a 77-42 tally. The budget revenue of €28.5 billion is 3% higher than this year, and the expenditures, totalling €32.6 billion, are 11.2% higher than in 2023.
As a result, the budget gap stands at €4.1 billion, which is 1.9% of the country's Gross Domestic Product.
This is planned in view of a projected 2.8% GDP growth in 2024, and GDP is expected to decelerate to 2.7% in 2025 and to 2.6% in 2026.
After a public-debt-to-GDP ratio of 60.7% this year, the government expects the ratio to decline further to 58% in 2024, 56.6% in 2025, and 55.5% in 2026, which would continue the downward trend it has had since 2020, when it stood at 86.8%.
In 2024, inflation is set at 3.1%.
The Opposition had submitted 463 draft amendments to the budget, and the government endorsed partially six of them.
Among those amendments was one submitted by Nikola Stephan Bartulica (Homeland Movement), who proposed more funds for scholarships for members of the Croatian expat communities' members. The government increased the allocation from €13,272 to €20,000.
The government also accepted an amendment by the Istrian Democratic Party, which requested one million euros for the renovation of the Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč, but granted €150,000, explaining that the rehabilitation of the basilica is taking place in accordance with the established multiannual renovation plan.
Opposition MP Ružica Vukovac's amendment was adopted in a modified form to allocate €943,000 instead of the requested one million to help pig farmers in securing biosecurity infrastructure.
An amendment by Marina Opačak Bilić (Independent) to provide an additional €600,000 for scholarships for students of poor socio-economic status received the green light.
Also endorsed was an amendment put forward by Boška Ban Vlahek (Social Democratic Party), to provide €130,000 for co-financing investments in continental tourist infrastructure, and one proposed by Romana Nikolić (Social Democrats), to allocate additional funds for palliative care. Nikolić asked for €3 million, and the government approved €1.1 million.