Parliament amends Police Act

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday amended the Police Act, which, among other things, enables the hiring of persons with a finished three-year secondary education as well as a housing allowance for police officers who work in places more than 100 kilometres away from their place of residence, who do not have their housing status resolved and do not receive a commuting allowance.

Up to 1,500 police officers are estimated to have the right to such an allowance and the funding for that purpose in 2019 and 2020 will amount to HRK 32.4 million each.

The amended law also envisages the establishment of complaints commissions, which will not include representatives of the Ministry of the Interior as originally envisaged.

The parliament also amended the Subsidised Housing Loans Act and the Socially Stimulated Housing Construction Act to make possible additional, year-long loan subsidies for each child in a family, lower interest rates on public funding and a ten-year ban on the lease or sale of socially subsidised flats.
The parliament voted in a law on citizens of European Economic Area member states and members of their families to enable UK nationals to keep the status they will have at the moment of Brexit, and it also adopted several reports.

Also today, the parliament confirmed the resignation of Human Shield vice-president Vladimira Palfi Sinčić as a member of parliament and the start of the term of Snježana Sabolek as Palfi Sinčić's substitute.

Palfi Sinčić had previously put her term on hold, making it possible for Branimir Bunjac to stand in for her. After an intra-party conflict about who would be representing Human Shield in the European Parliament after recent EU elections, Bunjac left Human Shield. In order to make it possible for the party to keep that seat in the Croatian parliament, Palfi Sinčić resigned since the term of a member of parliament cannot be put on hold twice.
The parliament also confirmed the termination of Human Shield president Ivan Vilibor Sincic's term as a member of parliament since he will leave to serve as a member of the European Parliament while Damjan Vučelić will take his seat in the national parliament. 

Social Democrat MP Predrag Fred Matić's term as a member of parliament was terminated as well since he won a seat in the European Parliament in the recent election. His seat in the Sabor will be filled by SDP's Vinko Grgić.

Author: Hina