- Published: 18.07.2019.
€540,000 set aside for textbooks, teaching materials for indigent school students
The Croatian government on Thursday adopted a decision on financing the provision of obligatory textbooks for indigent secondary school students and a decision on financing the provision of other teaching materials for indigent primary school students for the next school year, setting aside HRK 4 million (€540,000) for this purpose.
The decisions refer to 3,000 secondary school students and 4,000 primary school students, and their implementation will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Science and Education and the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs.
Government gives go-ahead for "Personalised medicine in oncology" project
The government on Thursday gave the go-ahead to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Roche pharmaceutical company for the preparation and implementation of the project "Personalised medicine in oncology" aimed at improving cancer treatment outcomes in Croatia.
The project aims to improve care for cancer patients by using genetic profiling to ensure targeted therapy, improve the quality of life and treatment outcomes, and reduce the mortality rate among patients suffering from malignant diseases.
The project provides for establishing a national centre and a national team for targeted treatment based on genetic profiling.
The Roche company has sent a letter to the Health Ministry expressing its intent to participate in the preparation and implementation of the project. By accepting the letter of intent, the government supports the transformation and enhancement of oncological care in Croatia based on a personalised approach and treatment based on the results of genetic profiling and data from clinical practice," Health Minister Milan Kujundzic said.
The Health Ministry will set up a task force, comprising representatives of the co-signatories of the memorandum, to draw up an action plan.
The signing of the memorandum was scheduled for Thursday evening.
Croatia to launch procedure for building €676,000 Dragonja bridge
The Croatian government on Thursday decided to initiate the procedure for concluding an agreement with the Slovenian government for the construction of a bridge across the River Dragonja near the Kastel-Dragonja border crossing in Istria County.
The decision is in line with the government conclusion adopted at its meeting in Pula on 13 September, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butkovic said.
The existing bridge across the Dragonja, which is maintained by Croatian and Slovenian road companies, is old and damaged. Butkovic said that the new one is necessary to improve road safety and enable traffic to run smoothly.
The cost of construction is estimated at HRK 5 million (€676,000), which will be split between the two countries.
HBOR financial statement endorsed by government
The Croatian government on Thursday endorsed the annual financial statement of the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) for 2018.
Last year, this state-run development bank approved HRK 8.4 billion to enterprises, which was 13% more than in 2017. The money was used to support 2,650 projects.
HBOR wrapped up last year with assets reaching HRK 27 billion and profit exceeding HRK 200 million, a rise of 27%.
Outgoing foreign and family affairs ministers thank PM and colleagues in cabinet
At the end of the government's meeting on Thursday, two outgoing ministers -- Marija Pejcinovic Buric and Nada Murganic -- thanked Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on the trust he placed in them and other cabinet ministers for cooperation.
In an emotionally-charged speech, Minister for Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy Nada Murganic, who was the only one of the five ministers whose replacement has been proposed, recalled measures taken in the department under her helm in the past three years.
In this context she emphasised demographic revival and social welfare measures. She in particular thanked workers in the social security system.
Murganic said she was sorry to see that the social security system grabbed media attention through "dreadful tragedies". However, the general public can now see how demanding the social security system is and that a social worker alone cannot do much."
She thanked the premier for promising that social workers will be treated as officials.
"I think that my work in the government nevertheless has left a trace," the outgoing minister said in tears.
Plenkovic thanked her on her great contribution to the government's performance, primarily for her work on advancing many aspects in social security and for care for families and youth.
Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric, who is leaving the government to assume the post of Secretary-General of the Council of Europe in September, thanked PM Plenkovic and government members for their support to her bid to become the CoE Secretary-General.
"This is not only my personal success but also the success of this cabinet," she added.
The Croatian minister was elected the new Secretary-General of the Council of Europe by secret ballot held in the CoE Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg on 26 June. In the first round of the election she obtained 159 votes, an absolute majority, and the other shortlisted candidate Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders won 105 votes. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe consists of 324 deputies from national parliaments of the 47 member-states.
Pejcinovic Buric, who will be the second female secretary-general at the helm of this organisation established 70 years ago, will succeed Thornbjorn Jagland, whose second term in this post expires soon.
Text: Hina