Gov't to reduce number of state administration offices from 20 to 5

The Croatian government sent the State Administration System Bill to Parliament on Thursday, proposing that the number of state administration offices be scaled down from the present 20 to five in order to ensure a more effective distribution of work and cut costs.

There would be the Office for Central Croatia, the Office for Northwestern Croatia, the Office for Slavonia and Baranja, the Office for Istria, Hrvatsko Primorje, Gorski Kotar and Lika, and the Office for Dalmatia. Each office would cover several counties.

The proposal is one of the measures of reform and fiscal consolidation for the 2014-2016 period, namely the reorganisation and regionalisation of the state institutions and the state administration offices, the Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Zoran Piculjan, said while presenting the bill at a Cabinet meeting.

The move should cut costs, because the number of office heads and their deputies would be reduced from 20 to five, while the number of services would be reduced from the present 84 to 35. The office heads and their deputies would be appointed at the proposal of the Minister of Public Administration within 30 days of the entry into force of the bill.

Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said that the counties would not be stripped of their powers as a result of the proposed changes to the statement administration system.

(Hina)



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