Culture Minister Andrea Zlatar Violic said other European countries were promoting their national culture via special legal entities set up exactly for this purpose, stating as examples the French Institute in Paris, the Estonian Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute and the Adam Mickiewicz institute in Warsaw.

The minister said the new foundation would be the central institution for international promotion of Croatia's culture which will at the same time assist Croats living outside Croatia.

The government also adopted the Law on Roads under which bicycle tracks were for the first time defined as part of the road infrastructure.

The government adopted a provision adjusting Croatia's visa regime to that of the European Union. Under the amended regime, which will go into force on 1 April, Russian citizens will no longer be required to have a visa issued during the tourism season. Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said that travel agencies in Moscow were informed of the new regime. Under the new regime, all Turkish citizens but holders of diplomatic passports and crew members of ships and aircraft will be required a visa.