Croatia's Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Jadranka Kosor has announced measures aimed at helping people buy their first flats, saying that legislation regulating grants to first-time home buyers will be sent to parliament in ten days' time to be discussed under fast-track procedure.
Addressing a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the HDZ branch in the coastal city of Sibenik on Saturday, Kosor said the government would lend 200 euros per square metre in subventions which means that, for instance, the subvention would total some EUR 14,000 for a 70-square-metre flat.
Loans for this purpose would be granted with a grace period of 20 years, and the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) has already envisaged some HRK 31 million for that purpose, according to Kosor.
Kosor said that the country's recovery from the economic crisis, its entry into the European Union and the ongoing anti-corruption drive were the three main tasks of her government and party in 2010.
The premier expressed optimism about the fulfillment of those objectives.
Bailout measures will show their first results next week and indicate the new direction of the Croatian economy, Kosor said.
As regards Croatia's EU aspirations, Kosor recalled that the European Commission had already drawn up projections of a budget for Croatia in the first two years of its EU membership.
The budget for Croatia amounts to EUR 3.5 billion, and this is a significant amount provided that Croatia uses it, she said.
