Gov't puts forward state-owned property management bill

(Hina) - With the bill governing the management of state-owned real estate and movable property the government aims to ensure strategically effective and market-oriented use of non-financial assets, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday.

He described the bill as the corner stone of the fiscal and functional decentralisation policy.

The bill leads to further functional decentralisation, the prime minister said in his opening remarks at the cabinet meeting, from which the legislative proposal was sent to parliament.

"We have been saying for years, since December 2016, that we are pursuing a policy of both fiscal and functional decentralisation. The adoption of this bill, I would say, is one of the cornerstones of this policy towards regional self-government units, county towns and cities with more than 35,000 inhabitants, towards companies dealing with this and towards public institutions managing national parks and nature parks," Plenković said.

Under the bill, counties, county towns, cities, the Državne Nekretnine state-owned property management company and public institutions managing national and nature parks would be entrusted with the management of state-owned real estate.

Counties, county towns and cities would be entrusted with the management of undeveloped construction land and buildings with adjacent land needed for the use of those buildings, which are situated on their territory.  

Presenting the bill, Construction Minister Branko Bačić said that it aims to ensure more systematic, comprehensive, efficient and cost-effective management of state-owned assets and further functional and financial decentralisation in their management.

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