PM, county prefects talk law changes to facilitate balanced regional development

Hina - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković met on Tuesday with county prefects, representatives of the Association of Cities and the Croatian Association of Municipalities to discuss the improvement of the legislative framework for balanced regional development, which all prefects assessed as a positive step forward.

Danijel Marušić, Brod-Posavina County prefect and president of the Croatian County Association, said after the meeting that all prefects gave positive feedback on the discussed amendments to the Spatial Planning Act, the Building Act, and the Regional Development Act. He said the changes aimed to facilitate and make more transparent the use of funds and the implementation of projects.

Plenković said this was their 18th meeting and a confirmation of the regular, structured dialogue between the government and county prefects on all key issues, particularly those related to balanced regional development.

Plenković announces the establishment of a Regional Development Council

"This format has proven to be highly useful, and we have therefore decided to institutionalise it in the new law. We will establish a Regional Development Council which, based on legal grounds, will regularly conduct consultations between the government, county prefects and the heads of the Associations of Cities and Municipalities."

Plenković noted that following the local elections, seven of the county prefects were new compared to the previous term.

"When we add up all local and regional government units - municipalities, towns and counties - only 17% of the 576 saw political change. This figure confirms that this nine-year policy of continuous dialogue, functional and fiscal decentralisation, and project implementation has had a positive effect on the balanced regional development of Croatia."

Mikuš Žigman presents regional development bill

Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Nataša Mikuš Žigman presented a regional development bill, developed by her predecessor, Šime Erlić, and set to enter public consultation in the coming days.

"Through this bill, we are placing greater emphasis on public policies that we consider important in the context of regional planning, relating to demography, social measures, the economy, and spatial-environmental aspects. The bill envisages that strategic plans at regional and local levels will be defined in connection with these measures."

For the first time, the bill defines sustainable urban development goals, relating to the development of smart and connected cities, green cities to improve urban resilience to climate change, and cities with strong green economies. There is also a focus on industrial transition of regions through cooperation between business and the academic sector.

The bill does not alter the method for calculating the development index, as the current model is considered optimal, but it does change the assessment and classification period from three to five years.

Mikuš Žigman said the bill sought to incorporate all good practices from the existing law, modernise and improve provisions, and harmonise the legislation with other regulations.

Bačić: Building and spatial planning bills to enter public consultation this month

Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Minister Branko Bačić presented outlines of a building bill and a spatial planning bill, which will enter public consultation this month, with passage expected by the end of the year.

The government's plan is to simplify and accelerate procedures for adopting new spatial planning documents, given the ongoing transformation from old analogue to new digital plans. Additionally, procedures for obtaining building permits, especially for family homes and multi-residential buildings, will be streamlined.

A new land-use category will be introduced, "affordable housing", enabling local authorities to collaborate with the state or private investors to construct affordable housing through the building rights instrument. Procedures will also be simplified for the construction of public and social infrastructure.

Bačić announced that the law on the treatment of illegally constructed buildings will be amended by the end of the year, saying that this is not a new legalisation initiative. Instead, the changes are intended to assist citizens who missed the deadline for submitting requests to legalise buildings constructed before 21 June 2011.

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