Social criteria included in the reconstruction act

(Hina) - The government submitted the proposal of the act on the reconstruction of Zagreb to the second parliamentary reading, after having decided to include social criteria in the co-financing of the structural reconstruction of buildings damaged in the earthquake of 22 March.

The act defines a model by which structural reconstruction shall be financed with a share of 60 percent by the state, 20 percent by local self-government units and 20 percent by property owners, while the novelty in relation to the first reading consists of the inclusion of social criteria in the act, that is, income and means testing.
 
To those citizens of Zagreb and two neighbouring counties whose houses and apartments were earthquake-damaged and who draw a minimum wage and do not have significant assets the state and local and regional self-government units shall entirely finance the reconstruction of real estate.
 
Real estate owners as well as those who on the day of the earthquake did not have assets of a total value exceeding HRK 200,000 shall be exempt from the amount of 20 percent of reconstruction co-financing if their income, including the income of their spouse or non-marital partner, that is, the income of a living or informal partner, in the past and current year does not exceed the amount of non-taxable income.
 
Structural reconstruction shall also be fully financed to disabled persons from the Homeland War and social welfare beneficiaries receiving support.
 
The act defines cases in which a replacement family house shall be built, and a special ordinance shall regulate the content and technical elements of the construction project. Instead of building a replacement family house, the owner can choose to receive financial aid for eligible costs that cannot exceed the estimated construction value of the house to which the owner is entitled under the Act.
 
Extraordinary parliament session convened for the act
 
For the act on the reconstruction of Zagreb to be passed as soon as possible, the government has also sent a request for an extraordinary session of the Croatian Parliament, which will be held next week.
 
The government requests an extraordinary session because of the act on the reconstruction of Zagreb, and intends to submit six more legislative proposals for debate, Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milošević announced.
 
We have prepared the act on the post-earthquake reconstruction of Zagreb in due time, taking into account a number of suggestions made by parliamentary clubs, and we wish the debate to be constructive and appropriate bodies to be established, with the concrete reconstruction of Zagreb to be started thereupon, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
 
The government also adopted the conclusion on temporary housing provision to persons whose property was damaged in the earthquake that struck the area of Zagreb, Krapina-Zagorje County and Zagreb County, who are temporarily accommodated in the “Cvjetno naselje” student dormitory.
 
The dormitory houses 275 persons whose property has been damaged, and the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets is committed to finding adequate accommodation for them in cooperation with the City of Zagreb, said State Secretary in the Ministry of Construction Dunja Magaš.
 
The funds for this purpose shall be provided from the EU Solidarity Fund, and new accommodation for “Cvjetno naselje” tenants should be identified by 15 September at the latest.

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