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Zagreb - Lawmakers on Thursday commended a bill that will introduce electrochemical protection at all external ATMs over the next three years and in practice that means that in case of burglary, banknotes will be made unusable by an electrochemical device.
That system has been recognised as the most effective way to protect money and it is expected to significantly contribute to reducing crime, the State Secretary at the Interior Ministry, Žarko Katić, said presenting the bill in Parliament.
This is a good bill as far as the security aspect is concerned, said MP Boris Lalovac (SDP).
MPs Željko Sačić (Sovereignists) and Marija Selak Raspudić (Bridge) commended any steps taken towards securing a property. Even greater protection against ATM theft would be ensured if ATMs were clearly marked with warnings, said Selak Raspudić.
MP Josip Begonja (HDZ) said there was no doubt that it was necessary to further reduce the risk of crime and ensure better protection of people and assets.
Over the past few years, there has been a growing trend of ATMs being burglarised. In 2018 there were 18 crimes of this nature, in 2019 35 such cases were reported while in 2020 44 cases were reported.
Lawmakers also supported amendments to a law on indices that are used as reference values for two new types of benchmarks - EU climate transition and EU Paris-aligned benchmarks.