Zagreb - Members of the Croatian Parliament on Friday welcomed legislative amendments aimed at expediting cadastral surveying of construction land, agreeing that this will enhance legal security for citizens and accelerate economic development.
The current cadastral system is still largely based on surveys from the 19th century.
During a discussion on amendments to the Law on State Survey and Real Estate Cadastre, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction Branko Bačić explained how the process could be sped up. He pointed out that it currently takes up to seven years from the time surveyors measure the land until the land registry is updated, by which time the collected data may no longer be accurate.
Bačić noted that the cadastre is still primarily based on geodetic surveys conducted in the 19th century during the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph.
"It has been almost 170 years since then, and as a result, land registry data is outdated in many parts of the country, which creates problems with property transactions and complicates the process of obtaining building permits," he said.
Bačić added that, Croatia covers 56,000 square kilometers, and it has so far surveyed less than 15% of the area.
Given that a full survey of the country would take too long, a decision was made to survey construction land, which covers approximately 600,000 hectares, or 10% of the country's total territory, over the next 10 years.
"This 10% of land accounts for 80% of all investments in the country and is the site of 80% of all construction and infrastructure projects. Therefore, it is a smart decision to resolve the status of this land over the next decade," Bačić concluded.