Prime Minister informs MPs of focus areas in 2022 budget

Zagreb - Addressing the impact of the devastating earthquakes, increasing social welfare payments and parental allowances, ensuring the fiscal viability of local government units are the fields to which the Government pays special attention in the 2022 budget, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday.

Hefty amounts are envisaged from the national and EU sources of funding to offset the damage done by the 2020 earthquakes, the Prime Minister said in Parliament while outlining the draft budget for 2022.

He said that HRK 1.2 billion would be allocated from national sources and an additional HRK 4.6 billion from the Solidarity Fund to finance the post-earthquake reconstruction of public infrastructure, including healthcare, educational and cultural infrastructure.

An additional HRK 400 million has been set aside for social welfare payments, the monthly parental leave allowance has been increased to HRK 7,500  per month, and HRK 100 million has been earmarked for the financial sustainability of local government units.

Over HRK 1 billion will go towards the reconstruction and construction of healthcare infrastructure.

In addition, HRK 2.2 billion has been allocated for the long-awaited purchase of multipurpose fighter jets from France, the Prime Minister recalled.

(€1 = HRK 7.523492)