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Zagreb - The Croatian parliament passed two agriculture-related laws on Friday - the Farmland Consolidation Act and the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture Act.
The Farmland Consolidation Act will enable expansion of farms and plots of farmland, putting road and canal networks in order, irrigation and the regulation of ownership relations. Land consolidation will be carried out based on multiannual and annual programmes. Multiannual programmes are adopted by parliament for a period of five years, while annual programmes are adopted by the government.
According to the National Land Survey Office, about 822,000 hectares of land in 11 regional government units had been consolidated by 1991.
The Croatian Chamber of Agriculture Act says that membership of the Chamber is voluntary and that certified agronomists are to observe the rights and obligations arising from the membership. Within 30 days of the entry into force of the new law, a commission will be appointed to conduct the first elections for the Chamber.
Parliament rejected the financial report of the Croatian Olympic Committee for 2013 and two motions -- one, put forward by Reformists MP Natalija Martincevic, to establish a fund for co-financing investment projects, and the other, proposed by Mirela Holy of the ORaH party, to amend the Drug Abuse Act.
MPs are to continue their session on Wednesday with a discussion on amendments to the Criminal Code.