Zagreb - Apart from their regular monthly wages, Croatia's lawmakers are also entitled to perks, such as the coverage of transport and accommodation costs, and in the first half of 2022, they were paid HRK 4.7 million for such expenses, almost close to the amount in the pre-pandemic 2019 H1 (HRK 5 million).
The relaxation and subsequent lifting of COVID protocols enabled members of the Croatian Parliament to travel more on business trips, and consequently, the costs of MPs apart from their regular salaries increased by 700,000 kuna compared to the first half of 2021.
For instance, HRK 394,000 was disbursed for flight tickets, plus HRK 217,000 for hotel accommodation and an additional 110,000 was paid to for those travelling MPs for their daily allowances while there were on business trips.
The use of MPs' private cars for their business trips cost the most, HRK 1.9 million in the 2022 H1*, or 100,000 kuna more year on year.
Considering travel and other expenses, the chairmen of the committees for European affairs and for inter-parliamentary cooperation, Domagoj Hajduković (Social Democrats) and Davor Ivo Stier (HDZ) incurred the highest costs, HRK 134,000 and HRK 110,000 respectively.
The sum of HRK 1.1 million was disbursed for accommodation rents for lawmakers whose permanent abode is at least 50 kilometres of Zagreb.
The living away from home allowance (LAFHA) allocation totalled HRK 476,000, which was at the same llevel as in the first half of 2021.
(€1 = HRK 7.5)
*H1=The first half of a financial year