Island Assembly: Introduction of Ferry Night lines and Support for Island Employers

‘Regular ferry night lines will be organized for all larger islands (Cres, Rab, Ugljan, Brač and Hvar) throughout the whole year’, announced the Minister of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development Božidar Kalmeta after the decision had been adopted unanimously at the 4th meeting of the Island Assembly.

'The organizing of these night lines will cost the budget another HRK 10 million per year', Kalmeta added, pointing out that for present times only the Island of Korčula was enjoying that kind of benefit. The Island Assembly demanded that a similar decision should be reconsidered for the ferry line Prizna-Žigljen.

Branko Bačić the State Secretary for the Sea explained that regarding the Island of Hvar, such a night line would operate during the summer along the passage Split-Starigrad and during the winter it would switch over to the passage Drvenik-Sućuraj.

Another decree past at the Assembly included the definition of conditions, amounts and manner of realization for dividing official financial support to island employers in order to help preserve job positions. The Minister explained that the State would assure for every employer, situated on an island, one additional monthly wage per employee. The final amount of the wage would depend upon whether the employer was situated on an island of the 1st or of the 2nd category.

This new measure would cost the State an additional amount of HRK 25 million, Kalmeta said since the Croatian islands were counting currently 44 000 employees.

That financial support is intended for all island employees, except for those employed in institutions of state/local government and financial institutions (banks).

According to Bačić, within a three years period an island employer will have the opportunity to receive the max. amount of HRK 750 000. For that he will have to employ a worker throughout 12 months, continuously.

Josip Borić the Assistant Minister for Islands informed all present that throughout the last two years, via ministries and various companies, HRK 2.85 billion had been invested in Croatian islands.

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