Finance Minister Zdravko Maric informed Tuesday that as of 30 September 2020, total bank deposits in Croatia amounted to 357 billion kuna (€47.3bn), including 210.7 billion kuna (€28bn) of insured deposits.
In comparison to the pre-pandemic level, that is an increase of 13.6 billion kuna (€1.8bn), Maric told MP Boris Lalovac (SDP) during a debate in the parliament on bills on deposit insurance and credit institutions.
MP Marin Mandaric (HDZ) underscored that the bills would raise the level of legal security, maintain confidence in financial institutions and enable equal treatment for depositors in Croatia and throughout the EU.
When something makes an adverse effect on a bank, regardless of whether it can pay out money or not, that money is secured, there is a parallel mechanism that will pay that money within 15 days until 2024 and after that, within seven days, Lalovac noted and added that it is “essential that citizens know they will get their money.”
Citizens who have money deposited in banks can have assurances that their deposits of up to €100,000 are guaranteed. They will not be last in line for payout, MP Mandaric assured MP Davor Dretar (Homeland Movement) who raised the issue of how payments would be scheduled.
Minister Maric said that a novelty in the bills is that guaranteed deposits will not be financed from taxpayers money but exclusively at the expense of credit institutions.
MP Arsen Bauk (SDP) called on the finance minister in his capacity as president of the Hrvatska Lutrija general assembly to prevent the spending of money from the state-run lottery on lawyers and “state-sponsored attacks on the freedom of speech.”
He explained that the parliamentary Credentials and Privileges Commission had received a request that MP Davor Bernardic (SDP) should be stripped of parliamentary immunity pursuant to a suit by HL, not its director but the company because during a debate ahead of the parliamentary election Bernardic said “while people are losing their jobs, the (HL) Lottery is paying out bonuses, for you, state companies are like an ATM.”
(€1 = 7.55 kuna)