The Croatian Parliament adopted the revised state budget for 2024 on Friday with 81 votes in favour, 50 against and two abstentions. The revised budget increases revenue by 1.8 billion euros to 30.3 billion euros and expenditure by 976 million euros to 33.6 billion euros.

The revision was made on the basis of a revised GDP growth projection for this year of 3.6%, a projected inflation rate of 3.0%, a projected employment growth rate of 3.0% and a projected growth in gross wages of 14.7%.

Tax revenue is estimated at €17.25 billion, around €1 billion more than in the original budget. Income from contributions is estimated at € 5 billion, income from assets at € 600 million and other income at € 7.5 billion.

All 127 opposition amendments rejected

The largest expenditure item in the budget is compensation for energy costs due to government measures (€604 million), followed by expenditure for employees (€574 million), post-earthquake reconstruction (€178 million), social assistance (€154 million) and demographic measures (€38 million).

Overall, the savings and reallocation of funds between the ministries totalled € 1.06 billion.

Parliament also amended the law on the implementation of the state budget and adopted the semi-annual report on the implementation of the state budget for 2024.

Prior to the vote, the opposition had complained that none of the 127 amendments it had proposed to the budget revision proposal had been adopted.

“Not a single demographic measure that we proposed was adopted, not a single amendment, not even an amendment for the construction of sports halls in Vukovar was adopted,” said Marijan Pavlicek of the Croatian Soveregnists.