Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy Josip Aladrovic, says that the proposed reform of the welfare system will reduce the risk of poverty and increase the accessibility and transparency of social services, while social workers are opposed to almost all key changes.

“For many years now there has been no significant reform of the system or investment in its improvement for more than 300,000 welfare beneficiaries across Croatia,” Aladrovic said at a meeting of the National Council for the Development of Social Policies.

The plan is to invest an additional HRK 1.2 billion through seven bills and HRK 7.1 billion through three national plans by 2027, the minister said, stressing that the reform and investment plan is focused on beneficiaries.

The proposal has been met with criticism from professional organisations, claiming that it will have long-term negative consequences.

All five professional chambers in this field have announced that they will use all available legal means to oppose the seven bills. They are in particular critical of the proposal to centralise the welfare system, saying that the proposal “does not recognise the strength of community welfare centres.”

The reform proposal had been put to e-consultation, which closed earlier this month, and is expected to be sent to Parliament in December for two readings before adoption.