The Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovi\u0107, the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Damir Krsti\u010devi\u0107 and the Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovi\u0107, the Special Adivsor to the Defence Minister Bo\u017eo Ko\u017eul, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Mirko \u0160undov the Commander of the Croatian Army, Brigadier General Sini\u0161a Jurkovi\u0107 and the Commander of the Special Forces Command Brigadier General Perica Turalija on 25 February visited Delnice, hit by the heavy showfall.<\/p>\n
They met with the Prefect of the Primorje \u2013 Gorski Kotar County Zlatko Komadina and the Mayor of Delnice Ivica Kne\u017eevi\u0107, who stated Delnice requested additional financial assistance from the Croatian Government, given the consumed funds for the winter services.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister and the ministers attended the meeting of the Emergency Centre of Delnice, and then visited the members of the Croatian Armed Forces and the winter services personnel plowing and removing snow in the town.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister appreciated the Mayor of Delnice and the Prefect of the County, the staff of the Emergency Centre, the members of the Croatian Armed Forces, the National Search and Rescue Directorate, the Mountain Rescue Service and other institutions whose resolute efforts helped restore the situation to normal.<\/p>\n
Gorski kotar is a highly important region for Croatia and its Government, which will take all the necessary steps to remove the effects of the snow in the shortest delay.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister stated that in the event that the relief costs exceeded the town, municipalities and the county capacities the Government would activate the respective mechanisms of the state budget to co-finance them. He also stressed the Government’s prospective discussion of the bill on the mountainous regions, and the Local Government Finance Act and the Fiscal Decentralisation Fund with respect to co-financing the winter services.<\/p>\n
Minister Krsti\u010devi\u0107 said he had visited the members of the Croatian Armed Forces dispatched to Delnice and witnessed to their zealous assistance, evincing the commitment to the Croatian people. “The emergency situations of the kind call for a synergy of all components of the homeland security system; the Croatian Armed Forces are always at the service of the Croatian citizens\u201c.
\nThe Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovi\u0107 called on all subjects available to assist the local population in snow removal efforts.<\/p>\n
On 25 February seven members of the Croatian Army operating four machines were engaged clearing and removing the snow from the public spaces and roads in the Delnice area; since 22 February more than 300 members of the Croatian Armed Forces, equipped with some 30 engineer machines and vehicles, have been engaged relieving the effects of heavy snowfall as requested by the responsible civilian institutions and pursuant to the decision by the Defence Minister Damir Krsti\u010devi\u0107.<\/p>\n