Croatia: Executive Order of 1991, Regarding the Establishment of the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees at the Government of the Republic of Croatia

Article 1

This Executive Order hereby establishes the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees at the Government of the Republic of Croatia, defines its organization, competence and authorities.

Article 2

The Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees (hereinafter: the Office) performs professional and other activities enforcing the regulations on status and rights of displaced persons and refugees, in particular:

•     it makes proposals to the Government of Croatia with regard to the activities concerning the accommodation and assistance to displaced persons and refugees evacuation, reception and accommodation plans, relocating of displaced persons and refugees in different regions (placing on territories of one or more municipalities, curriculum etc.), as well as it implements established policy;

•     it establishes criteria for cost accounting for accommodation and assistance for displaced persons and refugees;

•     it organizes collection of material resources, in particular food and other necessities, advertises, organizes and coordinates actions of the Center for Social Work, and other organs and organizations, in particular of the Croatian Red Cross, the Caritas, of the Bishop's Conference, the Solidarity Chains, Merhamet, religious communities and organizations, and other humanitarian organizations, and citizens;

•     it provides the essential living conditions for displaced persons and refugees, and conditions for their social adjustment, and in this respect it makes proposals for accommodation facilities which will be taken in possession and used in accordance with the Executive order of the Croatian Government on Taking into Possession and the Use of Resorts, Hotels, and Other Tourist Real Estate together with the and Chattels managed, owned or possessed by offshore enterprises and other legal entities and physical persons from abroad;

•     in arrangement with the crisis center of the war areas, it insures the return of displaced persons and refugees to their homes;

•     it cooperates with international humanitarian organizations, and coordinates collection of humanitarian aid from abroad including Croatian Diaspora;

•     it analyses the needs of displaced persons and refugees, sets priority needs, elaborates a plan for satisfying those needs, coordinates the work of different participants (the Red Cross, the Caritas, the Solidarity Chain and international organizations) providing the assistance, and evaluates the achieved;

•     it undertakes measures for insuring the functioning of the unique information and documentation data base system concerning accommodation and assistance to displaced persons and refugees, and of the unique reporting system to the President of the Republic of Croatia, The Parliament of the Republic of Croatia, the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the International Community.

Article 3

A Head of the Office directs the work of the Office, and is appointed and dismissed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

The Head of the Office may have its deputy appointed and dismissed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

The Office has the Secretary-General who is appointed and dismissed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

The Head of the Office with regard to an administrative and professional service of the Office has rights and duties of a republic administrative officer.

Article 4

The work of the Office is supervised by the Administrative Council of the Office. The President and members of the Administrative Council are appointed and dismissed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia on the proposal of the President of the Government of the Republic of Croatia who is in charge of public activities.

The Minister of Labor, Social Welfare and Family is ex officio a member of the Administrative Council of the Office.

Article 5

The Office cooperates with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Office for the Coordination of Aid in Catastrophes of the UN, the UNICEF, the Caritas, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the League of the Associations of the Red Cross, and the Red Moon and other related international and national organizations, the republic administration authorities, and other state organs and organizations.

Article 6

Activities falling within the domain of the Office are performed within the organizational units:

1.   The Department for Accommodation and Organized Return of Displaced Persons and Refugees;

2.   The Financial Department;

3.   The Department for Collection, Transportation and Distribution of Humanitarian Aid;

4.   The Department for the Cooperation with International Humanitarian Organizations, Croatian Diaspora, and for the Collection of Aid from Abroad;

5.   The Department for Social Adaptation and Education of Displaced Persons and Refugees;

6.   The Department for Health Care of Displaced Persons and Refugees;

7.   The Analytical Department.

Article 7

The Office performs activities within its domain through regional offices on the territory of one or more municipalities or a city.

A head of a regional office governs the office, and is appointed and dismissed by the Head of the Office.

An advisory council is set up at the regional office and is appointed by the head of the regional office from members of crisis centers of the territories where regional offices of the local administration and professional workers in the field of health and social security and similar are established. The advisory council of the regional office will decide upon questions stipulated by "By-Laws" on Internal Organization and Work Procedures of the Office.

For the purposes of the organized collection of humanitarian aid abroad, and assistance in accommodation of refugees abroad, the Office can appoint its missions and commissioners abroad. Foreign citizens or Croatian citizens staying abroad can be appointed commissioners.

Article 8

The Head of the Office organizes professional teams for evaluation and giving their opinion on questions falling within the Office's domain, and he appoints their members.

Article 9

The By-Laws on Internal organization and Work Procedure of the Office regulates activities that are performed by the organizational units referred to in Article 6 of this Executive Order, establishes regional offices referred to in Article 7 of this Executive Order, and regulates the activities which they perform together with the procedure; establishes the missions referred to in Article 7 of this Executive Order and determines their activities; it determines rights and duties of workers; determines the systematization of working posts and the number of the executors; regulates the way of performing activities in the execution of public authorities as well as other issues of importance for the organization and work procedures of the Office.

The By-Law on Internal Organization and Work Procedures of the Office is passed by the President of the Office with a consent of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

Article 10

The Office submits a report to the Government of Croatia on its work concerning accommodation of displaced persons and refugees and other related issues at least once a week.

Article 11

On the day of the Executive Order coming into force, the Executive Order on the Establishment of the Office for Refugees of the Republic of Croatia will be repudiated.

Article 12

This Executive Order comes into force on the day of its publication in the Official Gazette.