| Croatian:Područja od posebne državne skrbi | |
 | |
.png) Map of Croatia with the Areas of Special State Concern marked with shades of green | |
| Regional Development Program of the Central Government overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1996 |
| Type | Government's Regional Development Program |
| Jurisdiction | Croatia |
| Headquarters | Zagreb |
Areas of Special State Concern orASSC[1] (Croatian:Područja od posebne državne skrbi, PPDS) inCroatia are areas of relative underdevelopment compared to the rest of the country in whichCroatian Government implements certain policies aimed at achieving balancedregional development. In addition to challenges faced by many other non-urban communities in Croatia, the ASSC areas face specific challenges which are a result of the 1991–1995Croatian War of Independence, and include the return and reintegration ofwar refugees, lack of entrepreneurial capacity and support for business, destroyed or inadequate infrastructure, land underland-mines and insufficientsocial reintegration.[2]
The Areas are subdivided into three categories:[3]
The Act's general provisions determine that only up to 15% of the total population of Croatia may live in the areas which are determined as the ASSC.[1] 170 units of local government in Croatia or some of their settlements are part of the ASSC and in 2001 679,657 inhabitants lived on their territory (15.3% of the total population), with 217,876 in the First, 264,031 in the Second and 197,750 in the Third Category.[1]
The legal foundation for the government's activities is theAct on Areas of Special State Concern which belongs to the group of the four regional acts, though are mostly implemented at local and municipal level.[2] The Act wasenacted in 1996 which brought flexibility with municipalities and settlements entering or leaving the ASSC depending on their indicators.[1] In 2002 the Act went through a major amendment that divided the ASSC into three major categories.[1] A new law with improved measures for demographic renewal and tax benefits was passed in 2008.[3]
-First_Category.png)
-Second_Category.png)
-Third_Category.png)
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