Its passage required 77 votes, which was exactly how many deputies were in the Parliament chamber.

Under the new law, failure to pay salaries, either in full or in part, without good reason will constitute a criminal offence carrying a prison term of up to three years. The law also provides for a crime of defamation.

The statute of limitations for the gravest of crimes was extended from 30 to 40 years. The novelties relate to penalties for harassment in the workplace and domestic violence.

The crime of giving or taking bribes will no longer carry a prison sentence of six months to five years, but from one to eight years.

Reckless driving will from now on be considered a criminal offence, possession of an illicit drug will remain a crime, and the use of illicit substances in sports (doping) will also constitute a crime.

The maximum penalty for especially grave crimes was extended from 40 to 50 years' imprisonment.

The new law will enter into force on 1 January 2013.

Parliament amended the law concerning the application of the Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal in the prosecution of crimes against the international laws of war and humanitarian law. The amended law provides that in case a trial court verdict is overturned by the Supreme Court, a retrial will be conducted by one of the specialised county courts in Osijek, Rijeka, Split or Zagreb.

Deputies adopted the declaration promoting European values in Southeast Europe, and ratified the loan agreement between Croatia and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the implementation of the integrated system of land administration.

Also adopted was the spatial plan for the multi-purpose Danube-Sava canal. The project is worth 950 million euros and covers the counties of Vukovar-Srijem and Slavonski Brod-Posavina and 12 local government units. It provides for the construction of five ports and docks and 23 road and pedestrian bridges. The canal will be 61.4 kilometres long, stretching from the Danube at Vukovar to the Sava at Slavonski Samac.

Speaker Luka Bebic said that Parliament would be sitting until Friday 28 October, and called on the MPs to discuss in committees by Wednesday the items that were added to the agenda today.