ZAGREB, 5 May 2022 - Female lawmakers from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Social Democrats, Green-Left Boc, Centre, GLAS, Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) and Workers' Front announced on Thursday they would once again send a motion to Parliament for abortion to be made available in all hospitals in Croatia.

"The case where a child was diagnosed with a malignant tumour in the 26th week of pregnancy and could die, and if it doesn't, it will live like a vegetable has shaken us all but unfortunately, this is just the consequence of a problem that Croatia has been faced with for years," MP Sabina Glasovac (SDP) said at a joint press conference.

Glasovac said that the law treats Croatian women as "second-rate" recalling that the Constitutional Court had clearly said already in 2017 that the present law, dating from 1978, should be updated and made implementable. The government has done nothing in that regard "because of fear of losing part of its electorate and in that way, it is sacrificing the health and lives of women."

Glasovac said that the opposition did not just watch from the sidelines but reacted in 2020 by  submitting a bill. However, the government did not react to it.

She announced that the opposition would once again submit its bill into the procedure and collect signatures from MPs to 'push' it onto the Sabor's agenda prior to the summer recess.

"We will seek that every health institution regardless of conscientious objection ensures a sufficient number of doctors who will provide this medical service to terminate a pregnancy without seeking the reason for it, for it to be ensured and legally implementable," Glasovac announced.

Katica Glamuzina (Social Democrats) said that they are inviting Health Minister Beroš to come to the Sabor and explain why the law has not been adopted in the past three years, why the conscientious objection is not regulated by any act and why patients are referred to Slovenia to pay €1,000 for something they should have for free in their own country.

Raukar Gamulin (ZLB): System has left the desperate pregnant woman on her own

Urša Raukar Gamulin (Green-Left Bloc) said that the incomprehensible tragedy of a pregnant woman was not enough and that the system has left her to be completely on her own.

"The thing that happened to that pregnant woman is a tragedy of the system and has shown that there is no 'health system' to protect women. The system is obliged to ensure an abortion for every woman regardless of conscientious objection because what is happening now is inhumane and has no regard for that woman. We do not know how many women have been referred to Slovenia to solve their problem, but as she said, she is a citizen of Croatia and wants to solve her problem in Croatia," Raukar Gamulin said.

Katarina Peović (Workers' Front) warned  that the vested right, support from the science community, and support from the legislature for women ensuring their health and right to manage their own bodies "did not last long."

"We will fight with all our means to raise that issue to a higher level, to put it in the public sphere, because only the fight by both men and women can restore this right that was once won," she said.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 5 May 2022 - Delivering a ruling on the right to compensation for overpaid interest for loans pegged to a foreign currency after conversion, the EU Court of Justice has found that these loans fall outside the scope of the consumer protection directive.

The court published a decision on Thursday saying that the directive of 5 April 1993 on unfair terms in consumer contracts should be interpreted in such a way that contractual provisions that reflect national law under which the seller or service provider was obliged to propose to the consumer an amendment to their original contract by means of an agreement the content of which was determined by those provisions and which the consumer was able to accept, fall outside the material scope of the directive.

This refers to the case of A.H. vs Zagrebačka Banka regarding the reimbursement of the amount the bank allegedly unduly gained pursuant to the unfair provisions that were initially contained in the loan contract that the parties concluded and were subsequently amended via an annex that contained the amendments foreseen in Croatian law.

Franak: Decision to be made by Supreme Court

The ruling, in this case, has been pending since October 2020 when the Municipal Civil Court in Zagreb applied to the EU Court and independent attorney Juliane Kokott said that the matter did not fall within the jurisdiction of the EU Court.

The Franak association of debtors with loans pegged to foreign currencies said on Thursday that the court did not rule that it was not competent for this case, yet it did not answer the questions asked. That means the decision on the right to compensation of all consumers with converted loans will now be passed on to the Supreme Court, the NGO said.

"We have not been compensated for and the Supreme Court has to adopt the only just decision and that is to determine our rights based on expert evaluation," because without a proper calculation it is not possible to determine whether the balance between the rights and obligations of consumers and banks was achieved by the loan conversion, the NGO concluded.

HUB: EU Court confirms Croatian case is specific

The Croatian Banking Association (HUB) said that the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union confirmed HUB's position that the Croatian case of CHF-indexed loans was specific compared to other EU countries because the conversion was carried out in accordance with a law that was binding on banks but voluntary for consumers.

HUB cited the court's finding that Directive 94/13 on unfair terms in consumer contracts is not applicable to contractual provisions that reflect the mandatory provisions of national law or, in the Croatian case, the provisions of conversion agreements concluded in accordance with the provisions of the Act amending the 2015 Consumer Credit Act.

It is assumed that the national legislature has, through its intervention, established a balance between the rights and obligations of the contracting parties and such a decision is in conformity with the case law, HUB said, recalling that 94 per cent of CHF loan holders voluntarily converted their obligations.

HUB noted that under the amended law the banks bore the full cost of the conversion, which totalled HRK 7.5 billion (€1bn), and that the conversion ensured that CHF loan holders had equal status to that of euro loan holders.

"Bearing this in mind, any further compensation of one category of debtors would be discriminatory and would distort the balance established by the law," HUB said..

It also noted that the Croatian Supreme Court has found that conversion agreements concluded pursuant to the amended Consumer Credit Act are valid and have legal effect where the provisions of the basic loan contract concerning the floating interest rate and foreign-currency clause have been found null and void, and that CHF loan holders have the same status as euro loan holders.

HUB said that this position was now additionally confirmed by the EU Court and that the validity of the conversion and its effect on the reimbursement of consumers should no longer be a matter for the courts.

For more, check out our business section.

ZAGREB, 5 May 2022  - Headquarters Multinational Division Centre (HQ MND-C), an international military initiative launched by Croatia and Hungary, has been integrated into the NATO Force Structure, the Croatian Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

Located at Székesfehérvár, Hungary, HQ MND-C was integrated into the NATO Force Structure in line with a decision on activation and integration, made by the North Atlantic Council on 3 May, the ministry said.

The commander of HQ MND-C is Major General Denis Tretinjak.

"The integration of MND-C into the NATO Force Structure completes the procedure for the integration of this initiative into NATO's security architecture, which will significantly contribute to strengthening the alliance's deterrence and defence capacity in Europe and thus to collective defence and crisis management," the ministry said.

HQ MND-C will become fully operational in 2023 when it will become part of NATO's plans and objectives regarding the strengthening of regional as well as overall NATO security. A medium-term development plan for the period until 2032 envisages the development of its forces to the level of a division.

The establishment of HQ MND-C was initiated by Croatia and Hungary in July 2018 when the lack of allied capacity in command and control in Central Europe was recognised, followed by intensive work with regional partners to establish command.

Apart from Croatia and Hungary as the initiators, Slovakia has also joined HQ MND-C as the third founding country.

Poland is involved in the work of HQ MND-C as well, and interest in joining has also been shown by Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 5 May 2022 - Croatia has recorded 961 new coronavirus cases and nine COVID-related deaths in the past 24 hours, the national coronavirus response team reported on Thursday.

The number of active cases in the country now stands at 5,621, and 401 patients are being treated in hospital, including 17 placed on ventilators, while 2,746 people are self-isolating.

To date, 4,804,096 people have tested for the SARS CoV-2 virus, including 4,421 in the past 24 hours.

A total of 5.24 million COVID vaccine doses have been administered, and 59.50% of the total population, or 70.76% of the adult population, have been inoculated, including 68.69% of adults fully.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

ZAGREB, 5 May 2022 - Croatia will give Ukraine a donation worth €5 million at a donor conference taking place in Warsaw on Thursday, and the event will be addressed virtually by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Croatian government on Thursday decided to donate to Ukraine financial aid in the amount of four million euros plus a €1 million worth of water and medicines donated by Croatian companies.

"Croatia knows what is means to be attacked and will continue helping Ukraine from the heart and out of principle," PM Andrej Plenković told reporters while arriving for the conference, organised by the Polish and Swedish governments.

The conference is co-hosted by Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki and Swedish PM Magdalena Andersson, in partnership with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Plenković travelled to Poland together with Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, and he is expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings on the margins of the event, including with outgoing Slovenian PM Janez Janša.

The Polish Foreign Ministry on Monday said it expected at least ten delegations at the event.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to address the conference virtually, and a Ukrainian delegation is expected to arrive in the Polish capital.

At the last donor conference organised in Warsaw in early April by the European Commission, Canadian government and Global Citizens organisation, more than €10 million was raised for Ukraine.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 5 May 2022 - The president of the Croatian National Council of BiH, Dragan Čović, on Thursday called on Croatia's leaders, while there is still time, to warn the EU and NATO of the threat of the "gross and organised" outvoting of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina at October's general elections.

Čović met separately on Wednesday with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and President Zoran Milanović. 

Čović appealed to the two officials to additionally raise the issue and warn of the gross and organised outvoting of the Croat people in BiH within the framework of the international associations they belong to - the EU, NATO, and all others - while there is still time for that, HNS BiH said in a press release.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Central Electoral Commission called general elections for 2 October despite local Croat parties and Zagreb warning that based on the incumbent rules, the more numerous Bosniak people will once again outvote the Croats.

In the past three elections, Bosniak voters elected Željko Komišić as the Croat member of the country's presidency. Bosniak parties have announced that Bosniak voters will elect 6 of the 17 Croat delegates in the Upper House of the Federation entity parliament, which would be sufficient to exclude Croats from the government in that entity and at the state level.

Čović thanked Plenković and the Croatian government for their contribution to efforts to guarantee legitimate representation of the constituent peoples and for advocatingr the equality of Croats and for BiH's European path.

With regard to the meeting with Milanović, HNS BiH said that the need for an urgent agreement on election reforms was underscored and that all Croatian institutions will insist on that.

"Legitimate representation of the constituent peoples must be ensured but also the functionality of institutions in BiH," HNS BiH said in the press release.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 5 May 2022 - The €372 billion InvestEU programme, providing the Croatian private and public sectors with opportunities for green and sustainable investments, innovation and new jobs, was presented on Thursday at a conference by the European Investment Bank and European Commission Representation in Croatia.

"InvestEU aims to provide more than €372 billion to public and private investors in the European economy in the period from 2021 to 2027. These investments will be enabled based on an EU guarantee of €26.2 billion, which will be used to support investments by InvestEU implementing partners such as the European Investment Bank (EIB)," it was said at the conference, organised by the EIB and European Commission (EC) Representation in Croatia in cooperation with the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).

The InvestEU programme builds on the successful model of mobilising investments, introduced by the Investment Plan for Europe, or the Juncker Plan, and combines the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) and 13 other EU financial instruments.

As a member of the EU, Croatia has an opportunity to accelerate its green and sustainable development based on long-term financing to be provided by InvestEU, primarily through investments in digital infrastructure, innovation, technology and skills, the EIB said in a press release.

This will empower citizens and EU economy with new generation technologies and accelerate the implementation of the EU Green Deal and "mobilise private investments for the EU's policy priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition," the bank says.

The conference, held for representatives of state, public and private sectors, was addressed via video link also by Finance Minister Zdravko Marić.

The event discussed opportunities InvestEU provides and its priorities, components and available financing as well as consultancy in identifying and preparing projects, provided by the EIB Group as the lead implementing and advisory arm of the InvestEU programme.

InvestEU consists of three building blocks: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal.

EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwinska said the programme will provide a significant stimulus to investments in many critical areas of the economy throughout the EU.

The programme is a key element of what so far is the EU's largest package of measures that will boost recovery from the COVID pandemic and will help build a greener, more digital and more resilient European economy, Czerwinska said, adding that InvestEU will also help Europe meet new challenges, including those related to the war in Ukraine.

The EIB will be a vital component in implementing the programme, which will increase investments in clean energy, education, digitisation and urban infrastructure, she said, calling on Croatia's public and private sectors to learn how to absorb as much funding as possible from this programme in cooperation with the EIB.

For more, check out our politics section.

May 5, 2022 - Defending champion Jasmine Paolini, last year's finalist and top-ranked Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus, and eight-time Grand Slam winner, 2019 doubles world number one and top 10 player in 2017 Kristina Mladenović will play at the WTA Makarska Open at Valamar this year! 

Clara Burel also comes from France, who, at the age of 19, played in the third round of Roland Garros in 2020. Marta Kostyuk, a young Ukrainian star under the leadership of celebrated Croatian ace Ivan Ljubičić, Anna Bondar, the best Hungarian tennis player, and Spaniard Nuria Parrizas Diaz will also compete.

Along with the already mentioned Jasmine Paolini, Martina Trevisan and Lucia Bronzetti arrived from Italy. Furthermore, the legend of Italian and world tennis Sara Errani is on the waiting list. Again, the two best players from Slovakia - Kristina Kucova and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, announced their arrival, and the best Swedish tennis player Rebecca Peterson. 

Mayar Sherif, the best tennis player from Egypt, and the best-ranked Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, a doubles finalist at this year's Australian Open, join the list. Quinwen Zheng is coming from China; a young 19-year-old hope and currently the second most successful player in the country.

Bernarda Pera, who plays under the American flag, is also expected to compete while Antonija Ružić and Teni Lukas have been invited among Croatian tennis players, and Makarska's Marijana Dražić will play in doubles. 

Even more sports surprises are possible at the WTA Makarska Open hosted by Valamar because the two best Serbian tennis players are on the waiting list - 2017 winner Aleksandra Krunić and Olga Danilović, as well as the best Montenegrin tennis player Danka Kovinić and "miracle from Paris" Nadia Podoroska, the only tennis player to reach the Roland Garros semifinals from qualifying.

"Our goal is to grow from year to year. So we decided that the WTA tournament will be held in Makarska this year in partnership with the City and Valamar and with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and Split-Dalmatia County, whom I thank once again for their support. The tournament is a step forward in terms of organization and logistics. This effort has been recognized, which can be seen in the applications of tennis players, because this year we have 22 tennis players from the top 100, while last year we had 13. Of course, the final list could vary and depends on the outcome at Roland Garros," said Feliks Lukas, tournament director. He added that tennis fans, locals, and their guests could expect an exciting entertainment program with top concerts and theater performances and numerous professional panel discussions and training in addition to the competitions.

Where will you be from May 30 to June 5?

Photos by Vladimir Dugandžić, archive WTA Makarska Open hosted by Valamar

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