Const. Court Decides High Criminal Court to Start Working on 1 Jan 2021
ZAGREB, Nov 3, 2020 - The Constitutional Court on Tuesday dismissed objections that the High Criminal Court is unconstitutional, ruling that the new court, which should deal with appeals against first-instance county court rulings, will start operating on 1 January 2021.
The motion to assess if the High Criminal Court, whose establishment former Justice Minister Drazen Bosnjakovic entrusted to Zagreb County Court president Ivan Turudic, is in line with the Constitution had been submitted by former Social Democrat Justice Minister Orsat Miljenic and his party colleague, MP Pedja Grbin.
The Constitutional Court does not believe that the establishment of the High Criminal Court would bring into question the constitutional status of the Supreme Court as the highest court ensuring administration of justice and the equality of all in its administration, the court said.
It noted that it did not rule on whether the High Criminal Court should be established, since the establishment, scope, composition and structure of courts was within the remit of lawmakers.
Nine Constitutional Court judges voted for this ruling, two were against and announced dissenting opinions, and two abstained from the vote as they had been involved in the adoption of the contested laws, the court said in a statement.
The High Criminal Court was to have been established at the start of this year but its inauguration was postponed due to the complaint of unconstitutionality, and its 11 judges, elected in November 2019, were not invited to the oath-taking ceremony.
The Constitutional Court today also quashed a law on the invalidity of loan contracts with international characteristics signed in Croatia with an unauthorised creditor.
The court made the decision based on a ruling of the Court of the European Union whereby the court decided that the contested law was contrary to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
The decision was supported by nine judges, four voted against and two announced dissenting opinions.
SDP Leader Says Lockdown Can Only be Avoided with Systematic Strategy
ZAGREB, Nov 3, 2020 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Pedja Grbin said in parliament on Tuesday that the only way to avoid a lockdown in Croatia is with a systematic strategy, which the country does not have.
"We cannot avoid it spontaneously but with a systematic strategy, a model that will have checkpoints, transition times, a model that foresees how the situation will develop and an implementable operational programme...Is the government prepared to adopt and implement such a programme?" Grbin asked during Question Time in the Sabor.
He believes that Croatia does not need a new lockdown as that would be destructive, but it is necessary to talk and think about it considering that a number of countries have already gone into lockdown.
"There is no strategy. It does not exist. Measures are being adopted ad hoc, with the most stringent one being the ban on serving alcohol after midnight. There is talk of a tidal wave of patients but we do not have a strategy in case the numbers increase," said Grbin.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic did not agree that there is no strategy. "You consider the strategy that we have been implementing since February as improvisation. That is not the case," said Plenkovic.
"We will not fall into media and political traps that we are heading towards a lockdown and curfew that will restrict rights and cause economic damage that will not affect the dynamics of the disease spreading. We will avoid that and that is the objective of our policy," said Plenkovic.
Asked by MP Bojan Glavasevic about the attack in St. Mark's Square and the announced fight against hate speech and extremism, Plenkovic siad that the armed attack on Government House had crossed the line.
"Imagine that after the decapitation of that teacher in France and yesterday's attack in Vienna certain political figures said that that occurred as a result of the general political situation and as a sign of rebellion," said Plenkovic and added that a document is being prepared by the coordinating body for homeland security with a series of recommended measures in the fight against radicalisation and extremism.
Agriculture Minister Marija Vuckovic said that Croatia's food supplies are not threatened during the epidemic, underlining that supplies are functioning well and production has been maintained.
PM on Dubrava Hospital: It's Necessary to Distinguish Images on Internet and Reality
ZAGREB, Nov 3, 2020 - During Question Time in the Sabor on Tuesday, referring to the situation at the Dubrava Hospital, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that he believes in the quality, expertise and professionalism at the hospital and that it is necessary to differentiate between the picture on the Internet and the real situation.
"I believe in the quality, expertise and professionalism of all the staff at KB Dubrava and in the decisions that will enable the hospital's efficient functioning and quality health care," Plenkovic said responding to a question by MP Mirela Ahmetovic (SDP) who claimed that the hospital was in chaos, disorganised and falling apart.
"We will make a clear distinction between the perception that is circulating on social networks, on the Internet, and the real picture of the situation in that respectable health institution. (Health) Minister Beros and all those responsible have the duty to ensure that anyone who comes to KB Dubrava receives adequate care at the highest possible level," said Plenkovic.
Ahmetovic was not satisfied with his answer, claiming that the results of the Croatian Democratic Union in government can be seen in KB Dubrava.
"Dubrava doesn't even have a decent generator. The generator of this situation exists, and that is you as the sponsor of this grotesque system, which is why the health system is falling apart now when it is most needed. Who is to blame for that? Corruption, Mr Plenkovic," claimed Ahmetovic.
Replying to lawmakers' questions, Health Minister Vili Beros said that he agrees that it is necessary to resolve the problem of employing interns in healthcare.
Access to health treatment by chronically ill and oncology patients
As far as accessibility to the health system for chronically ill and oncology patients is concerned, Beros said that this extreme situation requires a different way of providing health protection. However we are endeavouring to do what we can so that sufficient care is available to whoever needs it, he added.
Disgruntled Employees Hold Protest Rally Outside Dubrava Hospital
ZAGREB, Nov 3, 2020 - A new protest rally by hospital staff was held outside the KB Dubrava Hospital in Zagreb on Tuesday following a decision by the hospital's administration to convert the entire hospital to treat COVID patients only.
Following a protest rally on Friday, several dozen doctors, nurses and carers protested once again on Tuesday outside the hospital, because patients in Zagreb's eastern suburbs would be left without an emergency service that caters to a population of about 350,000.
They called on Health Minister Vili Beros to once again reconsider his decision to turn KB Dubrava hospital into a facility to treat Covid patients only.
Assistant director at the hospital Josip Curic read a proclamation on behalf of the protesting staff.
The proclamation underlines that patients are being treated in inadequate premises without proper electricity installations and with donated ventilators that are old and that patients in the eastern suburbs will be left without emergency and acute care services.
The hospital building is the only health institution in Zagreb and Zagreb County that is sound enough to withstand even the strongest earthquake and that is why the hospital should be treated as a location where all groups of citizens can be given medical attention at any given moment, Curic said.
Newly-appointed president of the hospital's Administrative Committee Silvio Basic, who is also a state-secretary in the Health Ministry, during the protest on Friday confirmed that all patients who are not infected with Covid would be transferred from Dubrava Hospital to other hospitals in Zagreb and that an additional 200 beds had been secured for Covid patients.
Basic added that there was the sufficient number of medical professionals and sufficient ventilators at the hospital.
During today's protest Dr. Antonija Djuzel expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that oncology patients will not be treated at Dubrava Hospital. "The public has to know - beds do not heal people. People heal people," she said.
Beros: Healthcare System Successfully Adapted to Respond to Epidemic
ZAGREB, Nov 3, 2020 - Addressing the parliament during Question Time on Tuesday, Minister Vili Beros said that the Croatian healthcare system was being successfully adapted to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic.
"We have 20,000 hospital beds, including 14,460 acute care beds and more than 1,450 intensive care beds," the health minister said.
We also have a relatively sufficient number of specialists, there are more than 1,190 infectious disease specialists, 1,439 internists, 915 anesthesiologists, 182 pulmonologists and we are trying to distribute them so as to respond to the current circumstances, the minister said.
He said that "the formula is clear: if we have 2,500 new cases of the coronavirus infection per day, and if we can forecast that 10% of them will need hospitalisation, we have the necessary number of beds, it only remains to be seen how they will be distributed."
We are braced for higher numbers, and we will do our utmost to be adjusted to the new circumstances, the minister said while reassuring lawmakers about the preparedness of the healthcare system.
Beros said that there was also the sufficient number of ventilators.
In response to criticism from the Opposition, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic reiterated that all the actions taken by the government and the COVID-19 crisis management team were in compliance with the law and the Constitution and were conducted to contain the epidemic.
He recalled that also during the summer, that is between 23 May and 16 June, when Croatia had a mere 12 infected persons, the Opposition also questioned the constitutionality of the crisis management team and wondered whether there would be enough protective gears.
Grlic Radman: Croatia Always has Good Relations with USA
ZAGREB, Nov 3, 2020 - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Tuesday that it was up to the American people to decide who they want for their next president adding that Croatia has always had good relations with the US Administration regardless of who has been at the helm of the country.
Croatia is waiting for the US presidential results but it is a matter of the American people's choice, he added.
"We welcome the democratic right to elect the president they want. Those elections will show the will and desire of American voters," Grlic Radman told reporters in Parliament House prior to Question Time in the Sabor.
Asked what would be better for Croatia, he said that our country has always had good relations with the US Administration regardless of who was the president.
"Croatia always has and has had good relations with the US administration regardless of who that may be. When Croatia protects its own national interests, it in a way passes them on and expects its interlocutors to support them," the foreign minister said.
Adriatic Region Investment Forum Takes Place Tomorrow in Zagreb
November 3, 2020 – As a one-day event in new circumstances, with an emphasis on the online presentation model and a smaller number of participants, the fourth Adriatic Region Investment Forum of health, sports, and tourism will be held in Zagreb tomorrow.
The fourth Adriatic Region Health and Tourism Investment Forum will bring together world-renowned experts, entrepreneurs, and investors at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb, to consider exploiting the Adriatic region's exceptional health and tourism potential to become a year-round desirable destination.
The Forum will address topics related to the national development strategy of the Republic of Croatia until 2030 in the sectors of health, tourism, and health tourism, through the challenges of developing a year-round destination of sustainable tourism, the synergy of rural and health tourism, and food as a resource in tourism.
This year's Investment Forum will be officially opened on Wednesday, November 4, at 9 am by the envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Tonči Glavina. The esteemed audience will be addressed with words of support by the President of the largest international health tourism association, which brings together representatives from over 60 countries, dr. Violeta Yanyshevskaya (Global Healthcare Travel Council) and the President of the Organizing Committee of the 4th AHT Invest Forum, Ph.D. Miljenko Bura, director of the Forum organizers (Bura Medical Group).
After the grand opening ceremony of the Forum, participants will have the opportunity to follow the presentations of world experts via video link, which will be held by dr. Lutz Lungwitz, President of the German Medical Wellness Association, dr. Prem Jagyasi, author of medical and wellness tourism guides, Emin Cakmak, founder and honorary president of Global Healthcare Travel Council from Turkey, and Dr. Jeanna Havidich from the Association of Croatian-American Experts, a section for health tourism.
The organizer of the forum is Bura Medical Group, and the detailed program can be found on the official website of the event.
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BIRD Incubator will Make Croatia a Development Center for AI in Europe
November 3, 2020 – BIRD Incubator, the first specialized incubator for artificial intelligence and analytics in Croatia, wants to attract ambitious teams from all over the world to work and live in Zagreb.
A new digital nomad opportunity in Croatia is underway. Namely, BIRD Incubator will be opened in Zagreb, and it will enable teams to develop innovative solutions in the field of data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Applications for teams and projects have already started.
The acronym BIRD actually means Business, Intelligence, Research, and Development. It is the idea of the Poslovna inteligencija (Business intelligence) company, which has been focused on the development of IT solutions in the field of analytics for 20 years. Now, they want to enable the development of ideas with this incubator to others.
They want to support not only Croatian teams, but also those from the entire region, Europe, and the world.
"Our goal is that in a few years, start-ups and ambitious teams from all over the world contact us and wish to come to Zagreb in our incubator because they will have the conditions, mentors, technological support, but also a lifestyle that would be attractive and provide them with maximum results," said Dražen Oreščanin, President of the Management Board of the Poslovna inteligencija, for ICT Business.
After all the preparations, BIRD Incubator will open its doors on January 15, 2021, by which the selection process for the registered teams will last, and it will cover 450 square meters in the very center of Zagreb.
"We decided to start our incubator and innovation center at the beginning of next year. In the premises where we are, the opportunity opened up to get an additional 450 square meters of space and we decided to open our BIRD incubator for analytics and artificial intelligence. Preparations for the opening are underway, and so far we have agreed on the support of various partners and mentors who will help the participants of the incubator in their activities," said Oreščanin, who is also a mentor.
He is accompanied by Davor Runje, Luka Abrus, Bernard Grum, Ratko Mutavdžić, Davor Aničić, Marijana Šarolić Robić, and many others. Technology support, such as cloud space, will be provided by IBM and Microsoft, while industry partners are United Group and Atlantic Group, on whose business cases teams can work on if they do not have their own idea.
The incubator offers complete infrastructure for teams – workplace, meeting rooms, education center, open space for meetups and hackathons, and support of leading mentors in the industry. In this way, they want to make Croatia one of the development hubs for AI in Europe.
"We want teams with good ideas from the domain of analytics to know that there is a Zagreb BIRD incubator where they can come and present their ideas. If it turns out to be good, we want to allow them to bring this idea to life through our resources," explained Lidija Karaga from Poslovna inteligencija for the Woman in Adria portal, who will also be a mentor along with Oreščanin.
Recently, the first project was selected to be supported by the BIRD incubator in its further development. It is a project named Turistico, an AI chatbot that represents a travel assistant and offers personalized entertainment for all ages, which is awarded second place at the Open Data Hackathon 2020 competition. Other teams and projects can apply on their website.
What distinguishes BIRD Incubator from many other incubators in Croatia, says Oreščanin, is their effort to be the best in the world in what they do, and with the help of CRO AI association, which brings together Croatian AI companies, their goal is to put Croatia on the world map in that area.
"We know that there are a lot of smart people, good ideas, brilliant teams that do good things and that is why we decided to create a platform through which we will enable them to grow and develop and thus give our socially useful contribution," Karaga said.
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Croatian Parliament Starts New Session in Line with Anti-COVID Measures
ZAGREB, Nov 3, 2020 - The Croatian Parliamentstarted its new, 4th session on Tuesday adhering to special epidemiological measures.
At the beginning of Question Time, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic asked lawmakers to be responsible and show solidarity to each other so that they can do their job properly.
Due to measures of protection against coronavirus, some deputies will sit in the Grand Chamber while others will be dispersed in five other meeting rooms. Also, those who are coronavirus positive or in self-isolation will participate in debates via video-link.
In an effort to minimise the possibility of the infection spreading, the parliament will have a 10-minute-long break every two hours so the chamber and meeting rooms can be aired out.
Lawmakers first defined the agenda which contains almost 80 issues, prior to opening Question Time, for which 39 parliamentarians have submitted their questions to government members.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic will present an annual report to the parliament on Wednesday and a day later the budget revision is expected to be debated.
20% of Coronavirus Tests Turn Out Positive, 34 Fatalities in Last 24 Hours in Croatia
ZAGREB, Nov 3, 2020 - In the last 24 hours, 7,013 coronavirus tests have been performed and 20% of them, that is 1,427, have returned positive, while 34 COVID patients have died, Croatia's COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Tuesday.
In the last 24 hours, there have been 2,048 recoveries, and currently there are 14,079 active cases, including 1,191 patients who are receiving hospital treatment. Of them, 112 are placed on ventilators.
Since February 25, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 54,087 people have been infected with the novel virus, of whom 628 have died and 39,380 have recovered.
Currently, 26,888 persons are in self-isolation. To date, 514,176 people have been tested.
