News

ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - Retail trade in the European Union and the euro area in March fell slightly reflecting a decrease in fuel sales whereas in Croatia it increased strongly, the latest Eurostat report released on Wednesday indicates. In March, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade decreased by 0.2% in the EU and by 0.4% in the euro area compared with February, when it increased by 0.3% and 0.4% respectively. The volume of retail trade in the EU and euro area dropped the most at petrol stations, by 3% and 2.9% respectively. The retail sale of non-food products also decreased, by 0.7%…

ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - It should be possible for every woman in Croatia to terminate pregnancy even after ten weeks if there are medical reasons for that, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday after the media reported on the case of a 39-year-old woman whose second child in the womb has an aggressive brain tumour. The ministry called on all health institutions to timely and accurately inform their patients of their rights and possibilities that exist in Croatia. Mirela Čavajda, whose second child got an aggressive brain tumour in the womb, told the Index web portal, which was the…

ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - Finance Minister Zdravko Marić and Croatian National Bank (HNB) Governor Boris Vujčić on Wednesday expressed optimism regarding the fulfilment of the inflation criterion for euro area entry, with Vujčić saying that it would be unusual for Croatia to be asked to have an inflation rate below the current euro area rate. Speaking at the 15th session of the National Council for the introduction of the euro as legal tender in Croatia, Marić recalled that a few days ago the government sent a convergence programme to Brussels and now it expected an assessment and a report to…

3 March 2022 – Using high-quality, seasonal Dalmatian ingredients, this masterclass by Damir Tomljanović took us right back to where it all starts. Follow me as we spend an afternoon going back to the basics with classic Croatian dishes, well-executed techniques, innovative technology, and of course, several glasses of stellar bubbly. Chef Damir Tomljanović “You know, the best way to become a better chef and learn, is to experience street food culture. Where do you think I should go for the best street food in Asia? I would like to go see and experience” asked Damir Tomljanović, during one of…

ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - The best design for the national side of the 1 euro coin, chosen in a repeated competition, was presented at a meeting of the national council for the adoption of the euro as legal tender in Croatia on Wednesday. The author of the design, student Jagor Šunde, received a HRK 70,000 reward for his work, while co-authors David Čemeljić and Fran Zekan each received HRK 30,000. The Croatian National Bank (HNB) received 192 design proposals, of which 135 were considered in the first round of the competition, said HNB Vice-Governor Ivana Jakir-Bajo, who also serves as…

ZAGREB, 3 May 2022 - An MP of the Green-Left Bloc, Sandra Benčić, said on Tuesday that the Andrej Plenković government has to go, not only because of scandals in which its members were implicated but because of the lack of any results, reforms or vision. Benčić made the statement ahead of a parliamentary debate to be held this week on an opposition motion to dissolve the parliament to call an election. The MP said that in the six years of the government's term, the EU funding obtained under the first financial perspective had yielded no effects on key quality of…

ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said on Wednesday that employers' proposal to further reduce the tax burden on labour are taken into account in principle but that additional discussions and analyses are required, while reducing contributions requires structural reforms in the health and pensions systems. The Croatian Employers Association (HUP) said on Tuesday that attracting and keeping quality labour required a more significant reduction of overall labour costs so that employers could pay higher salaries to workers, proposing short-term proposals for an increase in net wages, which should happen relatively soon. "It is necessary to significantly reduce…

ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - Both opposition and ruling parties in the Croatian parliament on Wednesday welcomed the government proposal that the services of notaries-public should be digitised and accessible to the public, but opposition lawmakers warned that notarial fees were high and that they would be regulated by rules and not by law. Presenting the proposal to amend the Notary Public Act, Josip Salapić, state secretary at the Ministry of Justice, said that the proposed amendments allow parties to participate in legal procedures online and that they provide for new rules in the appointment of notaries. "Until now, the minister…

ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - A general election will be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 2 October, the Central Electoral Commission (SIP) decided on Wednesday. "The election will be held on Sunday 2 October and the funds for the election have to be secured within 15 days of calling the election," SIP president Suad Arnautović said after the decision on the election was adopted. Around €6 million has to be secured to conduct the election, which is to be decided by the Council of Ministers. The decision is uncertain at this point because the 2022 budget has not been adopted yet. Only one…

ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - An EU ban on imports of crude oil and oil products from Russia should not have a major impact on Croatia, which mostly gets its supplies from the Mediterranean, energy expert Igor Dekanić told Hina on Wednesday. "Croatia is not in a bad position because more or less it imports oil products from the Mediterranean, specifically from Italian refineries. As for natural gas, we have an LNG terminal that provides considerable sources of supply from countries other than Russia," Dekanić said. Asked if there would be enough energy products and at what price, he said that…