News

ZAGREB, 15 July 2021 - In the last 24 hours, of 3,909  tests performed for coronavirus, 3.5%, that is 139, have turned out to be positive, Croatia's national COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday. The daily death toll was zero. To date, there have been 8,233 COVID-related deaths in the country Currently, there are 653 active cases, including 110 hospitalized patients and of the nine are placed on ventilators. Since 25 February 2020, when Croatia reported its first registered case of the infection with coronavirus, more than 2.2 million tests have been conducted, showing that 361,218 people have caught this novel…

ZAGREB, 15 July 2021 - Kazimir Bačić, who was recently arrested on suspicion of graft, was on Thursday relieved of his duties as Director-General of the HRT public broadcasting service by 116 to two votes. The parliament also appointed the current Director of Programming Renato Kunić acting Director-General, and this decision was supported by 77 lawmakers, two abstentions and 42 MPs voted against it. In early July, the HRT Supervisory Board unanimously agreed at an extraordinary meeting to initiate the procedure for the dismissal of Bačić after he was arrested. USKOK corruption investigators suspect that Bačić, acting on behalf of businessman Milan…

ZAGREB, 15 July 2021 - The law on the civilian Homeland War victims was passed on Thursday by 107 to 16 votes, with five members of the Croatian parliament abstaining from the vote. During the previous parliamentary debates on the matter, a part of the Opposition expressed fear that new legislation would enable members of the occupying forces to use the entitlements set by the law, however, members of the ruling majority dismissed criticism that this was an attempt to equate the victims and the occupying forces and insisted that the new legislation would rectify the civilizational injustice done to the…

ZAGREB, 15 July 2021 - The Croatian parliament on Friday extended the eligibility to work part-time and receive a full pension to family pension beneficiaries. The parliament amended the Pension Insurance Act by a majority vote, and the changes included the amendments put forward by Silvano Hrelja (HSU) whereby beneficiaries with the lowest pension will also be allowed to work four hours without their pension being reduced. Beneficiaries receiving an old-age pension, early retirement pension, disability pension due to inability to work, or family pension who exercised their right by 31 December 2013 are entitled to the lowest pension in…

ZAGREB, 15 July (Hina) - The first working session of the Zagreb City Assembly began on Thursday, and councilors will discuss thirty items on the agenda, including the proposal by Mayor Tomislav Tomašević to reorganize the City Administration and reduce the number of city offices from 27 to 16. The club of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) disagrees with the proposal to reorganize the City Administration and has put forward as many as 13 amendments as it wants to keep the existing city offices, namely the Office for EU Programmes and Projects, the…

ZAGREB, 15 July 2021 - The European Commission on Wednesday proposed the establishment of a new climate action social fund to help citizens to finance financial investments in energy efficiency, new heating, and cooling systems, and cleaner mobility, and up to €1.4 billion is proposed for Croatia for the period 2025-2032. On Wednesday, the European Commission unveiled a major package of legislative proposals that should reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. The "Fit for 55" package is a key element of the European Green Deal, which envisions the EU becoming climate neutral by 2050. In order to achieve…

ZAGREB, 15 July 2021 -  The average net pay of employees in legal entities in the city of Zagreb in April 2021 totaled HRK 8,266, which is an increase of 7.7% in the nominal terms year-on-year, show data provided by Zagreb's City Office for the Strategic Planning and the Development. Compared with Croatia's average monthly net salary in April, which was HRK 7,082, the average net salary in Zagreb was higher by HRK 1,184. The highest average monthly net pay in legal entities in Zagreb in April, which was HRK 15,313, was paid in the crude oil and gas extraction industry. The lowest average…

ZAGREB, 15 July 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday he believed a social deal would be reached between the state and citizens on vaccination against COVID-19, calling on everyone who can get vaccinated to do so for the benefit of all and stressing that the "tool" for that has been ensured - the vaccine. In an interview with the HRT public broadcaster, Plenković stressed the goal of vaccination was to gain collective immunity against COVID-19, recalled the government had provided enough vaccines, and congratulated everyone who had been vaccinated, with the percentage of vaccinated people in the adult population…

ZAGREB, 15 July 2021 - The British embassy stated on Wednesday that Croatia would be added from the amber list for entering England to the green list on Monday. "Croatia is on the amber list for entering England. From 4 am on Monday 19 July Croatia will move to the green list for entering England. Check what you must do to enter England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland," reads the press release issued on the U.K. embassy on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, British media outlets reported that Croatia would be promoted to the green list for entering England.…

July 15, 2021 - The Croatian Parliament passed a new Law on Waste Management, in which Croatia bans plastic bags after a 13-year struggle!  Jutarnji List reports that at today's session, the Croatian Parliament passed a new Law on Waste Management, which, among other things, prohibits plastic bags for carrying. Animal Friends, which launched a campaign and petition to ban plastic bags in 2008, welcomes this specific legal provision: “The ban on lightweight plastic bags is the result of many years of efforts by associations and environmental organizations that point to the catastrophic consequences of using plastic bags. We also…