Politics

ZAGREB, 26 Jan 2022 - Austrian Minister for the EU Karoline Edtstadler said in Vienna on Wednesday that Croatia's joining the Schengen Area was an important security issue for the EU which Vienna supported, the Croatian parliament stated in a press release. Minister Edtstadler met with Parliament Deputy Speaker Željko Reiner, who is visiting Austria. At the meeting, Reiner thanked Austria for its support in the aftermath of the earthquakes that struck Croatia in 2020. He also thanked Austria for its continued support for Croatia's foreign policy priorities -- joining the Schengen Area, the euro area and the OECD. The…

ZAGREB, 26 Jan 2022 - Croatia and the USA have agreed on the procurement of Bradley fighting vehicles, for which Croatia will pay US$ 145.3 million, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday. "Agreement has been reached with the US side regarding the army fighting vehicles that have been discussed over the past few years," Plenković said in a comment on the M2A2 ODS fighting vehicle. The total value of the deal is $196.4 million, the US donation will amount to $51.1 million, which means that Croatia will pay $145.3 million. Croatia will obtain 62 fighting vehicles, 22 vehicles for spare…

ZAGREB, 26 Jan 2022 - President Zoran Milanović on Wednesday met with representatives of SOS Zagreb, an association of citizens founded a year ago with the aim of ensuring a faster and better reconstruction of properties in Zagreb damaged by the March 2020 earthquake. Members of the association informed the president of the obstacles and problems encountered by citizens in efforts to have their properties reconstructed. They warned of the danger that time would run out to apply for funds under the EU Solidarity Fund to be used for post-earthquake reconstruction and that the cost of reconstruction of many Zagreb hospitals, schools and…

ZAGREB, 26 Jan 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced on Wednesday that the government would act in three segments in an effort to alleviate the energy price hike - social transfers, allowances for gas and electricity, and elements related to the taxation system, VAT. "The government is carefully analysing trends in energy prices and the measures other European Union member states are taking. Currently, we are considering all the options that will protect the standard of citizens," Plenković said at a conference "Energy Security in an Era of Fast Decarbonisation," organised by the Jutranji List daily. Recalling that last autumn,…

ZAGREB, 26 Jan 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday that the Croatian government continues fostering friendly relations and partnership with Ukraine and normal relations with Russia. "Croatia's basic position is respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Plenković said in reference to the Ukraine crisis. Following all our experience, we give priority to diplomacy and peaceful conflict resolution, de-escalation, and cooperation with our partners within the European Union and NATO, the PM said. The four-way Normandy format peace talks are taking place today in Paris. The entire international community, from the USA to NATO and the European Union, and…

January 26, 2022 - On January 15, Croatia celebrated 30-years of international recognition, marking yet another milestone for a country that has undergone drastic reform in only three short decades. To fully appreciate the significance of this anniversary, one must first understand where Croatia was and how it achieved its current standing as one of Europe’s safest nations. A look at Croatia's European integration.  A Bit of Background Before we can discuss recent events in Croatian economic and foreign policy, we should look back a little further. Prior to succession from communist Yugoslavia, Croatia existed in many forms over the…

ZAGREB, 26 Jan 2022 - The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned Croatian Ambassador Anica Džamić following Croatian President Zoran Milanović's statement that Ukraine does not belong in NATO. Milanović said on Tuesday that Croatia would not have a military presence in Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion, that the events in Ukraine of 2014, known as the Revolution of Dignity, were a military coup, that Europe had not done enough to assist Kyiv, and that the tensions on the Ukraine-Russia border were a consequence of the US home policy. In a statement on Tuesday evening, the Ukrainian ministry said Milanović's statements in 2014 insulted…

ZAGREB, 26 Jan 2022 - The office of the Parliament Speaker has received more than a thousand letters or petitions from citizens and office staff read each one individually and depending on their content, act accordingly. "Admittedly, some letters do not require any action because they might just be a comment but we react by reading each one," the Parliament Speaker's office told Hina on Wednesday. The statistics, however, indicate that in 2018 there were 403 petitions, in 2019 there were 293, in 2020 there were 247, and last year 176. We assume the number decreased due to the coronavirus pandemic, the…

ZAGREB, 26 Jan 2022- The SKUPA union collective has been registered, comprising precarious workers and activists, and brings civil society workers together for the first time at the national level who will fight for workers' rights in associations, cooperatives, foundations, trade unions, and political parties. SKUPA said on Wednesday it was established on 7 February and registered at the labor ministry on 5 January. SKUPA empowers civil society workers and provides them with organized support in the fight for labor rights, dignified working conditions, and a better civil society, a press release said. SKUPA will also fight for changing financing rules so that organizations financed via…

ZAGREB, 26 Jan 2022 - Travel agencies in Croatia are still waiting for a decision by the competent authorities regarding the extension of job-keeping measures for the first few months of 2022, which was announced as a possibility at the end of 2021, UHPA said on Wednesday. President of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA) Tomislav Fain said that their business is still jeopardized, their activities are still doubtful due to the pandemic, and turnover last year was only at 65% of that in 2019. "We still do not have precise information about whether the measures will be extended for…