Politics

December the 13th, 2021 - The Croatian parliament has three significant decisions to make before they break up for a month this week, with the conclusion of their autumn sessions set to take place on Wednesday. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Parliament, which will conclude its regular autumn session on Wednesday this week, will discuss the final text of a law on preventing conflicts of interest today, which the opposition finds a number of objections to which should be rejected by the parliamentary majority and the government. ''With this law, we're making the procedure for determining conflicts of interest…

ZAGREB, 12 Dec 2021 - An Algerian-Croatian business forum, which was opened on Sunday by Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra and his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlić Radman, focused on boosting cooperation between Algerian and Croatian companies in shipbuilding, marine farming, tourism, and IT. Croatian companies, specialized in water supplies systems, road construction, and construction of dams and electricity generation facilities, have been present on the Algerian market for quite some time, and Croatian businesses are interested in developing cooperation with the Algerian side in the fields of shipbuilding, mariculture, construction of ports and water infrastructure, as well as in the ICT technology and tourist trade, reads…

ZAGREB, 12 Dec 2021 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday participated in a ceremony of the delivery of Bethlehem Light of Peace to the Cathedral of Zagreb, and on that occasion said that the times were not easy and that the pandemic's darkness affected the society, including a part of the political scene. Let this Light enlighten many souls, Jandroković said. The Bethlehem Light of Peace is a symbol of Christmas and in the Bible, it symbolizes the coming of Jesus, whose birth promised peace to all people of goodwill. In his address to the press, the Sabor Speaker called…

ZAGREB, 12 Dec 2021 - The HRK 4.4 billion (€586 million) project of the Lepoglava Rail Junction aimed at improving the railway connectivity of three northern counties -- Međimurje, Varaždin, and Krapina-Zagorje -- with the City of Zagreb has recently been presented in the city of Varaždin. The purpose of the project is to boost the railway connections between key railway stations in central Europe and Zagreb, provide passengers with the shortest railway routes in the region, and offer fast and eco-friendly travel by rail. Marko Car, an engineer of the Croatian Railways' HŽ Infrastruktura, said that the project envisaged the upgrade…

ZAGREB, 11 December, 2021 - Croatia's USKOK anti-corruption office and the EU's anti-fraud office OLAF are investigating four contracts signed by the Regional Development and EU Funds Ministry with the Omega Software company, with one having been signed by Tomislav Tolušić during his term as minister, says Jutarnji List daily. The contracts with the company are being probed because the value of the deal with Omega Software, regarding the making and maintenance of the eFondovi system, grew from the initial HRK 4.6 million to close to HRK 32 million. USKOK spokesman Sergej Abramov has confirmed that a preliminary investigation is under way but…

December the 11th, 2021 - The Republic of Croatia finally meets all of the many requirements for Schengen entry, and European Union member states agreed this on Thursday, paving the way for a final decision on the matter. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the 27 EU member states agreed that Croatia meets all the conditions for implementing the Schengen acquis, paving the way for a final decision on Schengen entry which is without any control when crossing the European Union's internal borders. The agreed text of the conclusions was formally adopted by EU member states' interior ministers on Thursday without further…

ZAGREB, 11 December, 2021 - Croatia has not only met all the criteria for accession to the Schengen passport-free travel area but is also very active in its reform, Interior Minister Davor Božinović told a press conference on Friday. All EU member states unanimously confirmed on Thursday that Croatia had fulfilled its obligations under the Schengen acquis, which paves the way for the adoption of decisions on abolishing border controls with Schengen countries. Croatia's readiness to take control of the EU's longest land border is not questionable, Božinović said. No other Schengen member has been evaluated so rigorously as Croatia…

ZAGREB, 11, December, 2021 - Asked about working hours for hotels and the hospitality sector on New Year's Eve, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Friday that the decision on closing at midnight was still in force, however, he did not entirely rule out the possibility of that decision being amended. "Decisions that are in force refer to working hours until midnight. It's only the 10th of December today... the response team is considering all the possibilities and we won't wait until the eleventh hour but at the moment I would not like to say anything that might be interpreted as…

ZAGREB, 11 December, 2021 - A Zagreb County Court judge on Friday extended by a month the pre-trial detention for former minister Gabrijela Žalac and other suspects in the case dubbed Software, in which they are suspected of embezzlement of €1.8 million from the EU and Croatian budgets. "Although we have asked that their pre-trial detention be extended by two months, the investigating judge considers that a month is enough to question another 17 to 18 witnesses," said Tomislav Kamber of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), on the orders of which Žalac and the other suspects were arrested on 10 November…

ZAGREB, 11 December, 2021 - President and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Zoran Milanović said on Friday that €200 million had disappeared during the purchase of French Rafale fighter jets and that he assumed Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was working on replacing Defence Minister Mario Banožić. "I only hope the jets will not end up costing €1.3 billion, that would be a serious problem... €200 million is gone," Milanović said, explaining that he was talking about €200 million less in projections for the defence system. "The projections were a lie. I did not see any VAT there. It was increased based on the assumption…