Politics

ZAGREB, 13 October, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday the decision to make COVID certificates mandatory in health and social care was made solely to protect people's health. "I think the decision to introduce COVID certificates in health and social care is logical and normal," he told the press. Plenković was commenting on the fact that the Constitutional Court will rule if that decision by the national COVID-19 crisis management team is in line with the constitution, as confirmed by Court president Miroslav Šeparović yesterday. As of 4 October, employees in the health and social care sectors, as well as some patients, must…

ZAGREB, 12 October, 2021 - The government is following developments with fuel price rises, the relevant ministers have been tasked with following the situation in detail, and there are also tools for an intervention if necessary, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday. Oil prices vary on the global and Mediterranean markets, they are rising, and petrol and diesel prices are rising too, he said after a ruling coalition meeting, adding that besides oil, those prices include excises, margins and VAT. Speaking to the press, Plenković said Finance Minister Zdravko Marić and Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić were tasked with "following the developments in…

ZAGREB, 12 Oct (Hina) - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević of the We Can! party said on Tuesday that cooperation with former members of the management board of the city's Zagreb Holding multi-utility conglomerate was bad and that appointments in city-owned institutions were not based on political criteria. "It was not communication that was bad, but cooperation. The new members of the Zagreb Holding Management Board were appointed in a public procedure. We did not know them from before. When we realised that things were not functioning, that the old members of the Board were not involving them in decision-making, we simply could not tolerate…

ZAGREB, 12 October - Prime Minister and HDZ party leader Andrej Plenković said on Monday after a session of the party leadership that all people in the earthquake-hit Banovina region would continue receiving food aid, noting that reports to the contrary were a communication glitch. Asked by reporters what was going on in Banovina at a time when the winter is approaching and why the number of people entitled to free meal has dropped drastically, Plenković said that a misunderstanding had evidently happened. He added that he had discussed the matter with Deputy PM Tomo Medved and believed that Sisak-Moslavina County head Ivan…

ZAGREB, 12 October, 2021 - Constitutional Court President Miroslav Šeparović, re-elected to the post on Monday, has confirmed that the latest decision by the national coronavirus management team would be tested for compliance with the Constitution. In late September, the national COVID-19 response team decided to introduce, as of 4 October, obligatory COVID-19 certificates or testing for coronavirus for employees in the healthcare and welfare system who have not been vaccinated or have not recovered from COVID-19. The obligation also applies to some of the patients.  "An attorney from Koprivnica has filed a motion to test the constitutionality of the latest decision…

ZAGREB, 12 October, 2021 - Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković said on Monday that current investments in Croatia's transport infrastructure amounted to more than HRK 25 billion, of which those in Osijek-Baranja County totalled more than HRK 1.5 billion. Speaking to reporters after meeting with county and Osijek city officials, Butković said that one of the most important projects in the county was the completion of a motorway along Corridor Vc towards Beli Manastir, including a ring road at Beli Manastir, which was expected to be opened by the summer of 2022. Since the Svilaj Bridge was recently opened,…

ZAGREB, 11 Oct 2021 - There is room for stronger economic cooperation between Croatia and France, notably in energy, transport, and environmental protection, Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said after meeting with a high-level delegation of French companies in Zagreb on Monday. Some of these French companies are already present on the Croatian market, while some are interested in investing in the Croatian economy, in particular in energy, renewable energy sources, the green, and digital transition, transport, and environmental protection, Marić said. He said that there was an interest in various aspects of cooperation, with emphasis on the use of EU funds…

ZAGREB, 11 Oct 2021 - Former Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has been appointed as the Chair of the Future Host Commission for the Games of the Olympiad, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reported on its website on Monday. A press release by the IOC notes that Grabar-Kitarović, an IOC member since 2020, will immediately replace former Chair Kristin Koster Aasen, who stood down following her election to the Executive Board (EB) because no EB member can serve on the Future Host Commissions. "I am grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with potential hosts on Olympic projects, which will help them to achieve their long-term goals…

ZAGREB, 11 Oct 2021 - Over the next seven years more than €14 billion will be available to Western Balkan countries as EU pre-accession aid to facilitate their integration into the European Union, a conference called "IPA III: Connecting people beyond borders" was told in the southern Croatian coastal city of Split on Monday. "IPA III (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance) will be the most important tool for the European Union in its enlargement policy in the coming years. With a historic budget of more than €14 billion, the EU has reaffirmed its commitment to support the Western Balkan countries with their reform…

ZAGREB, 11 Oct 2021 - As part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs on Monday held, in cooperation with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, a panel debate on the EU's future global and regional role. The panel debate was held at Dubrovnik's Lazzarettos buildings, once used as a quarantine station during the Ragusa Republic era. The aim of the panel debate, entitled "Preparing for tomorrow: The European Union's Global and Regional Role," was to encourage discussion, particularly among young people, on the EU's geopolitical and strategic issues. The European Commission Vice President for…