Politics

ZAGREB, 17 Aug, 2021 - The Croatian Ministry of Finance sold HRK 983 million worth of treasury bills at an auction on Tuesday, which was slightly less than planned. Ahead of the maturity of treasury bills worth HRK 1.23 billion, the Ministry offered a billion kuna in treasury bills for subscription at the first auction since the last one held on 23 June. Financial institutions submitted offers worth nearly 1.3 billion, and the Ministry accepted HRK 983 million. The latest treasury bills were issued with a maturity of one year and at an interest rate of 0.01%, which is by one base point lower than at…

ZAGREB, 17 Aug, 2021 - The Možemo! political party said on Tuesday that Croatia should secure the evacuation of its citizens and support the international protection for refugees from Afghanistan, as should all NATO member states who have deployed their military forces in that Asian country. "Given that it was militarily present in Afghanistan, a share of the responsibility lays on our country as well. But regardless, now we cannot turn our backs to all those citizens of Afghanistan who have tried to build Afghanistan as a democracy," this left-wing Opposition party writes on its Facebook wall. The  party insists the least Croatia can…

 ZAGREB, 17 Aug, 2021 - An association of Karst cattle farmers on Tuesday accused the Agriculture Ministry and the Hrvatske Šume (HŠ) forest management company of obstructing pastoral farming in the Karst and thus causing depopulation of Karst areas in Croatia. The association said that the relevant Croatian laws and regulations were not adjusted to the EU acquis and made it impossible for extensive livestock farming to succeed in the Karst region. Therefore, the association filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court and the competent administrative court and also sent a letter to the EU Agriculture Commissioner, Janusz Wojciechowski. It says that for…

August the 16th, 2021 - Irish Ambassador Ruaidhri Mark Dowling has discussed how Croatia and Ireland might learn from one another, and how economic cooperation between the two countries could be further developed. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Irish Ambassador Ruaidhri Mark Dowling also discussed the possibilities of improving economic cooperation between the two EU member states and why Croats often choose Ireland as the country of their dreams. Is it easy to find a job in Ireland? People tend to find work in the tourism and IT sector and these seem to be the main sectors in which they currently…

August the 16th, 2021 - Finance Minister Zdravko Maric has referred to the current quite remarkable numbers we're seeing coming from the Croatian tourism sector as strong. Few expected a summer season as successful as this one so far. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Maric stated that the first twelve days of August, Croatia has recorded 10 billion kuna worth of fiscalised receipts/bills, which is 12.5 percent more than in the same period in pre-pandemic, record 2019. ''Since the beginning of the year, we're 1.3 percent better than we were even back in 2019. Let's carry on and do everything we can…

ZAGREB, 13 Aug 2021 - Construction and State Assets Minister Darko Horvat said on Friday that the Orljava textile company had received two letters of interest from companies to take over this Požega-based shirt producer and continue production. We are doing everything we can to make such a strategic partnership happen and to ensure a normal future for at least a hundred of workers at Orljava if not for all on its payroll, Horvat told reporters during a visit to the coastal town of Vodice. To those claiming in the media that the state has not helped the Požega-based company until now,…

ZAGREB, 13 Aug 2021 - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) and the Croatian Journalists' Trade Union (SNH) on Friday condemned the decision of the owner of the Televizija Šibenik on the extraordinary dismissal without prior notice of two journalists and a television camera operator. Addressing a news conference the HND leader Hrvoje Zovko said that journalists were "fed up with local power-mongers who tailor local media coverage" and compared the case of TV Šibenik with the recent developments in the Pula-based Glas Istre newspaper in which some reporters were fired. Zovko strongly condemned the move of the TV Šibenik owner Stipe…

ZAGREB, 13 Aug 2021 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said on Friday that he had decided to cancel a tender for the removal of bulky waste in Zagreb, with two valid bids having been submitted, one by Reoma Group and the other by the Ce-Za-r company, noting that the city-owned sanitation company Čistoća would be doing the job. Čistoća will be in charge of removing the city's bulky waste once it procures a crusher. A procedure for the procurement of two crushers with the help of EU funds is currently underway, and until it is completed, the city will hire…

ZAGREB, 13 Aug 2021 - A draft regulation on oath-taking defines what persons applying for Croatian citizenship have to do before they are presented with a citizenship certificate, and new citizens will have to swear on their honour that they will respect Croatia's constitution and laws, the Jutarnji List daily said on Friday. "I hereby swear on my honour that as a Croatian citizen I will respect the Constitution and laws and the legal order, culture and customs of the Republic of Croatia," reads the text of the oath of allegiance for foreign nationals who cannot obtain Croatian citizenship based on their ethnic…

August the 10th, 2021 - Croatian MP Miro Bulj has referred to the behaviour of the Croatian National Civil Protection Directorate as ''shameful'', and indicating that they are abusing their power. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatian MP Miro Bilj told reporters that the behaviour exhibited by the Civil Protection Directorate has been disgraceful and that they're a political body making political decisions. According to him, despite the decision of the National Civil Protection Directorate on the limited gathering of people in Sinj during the Alka festivities which were traditionally held recently, the square in Sinj was full of people all night…