Politics

ZAGREB, 5 July 2022 - The European Parliament supported Croatia's accession to the euro area by a vast majority of votes on Tuesday. With 539 votes in favour from 632 MEPs in attendance, the European Parliament adopted the report on the introduction of the euro as legal tender in Croatia as of 1 January 2023, saying that Croatia met all the criteria for accession to the euro area. Forty-eight MEPs abstained form the vote and 45 voted against, mostly those from right-wing political groups who criticised Croatia's euro-area membership bid during discussion at a plenary session of Parliament on Monday.…

ZAGREB, 5 July 2022 - Croatia is ready to provide Ukraine with support for post-war recovery and reconstruction, and has so far sent emergency humanitarian and technical aid worth €7.3 million and received more than 20,000 refugees, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Tuesday. Grlić Radman participated on Monday and Tuesday in the International Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, organised by Swiss President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in order to start the process and agree on a plan for the reconstruction of that country as well as its recovery and development, the ministry said…

ZAGREB, 5 July 2022 - The Solidarna Foundation, the Parents in Action (RODA) association, and the Centre for Education, Counselling and Research (CESI) organized a protest rally in Zagreb on Monday evening to demonstrate their opposition to attempts to deny women their rights. The protest was held out of solidarity with women in the United States, where the Supreme Court has abolished the constitutional protection of the right to pregnancy termination, devolving the issue to federal states, the organizers said. "This is our common struggle. Whenever there is a regression of women's rights in one country, it spills over to…

July the 5th, 2022 - The American Chamber of Commerce in Croatia (AmCham) organised a business breakfast called "Tax Policies during Challenging Times". AmCham has been working for years and is actively involved in recommendations for the reform of the tax system. Through five rounds of tax changes, AmCham actively participated with proposals, a significant part of which was accepted. At the event, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Zdravko Maric referred to the role of tax policies in contemporary economic events, the effects of the previous 5 rounds of tax reform and the Government's plans for further tax…

July the 5th, 2022 - Croatian general government debt now stands at a whopping 342.5 billion kuna, according to what was calculated back during the month of March this year. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian general government debt calculated back at the end of March this year amounted to 342.5 billion kuna, which is 1.1 billion kuna or 0.3 percent more than just one year earlier, according to the latest data from the Croatian National Bank (CNB/HNB). The annual increase in Croatian general government debt was caused by an increase in domestic debt by 4.1 billion kuna or 1.9…

ZAGREB, 4 July 2022 - The National Call Centre for Victims of Crimes (NPC) has won the first European Award on Quality in Youth Volunteering, the Victim and Witness Support Service said on Monday. The call centre offers free and confidential help and support to victims and witnesses, as well as their families, at the helpline 116 006, where victims and witnesses can receive legal and practical information, contact information of relevant institutions and organisations, and emotional support. Since 2013, more than 13,000 callers have contacted the call centre. Over 270 volunteers, most of whom are law, psychology and social…

ZAGREB, 4 July 2022 - Economy Minister Davor Filipović said on Monday that the wholesale price of fuel would be restricted for the next two weeks so that major oil market stakeholders, including Ina, would bear the brunt compared to small companies, which had done well in previous years. He underscored that the government aimed to protect citizens and help the economy, so fuel prices at off-motorway filling stations would be the same as in the past two weeks, namely HRK 13.08 for diesel and HRK 13.50 for Eurosuper 95 petrol. He added that fuel prices at motorway filling stations would be reduced to HRK 13.83 for petrol…

ZAGREB, 3 July 2022 - Croatian National Bank (HNB) governor Boris Vujčić said on Sunday he expected growth of over 5% this year, significantly more than currently forecast, and that a possible stoppage of gas deliveries could lead to a recession next year. Speaking at the opening of the HNB's 28th economic conference in Dubrovnik, he said the growth rate in Q1 was 7% and that in Q2 it could be higher. In Q3 we have very good bookings in tourism, so a better season can be expected than in the record year for tourism, 2019, "not so much because of…

ZAGREB, 2 July 2022 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met in Osijek on Saturday with city and county officials and said the numbers showed that after years of stagnation, Osijek, Osijek-Baranja County and the Slavonia region were growing and making progress. He met with Osijek-Baranja County head Ivan Anušić, Osijek Mayor Ivan Radić and Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Nataša Tramišak. Speaking to the press afterwards, he said Slavonia and Baranja-County for many years were seen in a negative light due to political instability, emigration and economic stagnation. Now, he added, a lot of money from the state budget and EU funds…

ZAGREB, 1 July 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Osijek on Friday that visible steps forward had been made for the Slavonia region in the past six years by implementing Project Slavonia thanks to the synergy between the national and local levels. The project is aimed at helping the region's revitalization, demographic recovery, and economic growth by investing in infrastructure, agriculture and education, he told the press after meeting with Osijek Mayor Ivan Radić and Osijek-Baranja County head Ivan Anušić. Plenković said he was pleased that HRK 1 billion worth of projects were being carried out in Osijek in the…