Politics

ZAGREB, 25 February, 2021 - All of the HRK 101.5 million collected in donations for earthquake relief will be spent on housing reconstruction - the demolition of damaged houses and construction of new ones - in the earthquake-struck areas, the government said on Thursday. The government adopted a decision on the distribution of donations to the state budget for earthquake relief, allocating that money to a special account of the Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković denied media reports that only 40% of the donations would be used to rebuild quake-damaged houses and that the rest would…

ZAGREB, 25 February, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that Croatia's weekly COVID-19 numbers had been falling for the past ten weeks, dropping almost eleven-fold. "In relation to last Thursday, we are registering a certain growth on the weekly level, but at the moment we can't say with certainty what the causes of this trend are, whether it was because of the cold, the relaxation of measures or a broader relaxation in the model of behaviour," he said at a cabinet meeting, appealing for continuing to be very cautious. He said that together with Denmark, Croatia had the…

February the 25th, 2021 - Petrinja home restoration efforts, which are unfortunately happening only very slowly, might have had another blow in the financial form as a huge donation is scrutinised. As Jutarnji list/Goran Penic writes, enormous funds of more than 100 million kuna in total were paid out to the state treasury in an initiative called "Assistance for reconstruction after the earthquake" by numerous citizens and companies from across Croatia and indeed from abroad, as well as international organisations and foreign governments. As has unfortunately since been found out, it seems that it is likely that only a small…

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - Defence Minister Mario Banožić said on Wednesday that the government would decide on the purchase of multipurpose fighter jets in a few weeks, announcing that a plan for the procurement of arms for this year would be made public in mid-March. "The interdepartmental commission has made a study which will be the basis for the government's decision," Banožić told reporters ahead of a government session. He added that other bodies, such as the competent parliamentary committee, would take part in the decision-making process. Banožić noted that many had tried but failed to contaminate the military aircraft…

February the 24th, 2021 -  As Index writes, editor Neven Barkovic was a guest on a recent N1 Studio live show to comment on Index's newly added text window on their portal which ended up causing upset in HDZ. HDZ has condemned Index's move and threatened to "take appropriate legal steps" and expects a reaction from both the Croatian authorities and the Croatian Journalists' Association. This morning, Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Korzinek said during the aforementioned N1 programme that she had analysed which article within the law Index had violated, and announced sanctions against the Electronic Media…

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Wednesday that discrimination based on political affiliation was unacceptable and that it called for a reaction from everyone in society who influenced public opinion, stressing that such a trend could be dangerous for society. He was commenting on the Index news portal asking its readers before accessing its website to say if they were a human being or a member of the ruling HDZ party. The HDZ on Tuesday strongly condemned that, saying that it would take legal action and that it expected the relevant bodies and the Croatian Journalists' Association to…

ZAGREB, 24 February 2021 - The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has announced legal action against the Index.hr news website for creating a pop-up asking its visitors to say if they are human beings or members of the HDZ before entering the website. "Since the use of audio and/or audiovisual media services for incitement of hatred or discrimination on the grounds of political or other convictions is prohibited in Croatia, we expect the competent authorities and the Croatian Journalists Association to act accordingly, and the HDZ will take appropriate legal action," the party said in a Facebook post on Tuesday evening. Index.hr…

ZAGREB, 23 February 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has said he expects those who do not tolerate double standards to respond to the appearance of discrimination and hate speech on the Index web portal which on Tuesday asked visitors to its site to declare themselves either as a human being or as a member of the HDZ party. "I expect all those from the moral police and others who definitely do not tolerate double standards to respond to such phenomena and to the appearance of discrimination and hate speech," Plenković, who is the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader, said on Tuesday afternoon. "I think it…

ZAGREB, 23 February 2021 - The Steering Council of the Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Fund on Tuesday unanimously confirmed Damir Vanđelić, until now the Fund's temporary director, as the Fund's director, Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Minister Darko Horvat said after a session of the Council. After applications for the post were invited, three candidates applied and the  Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets proposed Vanđelić at today's session of the Fund's Steering Council and the Council accepted the proposal. Horvat said that Vanđelić was proposed after all three candidates' applications were analysed and they were interviewed. Asked if the ministry…

ZAGREB, 23 February 2021 - A helipad is being built next to the General Hospital in Karlovac, the first of three to be built with a US donation, and the building site was visited on Tuesday by representatives of the US Embassy, the Croatian Health Ministry and local government officials. The helipad is worth HRK 1.7 milion, of which HRK 1.1 million has been secured by the US Embassy in Croatia. It is designed for the landing of large civilian and military transport helicopters. US Chargé d’Affaires Victoria Taylor said that the donation was assistance to the Health Ministry in setting…