Politics

ZAGREB, 1 July 2022 - All is going as planned concerning Pelješac Bridge and access roads, and the inauguration of the bridge is expected on 26 July, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković said on Friday. "All is going on well," said Butković after a meeting of the coordinating team in charge of the "the Road Connectivity of South Dalmatia" project. He admitted that the current spell of the heatwave is making work more difficult. Nevertheless, the operating permit is due to be issued on 18 July, he said, without revealing the details of the programme for the inauguration ceremony on…

ZAGREB, 1 July 2022 - President Zoran Milanović said on Friday he was sorry he did not meet Prime Minister Andrej Plenković at today's conference on the occasion of Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts Day, saying Plenković decided against attending when he found out that Milanović would. Milanović said he was not competing with Plenković. "For me personally, he is zero, but he is the president of the HDZ (party), the prime minister, he won the election, he is responsible for the rampant corruption, deserving for less political radicalism in life, which he succeeded in suppressing in the HDZ because he is…

ZAGREB, 1 July 2022 - Because of its speedy recovery from the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, Croatia will receive less funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), based on an updated key for the award of grants to EU member states which the European Commission published on Thursday. The Commission published a table according to which Croatia would be granted slightly over €5.5 billion from the RRF, less than the previously forecast €6.3 billion. The key for the award of 70 percent of the national allocation was based on the population size, GDP per capita compared to the…

ZAGREB, 30 June 2022- Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said after a government session on Thursday that one of the measures being considered was the introduction of fuel vouchers, but added that he didn't want to prejudge anything. Since the decision to cap fuel prices at petrol stations not located on highways expires next week and since it is certain that oil prices will continue to rise on the markets, reporters asked Marić what further measures were being considered by the government, to which he responded that the government was waiting for all calculations regarding oil prices and that Economy and Sustainable Development…

ZAGREB, 30 June 2022 - The Croatian government on Thursday adopted schemes under which the HAMAG-BiICRO agency will approve loans for the green and digital transition from the funds of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). The scheme called "investment loans from the funds of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan" refers to giving the green light for loans provided by the HAMAG-BICRO agency for small and medium-sized enterprises for the green and digital transition, Economy Minister Davor Filipović informed the government on Thursday. The upper limit of a loan under this scheme is €100,000 at an interest rate of 0.8%, a grace…

ZAGREB, 30 June 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that the government was "very systematically making strategic headway" to improve the lives of citizens and the economy, referring to Croatia's admission to the euro area and the Schengen Area, as well as to the upgrade of the country's credit ratings. At its last summit, the European Council confirmed Croatia's entry into the euro area on 1 January 2023, and the government expects that Croatia will also join the Schengen area then too. "We are very systematically making these strategic steps forward for the prosperity of our citizens and economy. They (that headway) are…

ZAGREB, 30 June 2022 - The Croatian government on Thursday declared the "Marina Cavtat & Resort" project, estimated at HRK 625 million excluding Value Added Tax, and the "Frapa Resort Medine" project, estimated at HRK 1.04 billion including VAT, to be investments of strategic importance. "Marina Cavtat & Resort" is a project to be developed on 6.4 hectares in the coastal town of Cavtat, southernmost Croatia. The project consists of a future five-star hotel with 260 accommodation units, that is with 900 beds. Upon its completion, the resort will hire 250 permanent workers and 150 seasonal workers. The "Frapa Resprt Medine" project in the…

ZAGREB, 30 June 2022 - In the last 24 hours 1,148 coronavirus cases, out of 3,532 tests, and five related deaths have been registered in Croatia. There are 5,261 active cases, including 245 hospitalised patients, five of whom are on ventilators, while 2,682 persons are self-isolating. To date, Croatia has registered 1,148,528 coronavirus cases, the death toll is 16,065 and 70.82% of the adult population has been vaccinated.   For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated sectionand select your preferred language if it isn't English.

ZAGREB, 30 June 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday the US Supreme Court ruling, which leaves the legality of abortion to the federal states and has led to big divisions, would not impact Croatia as banning pregnancy termination would be contrary to a Constitutional Court ruling. Speaking at a cabinet session, he said pregnancy termination was an extremely complex legal, ethical and medical issue on which it was often impossible to reach a consensus, but that it was necessary to consider the matter. "This ruling won't impact Croatia. In Croatia, the right to pregnancy termination is regulated by law and the…

ZAGREB, 29 June 2022 - Protective gear and other products of the Croatian defence industry were presented in the European Parliament on Wednesday as part of a conference on strengthening Europe's security and defence, organised by Croatian MEP Karlo Ressler. Security and defence are not a choice today but fundamental issues which come first, he said, per a press release from his office. Croatia's defence industry is one of its strongest and most successful exports and deserves, alongside other European colleagues, even stronger EU support so that Europe stays the safest continent, Ressler added. Among those attending the conference was former Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović,…