Politics

February the 6th, 2021 - Tomislav Mamic, otherwise the owner of Tommy, one of the largest employers in all of Dalmatia, has entered the race to become the next mayor of Split. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Tomislav Mamic could well become the next mayor of Croatia's second largest city. His company, Tommy, is by far the largest employer in Dalmatia, and this information was confirmed to Slobodna Dalmacija first hand. Does this mean that the strongest Dalmatian entrepreneur is swiching the life of business for a life of politics? Many will surely be asking that question. Tomislav Mamic himself categorically rejected…

ZAGREB, 5 February, 2021 - Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić said in Pula on Friday, after meeting with county and city authorities, that in the past ten years Istria County has made a step forward in waste management and that it is the direction the rest of Croatia should take. "Building a county waste management centre, despite the challenges that it presented for some time, was from our perspective a huge job done by Istria County. In the past few years we have been dedicated primarily to constructing these lower parts of the infrastructure, which entails building recycling yards, financing sorting facilities, containers and…

ZAGREB, 5 February, 2021 - Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Ćorić said on Friday he was pleased that the epidemiological figures in Croatia had been much more favourable for a few weeks now and that he believed that the government would have the opportunity to ease the measures as of 15 February. "What that specifically means, I cannot tell you at the moment as it will depend on the numbers in the coming days. However, I believe that our entrepreneurs, who have shown great understanding for everything that has been happening, but also protested against the fact that they have…

ZAGREB, 5 February, 2021 - The Croatian Parliament on Friday adopted the National Development Strategy until 2030, an overarching strategic document for national development that will  provide a framework for the preparation of all local, regional and national strategies. The strategy received 77 votes in favour, 59 against and 2 abstentions. "We want a Croatia that by 2030 will be a competitive, innovative and safe country, with a recognisable identity and culture, a country with preserved resources, good living conditions and equal opportunities for all," Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said. In order to achieve that vision the strategy is focused…

ZAGREB, 5 February, 2021 - Parliament on Friday declared Croatia's Exclusive Economic Zone (IGP) in the Adriatic. All 141 lawmakers who were present during the vote in the 151-seat parliament voted in favour of the IGP. The decision to declare the IGP will enter into force eight days after being published in the Official Gazette instead of 1 February as had originally been planned. Parliament was to have voted on the motion last Friday. However, after it was established that there wasn't a quorum, voting did not take place and hence the government proposed an amendment changing the date of the…

ZAGREB, 4 February, 2021 - President Zoran Milanović said on Thursday it made no sense any more for the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) to be funded by everyone in business who did not know what they were getting in return, adding that the mandatory monthly membership fee should be abolished. "The mandatory fee is a parafiscal levy par excellence," he told the press. Milanović said the HGK was "a political den," much more so than the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts which "has a certain function, although politics managed to become implanted there as well, and deeply. But it has…

ZAGREB, 4 February 2021 - By 28 January, Croatia has agreed on the financing of €12.17 billion worth of contracts from the European structural and investment funds (ESIF), exceeding by 13.4% the amount allocated for the period from 2014 to the end of 2020, the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds said on Thursday. Minister Nataša Tramišak presented a report on the absorption of EU funding by Croatia at the closed part of today's cabinet meeting, which was then adopted. Croatia was allocated €10.7 billion from the ESIF for the 2014-2020 period. By 28 January 2021, it had agreed…

ZAGREB, 4 February 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that former economy minister Martina Dalić could make a quality contribution as the newly appointed CEO of the Podravka food manufacturer and that he does not see how she, who has a PhD in economics, could possibly have poor references. During a press conference after a cabinet meeting, Plenković said that he was sorry over the death of former CEO Marin Pucar, and that Dalić was available in these extraordinary circumstances. "We spoke about several options considering her experience and the fact that Podravka is a large company, the state has its interest in…

ZAGREB, 4 February 2021 - The Croatian government on Thursday adopted an HRK 1.5 billion (€200 million) aid programme for the tourism and sports sectors to help alleviate the impact of the coronavirus crisis. The programme was approved by the European Commission on 11 January based on the Temporary Framework for State Aid and its main objective is to ensure access to liquidity for the heavily affected tourism and sports sectors and to preserve their economic activity, Tourism and Sport Minister Nikolina Brnjac told a cabinet meeting. Of the HRK 1.5 billion, HRK 1 billion is intended for state guarantees…

ZAGREB, 4 February 2021 - The COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on the creative and cultural industries which, along with air transport, were hit hardest, Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek said in parliament on Thursday while presenting the new bill on copyright and related rights. The adoption of the bill is crucial for the development of Croatian cultural and creative industries, the minister said, adding that before the crisis they had accounted for 4.6% of total employment and for 6.3% of GDP. Obuljen Koržinek said that these industries had performed better in terms of exports than…