Politics

ZAGREB, 16 January, 2021 - Former Croatian president Stjepan Mesić visited Petrinja, the city demolished in a 29 December earthquake, together with Croatian businessman Stjepan Kolenac, who brought a relief shipment from Vienna, both calling for all Croatian friends to join in helping the affected area. Mayor Darinko Dumbović expressed gratitude for the relief and said the disastrous earthquake that struck Petrinja and Sisak-Moslavina County, following the suffering in the 1991-95 Homeland War and the loss of over 20,000 jobs, touched everyone who came to help. Every person in the affected area seeks that their needs are met, Dumbović said, adding that the city and the county should be…

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - At its plenary session next week, the European Parliament will discuss aid to Croatia to alleviate the consequences of a devastating earthquake that struck the country, Croatian MEPs announced on Friday at an online press conference organised by the European Parliament Office in Zagreb. MEPs Valter Flego, Predrag Fred Matić and Željana Zovko announced the agenda of the plenary session due to take place in Brussels from 18 to 21 January. One of the topics on the agenda is the provision of relief to the areas of Croatia that were devastated by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake…

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - The parliamentary group of the Green-Left Bloc have refused to undergo vaccination against COVID-19 as part of a priority vaccination programme for MPs, saying that there is not enough vaccine at this point and the doses intended for them should be administered to health workers and vulnerable groups. "All members of the Green-Left Bloc want to get vaccinated against coronavirus and support the vaccination of as many people as possible. What's more, we think the vaccination is the only way for us to get back to at least a semblance of normality and halt the…

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbović said on Friday that he was satisfied with the proposed legislative regulations for the reconstruction of damaged houses in the quake-hit areas of Sisak-Moslavina County, which will entirely be financed from the state budget. Asked by reporters if he was satisfied with the legislative regulation on reconstruction, Dumbović said that any law that will be quickly implemented was good. He elaborated that he was satisfied that the 60:20:20 formula for financing the post-quake reconstruction, which will be applied in Zagreb, had been amended for the quake-affected areas  in Sisak and Karlovac Counties so the…

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - Health Minister Vili Beroš on Friday visited the Sisak General Hospital, situated in the earthquake-affected area, saying he was satisfied with the situation there. Since 5 January, 223 patients have been hospitalised there and 1,927 patients have been examined in the outpatient clinics. "These figures show the will of the staff and director of the hospital to provide adequate medical assistance," Beroš said. He said that the ministry had contributed to the health system's response in terms of redistribution of patients after the 29 December earthquake, adding that there had been no major problems with…

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - Farmers in earthquake-hit areas need concrete help immediately so that they can stay and live and work there, it was said at a meeting of the parliamentary Agriculture Committee on Friday. In three months' time the committee will convene to analyse what has been done to assist people affected by the earthquakes in 2020. Farmers are faced with many problems - damaged houses, farm buildings and equipment, polluted wells and buyers who are taking advantage of the situation and offering low prices for their cattle, the committee heard. The one thing that is obvious is that no…

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - President Zoran Milanović issued a message on Friday marking the Day of International Recognition and the Day of the Peaceful Reintegration of the Danube Region.  "Today we commemorate the 29th anniversary of the international recognition of the Republic of Croatia. On this day we remember an important moment in recent Croatian history when the world accepted and recognised the autonomy and independence of the Croatian state," Milanović said. After a vast majority of Croatian citizens voted in favour of independence and the Croatian Parliament, based on the will of the people, adopted a resolution on independence…

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Friday, on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of Croatia's international recognition and the 23rd anniversary of the peaceful reintegration of its Danube region, that Croatia was marking the two anniversaries with pride and gratitude to its defenders. "The anniversaries of Croatia's international recognition and the peaceful reintegration of the Danube region are important dates in the country's history. We are marking them feeling proud of all our accomplishments and grateful to Croatian defenders and all others who sacrificed themselves for Croatia's freedom and independence," said Plenković. He recalled that Croatia, a UN,…

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - Construction Minister Darko Horvat said on Thursday that around HRK 12 billion had been secured through the EU Solidarity Fund, World Bank loans and the state budget for the reconstruction of areas hit by last year's earthquakes. Speaking in an interview with the HTV public broadcaster, Horvat said that clear rules on how to organise reconstruction would be published in the Official Gazette within a month from the earthquake that hit Sisak-Moslavina County on 29 December. He added that the government still did not have a complete financial framework for reconstruction but that so far HRK…

ZAGREB, 15 January, 2021 - The July 2020 parliamentary election cost HRK 101.5 million (€13.53 million), HRK 8.5 million less than the election held in 2016, shows the final report of the State Election Commission (DIP) on the cost of last year's vote. The lower election costs are a result of savings made on allowances for the work of election bodies, owing to changes in tax rules. Material costs, amounting to HRK 22.3 million, were close to two million kuna higher than in 2016, due to measures introduced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection. Explaining why the final report…