Politics

ZAGREB, 10 January, 2021 - Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman has said that Croatia and Croatian communities abroad have demonstrated such unity after recent earthquakes as they did in the 1991-1995 Homeland War, expressing satisfaction with the solidarity of EU member states. "This shows that we can be together when it's most difficult. In such situations we are as one, Croatian hearts beat as one. During the earthquakes Croats were together just as they were in 1991," Grlic Radman said in an interview with the Mostar-based Bosnian Croat television channel Televizija Herceg-Bosne aired on Sunday. He said that many…

ZAGREB, 9 January, 2021 - Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Skoro on Saturday supported the Voice of Entrepreneurs association in criticising the extension of coronavirus restrictions which were affecting businesses, notably bars and restaurants. "We are talking a billion kuna in revenues which could have been generated in the last month alone. Advent is the time when people spend more. It was an irrational decision because people working in this sector are now out in the field cooking and handing out thousands of meals to earthquake victims and they are in direct contact. On the other hand, the government, who imposed…

ZAGREB, January 9, 2021 - In the last 24 hours the Red Cross has distributed 12,600 tonnes of food in Sisak-Moslavina County, Minister Tomo Medved, who heads the task force for dealing with the aftermath of the 29 December quake, told press on Saturday morning. In the last 24 hours, 12,600 tonnes of food has been distributed, including 18,580 hot meals for the population in the quake-affected area and 2,377 meals to emergency services and personnel on the ground, Medved told the specialised radio broadcast dedicated to the developments in Sisak-Moslavina County since the devastating quake and aftershocks. He added…

ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - The requirements for the temporary accommodation of people from earthquake-hit areas are expected to be met in the next few weeks, Economy Minister Tomislav Coric said on Thursday after meeting with domestic container home manufacturers. The idea is to meet all the requirements with domestic containers, some imported, and to procure mobile homes, he told the press, adding that between 1,000 and 1,500 temporary accommodation units were necessary. Since the construction of lasting buildings can begin only when weather conditions allow and the whole process will take time, the state would rather buy than rent container homes, which will…

ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - Croatia can be satisfied with its tourism results in 2020 as they prove the sector's adapting to the pandemic and new circumstances, the tourism minister said on Thursday, confident that this experience, the vaccine and compliance with COVID measures can help to achieve the desired effects in 2021. "54 million overnights show that the tourism sector has adapted quickly and successfully to the new circumstances. It is important to emphasize that Croatia was recognised as a safe destination due to good epidemiological conditions, and we must continue to work on this in 2021, on extending the peak season…

ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday announced changes to regulations on the implementation of the General Tax Act which will exempt from VAT donations delivered to the areas affected by last week's earthquake. "This is another important gesture, similar to the one we did at the time of measures which applied to the COVID-19 pandemic. These donations won't be burdened with either profit or income tax, they will represent tax breaks," Plenkovic said at a cabinet meeting. At the end of last year, the Croatian Employers Association asked the government to stop charging taxes on donations for…

ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - Croatian President Zoran Milanovic was publicly vaccinated against coronavirus at the Pantovcak presidential office on Thursday, calling on all Croatian citizens to do the same as, he underscored, it is better than getting infected with COVID-19. Milanovic called on all those who were in two minds to get vaccinated, noting that the vaccine certainly helps. Anyone who consciously decides not to get vaccinated when the vaccine is available and free, takes on the responsibility for their own health, and when a certain number of people are vaccinated, there is less burden on the system, the…

ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - Ten ministers in the Andrej Plenkovic cabinet on Thursday got vaccinated against coronavirus in front of the press in a bid to raise awareness of the importance of immunising the whole population against this novel virus. The jabs were administered to those ministers who have not yet caught the virus and have not yet acquired immunity against this infectious disease. They also called on citizens to get vaccinated. The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, who attended the vaccination of the ministers, said that many public figures and distinguished people in Croatia would join…

ZAGREB, January 7, 2021 - Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman on Wednesday reacted on Twitter to the unrest at the United States Capitol and underscored that "upholding democratic institutions and peaceful transition of power is of utmost importance." The minister said on Twitter that he was "following with great concern the events in Washington DC". A crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building of the Capitol, the seat of American democracy, in an attempt to overturn the election results and stop a Congress session which was supposed to certify the victory of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden.…

ZAGREB, 6 January, 2021 - Homeland Movement president Miroslav Skoro said on Wednesday the system of civil protection and commodity stockpiles had failed in managing the disaster in Sisak-Moslavina County after last week's earthquake because the people in question were not qualified but party members "doing their job badly." Speaking to the press while touring the opposition party's donation warehouse in Odra Sisacka, the deputy parliament speaker said the state should have replenished the commodity stockpiles because all available containers had been given to healthcare because of the COVID-19 crisis and to accommodate the people of Zagreb after the March earthquake. Skoro visited the…