Politics
Wednesday, 18 November 2020
EC to Review Possible Macroeconomic Imbalances in Croatia again
ZAGREB, Nov 18, 2020 - Croatia entered the COVID-19 crisis with vulnerabilities linked to the government, private sector, and external debt in a context of low potential growth, so the European Commission on Wednesday again recommended making an in-depth review to estimate macroeconomic imbalances. In the Alert Mechanism Report, a screening device to detect potential macroeconomic imbalances, the Commission recommends that in-depth reviews to identify and assess the severity of possible macroeconomic imbalances should be prepared in 2021 for the same 12 member states that had already been identified as having imbalances or excessive imbalances in February 2020. Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal,…
Wednesday, 18 November 2020
President Milanovic Lays Wreath at Ovcara Memorial
ZAGREB, November 18, 2020 - On the occasion of Homeland War Victims Remembrance Day and Vukovar and Skabrnja Victims Remembrance Day, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic on Wednesday paid his respects to the sacrifice of Vukovar by laying a wreath at the Ovcara memorial site. In addition to the President, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Admiral Robert Hranj, and presidential envoy Lieutenant-General Marijan Marekovic also laid wreaths. Milanovic did not give a statement to reporters. In Skabrnja, on behalf of the president, his envoy, Dragan Lozancic, took part in today's commemorative events.
Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Vukovar Remembrance Day to be Marked in Special Circumstances
ZAGREB, Nov 17, 2020 - The 29th anniversary of the fall of Vukovar and the most dramatic battle of the Homeland War will be commemorated on Wednesday and this year it will be marked in special circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic. This eastern town on the right bank of the Danube was under siege for 87 days. The battle ended on 18 November 1991 even though fighting continued in some of the suburbs for a few days after that. The town was occupied by former Yugoslav Army (JNA) forces and Serb paramilitaries, and the occupation ended on 15 January 1998 with…
Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Most MP Calls for Deployment of Troops Along Border to Stop Illegal Migrants
ZAGREB, Nov 17, 2020 - MP Miro Bulj of the opposition Most party on Tuesday called for the deployment of army troops along the state border because of frequent attacks by illegal migrants on local residents and robberies in border areas. Speaking at a press conference in the Parliament building, Bulj said that armed groups of illegal migrants terrorised the population of the Gorski Kotar region, showing photographs according to which groups of between 50 and 100 migrants were passing freely through the Mrkopalj area. "In Begovo Razdolje recently, migrants were caught stealing a vehicle, which they wrecked and threatened…
Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Archival Documents from Homeland War being Digitised with EU Funding
ZAGREB, Nov 17, 2020 - Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved was presented with a funding agreement on Tuesday for a project to digitise archival documents from the Homeland War, with PM Andrej Plenkovic, who attended the event, saying that it is necessary to preserve the past in order to build the future together. The project, valued at HRK 81.5 million, will be financed for the most part with EU funds, and it is important because it will make procedures enabling veterans and war victims to exercise their legal rights faster and more efficient, but will also preserve historical facts for coming generations, Minister Medved said. PM Plenkovic said…
Tuesday, 17 November 2020
SDP Proposes Year-long Moratorium on Loan Repayments
ZAGREB, Nov 17, 2020 - The SDP parliamentary group has put forward a bill on a moratorium on debtors' loan liabilities to protect citizens' standard of living and stop the decline in consumption, asking the government to regulate the debt collection market and the supervision of debt collection agencies. "We are proposing a year-long moratorium on loan repayments, regulated by law and binding on banks, allowing debtors to decide on their own whether or not to ask for a moratorium, during which interest would not be charged. Considering the state of the debt and the increase in bad loans, there is…
Monday, 16 November 2020
Zadar to Get Better Drainage System Through EBRD Loan and EU Funds
ZAGREB, November 16, 2020 - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a €4.5 million loan for the completion of a capital drainage system project in Zadar, in addition to €42 million approved from the EU Cohesion Fund for the Zadar utility company, EBRD said on Monday. The EBRD loan will be used for the reconstruction and expansion of Zadar's drainage system. The project involves the construction and reconstruction of more than 100 kilometres of pipelines and collectors, 17 pump stations and increasing the current rate of 75% of households connected to drainage to 95%. The Odvodnja utility company manages wastewater collection and treatment for…
Monday, 16 November 2020
EU Recovery Plan Big Opportunity for Croatia - Conference
ZAGREB, November 16, 2020 - The EU recovery plan is a big opportunity for Croatia, which has four or five key years to use, European aid from various funds through good projectsfor a relatively quick recovery from the corona crisis and for economic growth and development, a conference heard on Monday. The videoconference on the EU recovery plan was organised by the European Investment Bank, the European Commission Representation in Croatia and Hanza Media, and its goal is to create a stimulating environment and platform for raising awareness of the opportunities offered by the EU recovery plan, with special focus on…
Monday, 16 November 2020
Minister Says No Switching to Online Classes
ZAGREB, November 16, 2020 - Education Minister Radovan Fuchs has said that his ministry is still of the view that one should not switch to online classes except in cases when the situation in a school requires it and when physical classes are not possible. "The ministry has been monitoring the system of primary and secondary schools and still considers that one should not switch to online classes except when the situation in an individual school requires it," the minister said, adding that online classes so far had been introduced in schools where the teaching and auxiliary staff had been reduced to…
Monday, 16 November 2020
What is the Number of Ventilators in Croatia?
November 16, 2020 - When the global COVID-19 pandemic reached Croatia, one of the things everyone wanted to know was: how many medical ventilators are there in Croatia to help those suffering from the worst damage to their lungs? Several months later, one thing remains almost exactly the same: it’s almost impossible to tell what the exact answer to that question is. Unofficially, the number that has been floated around by many, including the Croatian President Zoran Milanović is that there are around 800 ventilators in Croatia. Back in March and April, I tried finding some confirmation for the number…
Monday, 16 November 2020
Pametno and SIP Join to Form New Party Called Centre
ZAGREB, November 16, 2020 - The parliamentary opposition parties Pametno (Smart) and the Party with a First and Last Name (SIP) joined to form a single party, called Centre, at an online convention on Sunday, they announced in a statement on Monday. The new party will not have a leader, but will be headed by four co-leaders - Dalija Oreskovic, Marijana Puljak, Marin Racic and Dario Carev. The first unification of two political parties in Croatia on an equal footing is aimed at bringing together as many respectable individuals as possible to push for more civil liberties, less state influence on…
