Politics
Wednesday, 16 September 2020
PM Refutes Bridge's Claim on Connection Between Fighter Jets, EU Grants
ZAGREB, Sept 16, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Wednesday dismissed the Bridge party's claim that he had promised President Emmanuel Macron that Zagreb would buy French fighter jets in return for the European Council's decision that €22.5 billion would be set aside for Croatia. "This is an absurdity," Plenkovic said during Question Time in parliament after Bridge deputy Zvonimir Troskot asked if the premier had promised that Croatia would purchase French multipurpose military aircraft in exchange for EU grants. Plenkovic said he was "fascinated by debutant lawmakers", calling on Troskot not to disseminate false and incorrect claims which, he added, made him "less credible" as a parliamentary…
Wednesday, 16 September 2020
PM Says President Engaging in Activism Against COVID-19 Team
ZAGREB, Sept 16, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in parliament on Wednesday that President Zoran Milanovic was engaging in activism against the national COVID-19 response team. Commenting on Milanovic's statement that the Constitutional Court got cold feet when it decided that all decisions made by the COVID-19 team were in line with the Constitution, except for a Sunday trading ban, Plenkovic said: "What do you think, do those who voted against have an opposed political agenda, engaging in some sort of activism, while the others acted in line with the law and Constitution, including the judges?". He then answered affirmatively…
Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Finance Minister Maric Changes Mind on Property Transfer Tax Abolition
September the 16th, 2020 - The noise surrounding property tax and property/real estate transfer tax has been loud for a significant amount of time now. There have been comments made across all spectrums and it appears that the subject continue to be a thorn in the side of many, constantly coming up in almost every political discussion. It appears that what was once celebrated, the idea of the total abolition of property transfer tax, isn't going to happen any time soon as Finance Minister Maric changes his mind. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of September, 2020, back in…
Tuesday, 15 September 2020
Plenkovic Says Split Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara Enjoys His Support
ZAGREB, Sept 15, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Tuesday that Split Mayor Andro Krstulovic Opara enjoys his support when asked if Krstulovic Opara would run in the next local election, set for May 2021. Plenkovic made the statement for the press after meeting with Krstulovic Opara and Split County head Blazenko Boban, also a member of the HDZ party. HDZ has a lot of candidates for local election Asked who could be the HDZ's candidate for the mayor of Zagreb, Plenkovic said that "the HDZ has a lot of candidates." "We will have good candidates, there is enough time…
Tuesday, 15 September 2020
What Would Croatian-American Agreement on Double Taxation Imply?
As Novac/Marina Klepo writes on the 14th of September, 2020, last week, US Ambassador Robert Kohorst presented the Croatian Government with a proposal for a draft agreement on avoiding double taxation between the United States and Croatia, a document that the two countries have now been negotiating for a quarter of a century. But just what would the Croatian-American agreement bring, and what are the details? After the US ambassador met with Finance Minister Zdravko Maric at the Banski dvori, they reported that the long anticipated Croatian-American agreement would provide "additional legal security to taxpayers, especially those with dual citizenship,…
Monday, 14 September 2020
HND Protests Against the Constitutional Court's Decision
ZAGREB, Sept 14, 2020 - HND protests against the Constitutional Court's decision not to allow reporters to attend its session discussing decisions of the national COVID-19 response team. "The Croatian Journalist Association strongly protests against the Constitutional Court's decision which prevents media from covering its session focusing on the lawfulness of decisions made by the national COVID-19 response team on epidemiological measures during the coronavirus pandemic," the umbrella journalists' association said in a statement. It noted that the court's decision was contrary to democratic standards, media freedoms, and the right of the public to be informed of all court decisions, notably…
Monday, 14 September 2020
PM: Absence of Any Religious Content Would be Odd for Country With so Many Catholics
ZAGREB, Sept 14, 2020 - PM Andrej Plenkovic has said that he does not understand the children's ombudsman's statement that religious content being practiced outside Religious Education in some schools is unacceptable, noting that complete absence of any religious content would be odd for a country with so many Catholics. "As far as content at school events is concerned, I think we live in a free country and that it would be truly unusual in a country with so many faithful, so many Catholics, not to have any religious content anywhere," Plenkovic told the press during a visit to Mostar on Monday. He was referring to a statement…
Monday, 14 September 2020
PM: Croatia is the Advocate of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croats
ZAGREB, Sept 14, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said during a visit to Mostar, south Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday that Croatia is the advocate of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croats' rights and that he expected the Dayton Peace Accords would be respected and that Croats would no longer be outvoted. "As before, we will strongly support Bosnia and Herzegovina, develop cooperation with all three constituent peoples, with all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and be the country that supports Bosnia and Herzegovina on its way to the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation," Plenkovic told a press conference following a…
Monday, 14 September 2020
Aircraft Purchase Commission to Recommend Best Bid by Dec. 12
ZAGREB, Sept 14, 2020 - The interdepartmental aircraft purchase commission will recommend the best bid by December 12, Defense Minister Mario Banozic said on Sunday evening. "Given that the bids were submitted to the Defence Ministry on September 9 and we have three months, it is easy to calculate that (the deadline) is December 12. In these three months the interdepartmental commission will evaluate all the bids," Banozic said in an interview with the public television service HTV when asked when a decision would be made on which fighter jets Croatia would buy. "December 12 is the deadline that we…
Saturday, 12 September 2020
Fuchs: Classes Without Face Masks Possible in Epidemiologically Stable Communities
ZAGREB, September 12, 2020 - Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs has said that if the local epidemiological situation proves stable, local authorities can decide that school children do not need to wear face masks when at school. "There is pressure from a group of people, parents, who disagree with the recommended measures. Some people do not agree with children having to wear face masks at school, so they come up with various arguments," Fuchs said in an interview with Croatian Radio on Saturday, noting that the decision to wear face masks in certain situations was based on the recommendations of…
Friday, 11 September 2020
FinMin Violated the Principle of Good Conduct, The Conflict of Interest Commission Says
ZAGREB, Sept 11, 2020 - The Conflict of Interest Commission found on Friday that FinMin violated the principle of good conduct by participating in a decision by the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) to grant a loan to a company owned by his friend Josip Stojanovic Jolly. The procedure against Maric was launched in December last year due to the possibility of bias because, in his capacity as finance minister and president of the HBOR supervisory board, he did not excuse himself from the decision to issue a loan to Stojanovic's Olympia Vodice company, which was issued with an HBOR…
