Politics

ZAGREB, July 24, 2020 - The new, 15th cabinet held its first meeting on Friday, with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic saying the main item on the agenda was a bill on the reconstruction of buildings damaged in the Zagreb area in the March earthquake. "As we promised, the bill is on the agenda of the first government session after the election," he said. Plenkovic said he expected Health Minister Vili Beros, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman and Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac "to cooperate closely in the days ahead so that we can conduct consultations to combine what we do with our…

ZAGREB, July 24, 2020 - Transport Minister Oleg Butkovic said on Friday that the government would not give up from flag carriers, Croatia Airlines and Jadrolinija. "We will not give up from our national airline company. We are searching for the best solutions to stabilise and retain Croatia Airlines. We are sharing the same destiny as other air companies in Europe and in the world. This is an occasion for us to solve together this problem at the European Union level, Butkovic said while coming to the first meeting of the inner cabinet after the 5th government was sworn in on…

ZAGREB, July 23, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday it was not his fault that MPs received the new government's programme late, and that the new parliament included plenty of sensitive MPs who had yet to toughen up. "I'm satisfied with what we presented as our programme," he told press during a break in a parliamentary debate on his new cabinet's programme. "As for this argument that the programme wasn't sent 25 days earlier, it's always been so. After parliament yesterday adopted a law on fewer ministries, the material was sent to parliament. Whether it was delivered…

ZAGREB, July 23, 2020 - The faults found on two Croatian helicopters participating in the NATO mission in Kosovo have been removed or are being repaired and have not affected the operational capability of the Croatian Air Force or the continuity of the NATO operation, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday. "All the faults have been removed or are being repaired and have not affected the operational capability of the Croatian Air Force or the continuity of the NATO operation," the ministry said in response to a query from Hina after the commercial television channel Nova TV reported that two…

ZAGREB, July 23, 2020 - The Croatian parliament opened its session on Thursday with demands by opposition groups for an hour-long break to allow them to study the programme of the new government before discussing it and voting on it. After nearly all opposition groups voiced their satisfaction because they had been presented with the programme of the new government less than an hour before the discussion, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic approved a 15-minute break. He said that the programme could not have been distributed before Wednesday evening because Parliament adopted a law on the new government only then. "The…

ZAGREB, July 23, 2020 - Prime Minister-designate Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that he was aware that expectations of reform were now much higher than before and that his new government would meet them. "There will be huge challenges to public health, the economy and finance. Today we have more political experience and that will certainly make our work easier. The government is homogenous, the parliamentary majority is compact, and I count on 76 hands," Plenkovic told reporters outside parliament before presenting his new cabinet to lawmakers. Asked if he believed his new team would endure the four-year term, Plenkovic said: "I…

ZAGREB, July 23, 2020 - Creating 100,000 jobs, increasing the average and minimum wages and further tax cuts are some of the goals of the programme of the new Croatian government that will be presented in parliament on Thursday. The programme covers five main areas: social security, a prosperous future, economic sovereignty, stronger statehood and global recognisability. The new government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic aims to spend HRK 10 billion in creating conditions for opening 100,000 jobs and ensure an average monthly salary of HRK 7,600 and a minimum wage of at least HRK 4,250 by the end of the…

Full-scale reforms and deep cuts from the public and the state to local government units are the last chance for Croatia's prosperity, and 22 billion euros of coronavirus aid and entry into the Eurozone are not so much a gift but a concrete demand for Croatia to finally put its house in order. As Poslovni Dnevnik/Vladimir Nisevic writes on the 21st of July, 2020, we're now in the coronavirus-dominated "new normal" and the fact that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic is returning from Brussels with 22 billion euros in aid has reactivated idea that we can all just sit back and…

ZAGREB, July 22, 2020 - Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic told MPs on Wednesday at the first session of the tenth parliament that being appointed speaker for the second time was a great honour and that he would discharge his duty responsibly. He said the appointment made him proud. "It's a confirmation of the election results which have shown that citizens support the direction in which the previous government and parliamentary majority took the state, as well as a recognition for all the achievements of the past four years." Jandrokovic said he would push for the promotion and strengthening of the highest values of the…

ZAGREB, July 22, 2020 - The founding meeting of the new, 10th parliament began on Wednesday morning with the election of Gordan Jandrokovic as the speaker of this 151-seat legislature. The proposal by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) to nominate Jandrokovic for this post was supported by 143 newly-elected deputies, with one abstention, and there were no votes against the motion. Gordan Jandrokovic of the ruling HDZ, who was at the helm of the 9th parliament, continues performing this duty in the new legislature, and he is the first parliament speaker to be appointed to this position for two successive terms.…