Politics

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 9th of July, 2020, what is certain for now under the new Croatian Government is that Zdravko Maric will remain at the head of state finances, Vili Beros will continue to lead the health care system, as will Davor Bozinovic with the police, and Oleg Butkovic should remain at the head of the Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure ministry. The maths at the minute reads as follows: Closer to 16 than to 12, but most likely 15. Although Plenkovic doesn't want to come out with the precise number of ministries that will exist under…

ZAGREB, July 9, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that due to the current circumstances everyone should leave the recent parliamentary elections behind and get to work, adding that parliament would sit this summer without having a usual summer recess. "I believe that because of all the public health, financial and economic circumstances in which we are now, it will be good for us to leave the elections behind us and get to work in the interest of Croatian citizens," Plenkovic said at the beginning of a cabinet meeting. This means that parliament will also sit during summer even…

ZAGREB, July 9, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic whose Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) scored a convincing victory in Sunday's parliamentary election, said in an interview with the Vecernji List daily on Thursday that a majority of the ministers in his current cabinet would be in the next government. "Let us conduct internal consultations for a few more days so as to complete the new architecture of the Croatian government. There will be fewer ministerial departments, which means fewer ministers. We are going to conduct some mergers, taking into account the functionality and closeness of the areas of responsibility of certain ministries,"…

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of July, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Croatian economy is among the three most affected in the EU, and the European Commission's summer forecasts are that our GDP could fall by 10.8 percent. Minister Maric said that Croatia is sticking to its estimate of a 9.1 percent GDP drop, but also announced higher salaries for about a million residents. When it comes to government finances, Minister Maric reported that back in June, the decline in the amount of fiscalised receipts compared to June last year was about 16.5 percent. As for budget…

ZAGREB, July 8, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic on Wednesday called on Austrians to spend their summer vacation in Croatia, noting that Croatia's coast, where numerous Austrians traditionally spend their holidays, "is as safe as can be." "I would like to use this opportunity to, first of all, invite Austrian citizens to visit Croatia," Milanovic said in Vienna after a meeting with his Austrian and Slovenian counterparts. Milanovic noted that Croatia was safe with regard to the coronavirus and that incidents, which are occurring in all countries, "are relatively or absolutely rare" in Croatia. "The coast is long, sparsely populated and…

ZAGREB, July 8, 2020 - Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Wednesday, ahead of a meeting of the inner cabinet, that all options were on the table as regards government downsizing and that the goal was to have an efficient government serving the interests of state policy and citizens. "All options are open... We want to have a government that will be efficient and serves the interests of the state and citizens," said the minister. Asked if he would keep his post as Foreign Minister in the new government, Grlic Radman said that he "is serving his homeland" and that…

ZAGREB, July 8, 2020 - Eighty civil society organisations, energy agencies and institutions on Wednesday called on the newly-elected parliamentary deputies to ensure a strong transition to low-carbon development and job creation, as well as green and sustainable development. The period ahead will be marked by recovery from one of the biggest health and economic crises in recent history, which will require the cooperation of all social stakeholders, the organisations say. "It is right now that we have the opportunity to make investments that will strongly encourage the development of our own resources - investments in people, sustainable and renewable domestic…

ZAGREB, July 8, 2020 - Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said on Wednesday that tax cuts were not a guarantee of higher net wages but that efforts would be made to make that happen because of the idea behind tax cuts was higher wages and higher employment and investments. Answering reporters' questions outside the government offices about the government's plans to reduce income tax rates from 36% to 30% and from 24% to 20%, Maric recalled that the HDZ party's platform envisaged certain tax changes, adding that the party stood behind that and that they would be an integral part of…

ZAGREB, July 8, 2020 - Labour and Pension System Minister Josip Aladrovic confirmed on Wednesday that his ministry and the Ministry of Demography, Family Affairs, Youth, and Social Policy could be joined into a single ministry. "... We have already announced that the number of ministries will be reduced and we will definitely do it. What is important about such plans is to keep functionality at the same level or increase it," Aladrovic said ahead of a meeting of the inner cabinet. He noted that in Europe, a single ministry was frequently in charge of labour, the pension system, demography, and social affairs. "... We want…

July 9, 2020 - Sunday's Croatian election was a convincing win for Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. Political analyst Kresimir Macan on the elections and the new political landscape. (This article first appeared in the print edition of Glas Istre.) 1. What was it that decided these elections, and what is the main takeaway from them? Jim Messina, Obama's campaign strategist in 2012, once said that the voter chooses without fault the one who guarantees that they'll live better in four-years time, that this is the number one criterion according to which the voters decide, more important than the worldview or…