Politics

ZAGREB, May 27, 2020 - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) Restart coalition on Wednesday presented its election platform "Agenda for a Start'  for the 5 July parliamentary election with SDP leader Davor Bernardic saying that they are the only true force for a change and a restart. "It's time for a new policy, a policy of courage, sincerity, and trust. An election awaits us. The choice does not seem to be that difficult. Order or chaos. Honesty or corruption. Justice and equality before the law or protection for the privileged," said Bernardic accompanied by his coalition partners - Silvano Hrelja, leader of the…

ZAGREB, May 27, 2020 - Croatian Labour and Pension System Minister Josip Aladrovic said on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached with public sector unions on an annex to the basic collective agreement and on holiday allowances being paid into citizens' accounts rather than through the Cro Card. "We have reached an agreement with public sector employees, they accepted the earlier offer by a majority. We have taken the position that we will pay the HRK 1,500 holiday allowance as we have so far - into citizens' accounts," Minister Aladrovic said after a meeting with public and government sector…

ZAGREB, May 27, 2020 - Unions of employees in the education and government sectors on Wednesday accepted a government's proposal on an annex to the basic collective agreement, underscoring that this was a matter of responsibility and solidarity and that they also managed to negotiate the payment of holiday allowances in cash. "Five public sector trade union federations, which encompass 55 members operating in the public sector, have accepted the government's offer to sign Annex 2 to the basic collective agreement," Branimir Mihalinec, leader of the NSZSSH union of secondary school teachers, told reporters. He added that they had managed to remove another obstacle in the…

ZAGREB, May 26, 2020 -  Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Tuesday rejected claims that reporters' correspondence was being monitored, underscoring that there is no way that that could even be thought of. "I deny that in the strongest terms," Plenkovic said in Vrgorac when asked to comment on a statement by Environment Minister Tomislav Coric at a press conference earlier in the day related to a memorandum between INA and JANAF, when Coric called out N1 TV reporter Hrvoje Kresic for his writing in a reporters' social network group. Coric said that from Kresic's work and messages in the group, it was evident that he was not…

ZAGREB, May 25, 2020 - It is in both Serbia and Croatia's interest to make their relations stable and meaningful, which requires stepping up political dialogue, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and Croatia's Ambassador to Serbia, Hidajet Biscevic, said on Monday. Dacic received the incoming Croatian ambassador for talks, welcoming him and wishing him a successful term, and expressing confidence that "in the coming period, the two countries will succeed, through joint efforts, to promote overall bilateral relations," the Serbian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The two officials agreed that both countries were interested in making their relations stable and meaningful,…

ZAGREB, May 25, 2020 - Croatian Parliament Speaker and secretary-general of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Gordan Jandrokovic, said on Monday that a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was out of the question, as was a coalition with Miroslav Skoro's Homeland Movement, and that cooperation with Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic was unlikely. "The HDZ will run in elections by itself, our coalition partners are the citizens, there will be no grand coalition with the SDP, and we will also not enter a coalition with Skoro," Jandrokovic told Croatian Radio, noting that the media should "ask Skoro and (SDP leader…

ZAGREB, May 25, 2020 - Prime Minister and HDZ president Andrej Plenkovic said on Sunday the HDZ was going into the parliamentary election to win voters' confidence for "the second half" and that after the election he was willing to sit at the table with those that would pull Croatia forward but that Miroslav Skoro was not such a person. "We coped with the pandemic crisis and now that we have finished the first half, we want to win voters' confidence for the second half so that we can embark on economic recovery," he said on RTL television. He said…

ZAGREB, May 24, 2020 - Nino Raspudic, a professor of Italian language and literature at Zagreb's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, who is more known as a political analyst and columnist, said on Sunday that he would be a candidate on a slate of the Bridge party in the 5 July elections. Announcing his political engagement in the next parliamentary elections, Raspudic said in the HTV's talks show on Sunday that he had been writing articles as a political columnist for newspapers for more than 10 years. "This has been a sort of political work. It was not engagement party-wise,…

ZAGREB, May 24, 2020 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) Davor Bernardic, who on Sunday visited Split as a stop of on his party's campaign trail, said that the SDP agenda included the construction of retirement homes with about 10,000 accommodation units. Bernardic said that the SDP planned the construction of new senior homes so that "pensioners, whose numbers are growing in Croatia from day to day, can have a dignified life in their senior age." He said that the SDP agenda includes also the construction of flats that can be rented by undergraduates, young families, young researchers, and others who cannot…

ZAGREB, May 24, 2020 - The political platforms and parties led by activists Tomislav Tomasevic and Sandra Bencic on Sunday reiterated their accusations against Mayor Milan Bandic and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) for failure to take decisive steps in the post-quake rebuilding of the city. "We believe that the political passiveness of the HDZ and of Mayor Milan Bandic will cause a political quake in the next parliamentary elections," said Tomasevic, who together with another five activists held a news conference in front of Government House, on Sunday morning. Tomasevic held a grudge against Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for failing to initiate an…