Politics
Saturday, 11 January 2020
HSLS Leader for Forming Liberal Bloc for Parliamentary Election
ZAGREB, January 11, 2020 - Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) president Dario Hrebak on Saturday called on centre parties to unite for the next parliamentary election, saying the HSLS and several liberal centre parties shared a similar political agenda. "Fighting corruption, increasing transparency, introducing digitisation. That's the political agenda the HSLS shares with... Pametno, Start and Lipa," he told reporters ahead of an HSLS Presidency meeting. Hrebak said the forming of a coalition for the coming parliamentary election would depend solely on the support other parties showed his party's transparency project, such as the one in Bjelovar. Asked if he…
Saturday, 11 January 2020
Purchase of Military Fighter Jets Delayed Again?
ZAGREB, January 11, 2020 - The purchase of fighter jets for the Croatian Air Force will be decided by the next government, the Jutarnji List daily of Saturday reports, noting that there is no information on the financial framework of the project and that the commission in charge of procuring the jets had still not discussed where pilots would be trained. On 10 January 2019 the Director-General of the Israeli Defence Ministry, Udi Adam, confirmed officially in Zagreb that Israel could not sell Croatia its F-16 Barak jets as it could not obtain Washington's approval for the deal. A year…
Saturday, 11 January 2020
Plenković Confident of HDZ's Victory in Parliamentary Elections
ZAGREB, January 11, 2020 - Prime Minister and HDZ party leader Andrej Plenković said in an interview with the Večernji List daily issue of Saturday that he was confident his party would win the next parliamentary election owing to its unity and the government's results, and that his government would continue to lead Croatia in the right direction. He also announced that all the necessary decisions, including a decision on calling intraparty elections, would be made in time, adding that this year parliamentary elections would be held as well and that Croatia was now chairing the EU. Plenković went on…
Saturday, 11 January 2020
State Prosecutor Displeased at Sitting Next to Indicted Zagreb Mayor Bandić
ZAGREB, January 11, 2020 - Chief State Prosecutor Dražen Jelenić sent a letter to the government on Friday in which he expressed his displeasure with the seating arrangement during a concert at the Croatian National Theatre held on the occasion of Croatia's EU presidency, his office (DORH) said. Jelenić was caught on camera sitting in a box next to Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, against whom DORH has filed a number of indictments which have been upheld. In a press release on its website, DORH referred journalists to putting questions about protocol and the seating arrangement to the organiser of Thursday night's…
Friday, 10 January 2020
EC President Warns Britain Can't Have It All After Brexit
ZAGREB, January 10, 2020 - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday warned Great Britain that it could not have it all in negotiations on future relations with the EU after Brexit and that it had to decide how close it wanted to stay to the EU, which it will leave on January 31. We were clear regarding access to the common European market - it is not the same if you are a member or not, the EC president said at a news conference in Zagreb. We want to stay good friends, neighbours and partners but we…
Friday, 10 January 2020
Who Are You Lying to, Bero? Dario Jurican Sends Letter to Davor Bernardic
"I'm a little confused here now, my Bero. Zoran Milanovic, president-elect, says Advent is ''pure corruption'' and yet your good friend Bastalec also held a sausage-cottage in the western part of Ban Jelacic square...'' writes Dario Jurican. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of January, 2020, Dario Jurican, a filmmaker and candidate in the recent presidential election who wanted corruption for all, and not just a select few, released an open "love letter" to SDP president Davor Bernardic this morning. Jurican wrote in the letter that Bernardic's good friend Dalibor Bastalec, secretary general of the Bandic Milan 365 Party…
Friday, 10 January 2020
Democrats: SDP a Step Away from Forming Grand Coalition with HDZ
ZAGREB, January 10, 2020 - The Democrats, a parliamentary party led by former Social Democrat Mirando Mrsić, warned on Friday about the possibility of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) forming a grand coalition, calling on left-wing parties to oppose that and support a platform for a modern and open Croatia. "Zoran Milanović's victory shows best what left parties should do to win parliamentary elections. We should come together and work together to remove from power the HDZ and the (bargaining) chips," Mrsić said, alluding to deputies making up the parliamentary group of…
Friday, 10 January 2020
Defence Minister Krstičević Meets with EU Foreign Affairs and Security Chief
ZAGREB, January 10, 2020 - As part of a visit by the EU College of Commissioners to Zagreb, Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević met with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Friday, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. It was the first meeting between Krstičević and the new EU foreign affairs and security chief, at which the Croatian minister presented the priorities and activities of the Croatian EU presidency in the area of defence and security. Krstičević highlighted four key priorities: further implementation, consolidation and coherence of the EU defence initiatives (PESCO, CARD,…
Friday, 10 January 2020
Von der Leyen: EU Can Become Influential Through Trade and Mediation
ZAGREB, January 10, 2020 - The European Union can become a bigger player on the global level through its power in trade and reputation in mediating between conflicting parties, at a time of tension in the Middle East, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Friday in Zagreb. Von der Leyen arrived in Zagreb on the occasion of Croatia assuming the presidency of the Council of the European Union under the slogan "A Strong Europe in a World of Challenges." Enhancing Europe's influence consists of several aspects. I refer to trade, to defining processes and standards,…
Friday, 10 January 2020
Officials Attend Concert Marking Beginning of Croatia's EU Presidency
ZAGREB, January 10, 2020 - The most senior EU and Croatian officials gathered at the Croatian National Theatre (HNK) in Zagreb on Thursday evening for a concert that officially marked the start of Croatia's presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2020. The HNK choir, orchestra and soloists performed works by Mozart, Verdi, Beethoven, Gounod and Dvorak as well as works by the Croatian composers Vatroslav Lisinski, Ivan Zajc and Jakov Gotovac to an audience that included European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, outgoing President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković…
Friday, 10 January 2020
UNHCR Calls on Croatia to Improve Refugee Protection During EU Presidency
ZAGREB, January 10, 2020 - The Croatian and German Presidencies of the European Union in 2020 present opportunities to improve refugee protection, primarily by reforming the asylum system and providing greater support to the countries where most refugees live, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Thursday on the occasion of the start of Croatia's presidency of the Council of the EU. "The Presidencies and the envisaged Pact on Migration and Asylum present unique opportunities to better protect forcibly displaced and stateless people in Europe and abroad, while supporting host countries," the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said…
