Politics

ZAGREB, November 27, 2019 - The police on Wednesday began arresting members of two criminal organisations who, according to unofficial sources, had been involved in collecting data and making false documents for criminal clans in Serbia and Montenegro. The police have not released any official details as yet. A spokeswoman at the Interior Ministry (MUP), Marina Mandić, confirmed to Hina that police raids began on Wednesday morning and that some of the arrested were police employees. The raids were conducted throughout Croatia but were focused on Zagreb and Karlovac. According to unofficial sources, those arrested are suspected of collecting data…

ZAGREB, November 27, 2019 - A former Prime Minister and SDP leader, Zoran Milanović, on Tuesday presented the State Electoral Commission (DIP) with 78,000 signatures collected by volunteers of 13 centre-left parties in support of his bid for the presidency. "The trends are obvious. I will fight and I believe that I will win," Milanović told reporters after submitting the signatures to DIP. Commenting on incumbent President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, supported by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) for her second term, Milanović accused the president of belittling "the insignia of the institute of state governance, including the presidential flag, which…

ZAGREB, November 27, 2019 - The ongoing strike of education-sector employees will continue until Friday. Whether or not it will continue after Friday depends on whether the striking unions will accept the government's offer of a cumulative 10.4% wage increase, which was put on the table late on Tuesday evening. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that education-sector workers' wages would be increased in four turns. As of December 1, wages would be increased by 3% through an annex to the branch collective agreement, as of 1 January 2020 they would increase by an additional 2%, as of 1 June 2020…

ZAGREB, November 26, 2019 - Presidential hopeful Miroslav Škoro on Tuesday agreed with school unions who consider that police checking lists of protesters represented intimidation of the strikers and that this shows that the government is intensifying fear in the country. "It seems to me that some sort of fear has gripped our country, a fear intensified by the incumbent authorities' moves. You saw yesterday that they were counting, noting down and trying to see who was attending the teachers' protest. I'm convinced that we will soon be in a position to change that and that things like that will…

ZAGREB, November 26, 2019 - Croatia's border police on Tuesday received 17 vehicles with thermal imaging cameras for border surveillance and this highly sophisticated equipment can cover distances of up to five kilometres. During a ceremony in Zagreb to receive the equipment, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said that the equipment was produced by the Croatian company Ericsson Nikola Tesla and a few other local companies. This innovative Croatian solution has already been commended by the European Commission, the minister said adding that he hopes that some other countries will express interest in purchasing this equipment. These self-sufficient systems are placed…

ZAGREB, November 26, 2019 - Several Croatian Air Force commanders have been dismissed over the transport of an arms smuggler by helicopter, and their dismissal was proposed by the Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mirko Šundov and approved by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović in her capacity as Armed Forces Commander in Chief. Following the scandal that happened at the Zemunik air base, a military police platoon commander, a flying platoon commander, and a squadron commander and the Zemunik air base commander have been replaced, Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said in Osijek on Tuesday. The President of the Republic and Commander in…

ZAGREB, November 26, 2019 - United States officials and representatives of international Jewish organisations have positively assessed efforts by the Croatian Culture Ministry in protecting, preserving and promoting the Jewish legacy, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek met in Zagreb on Monday with the US State Department's special envoy for Holocaust issues, Cherrie Daniels, US Ambassador William Robert Kohorst and representatives of the Jewish organisations WJRO and B’nai B’rith - Dan Mariaschin, Ivan Čerešnješ and Evan Hochberg. The meeting, held at the Culture Ministry, also involved the minister's assistant Davor Trupković, secretary Ana…

November the 26th, 2019 - As you'll no doubt have heard by now, Croatian teachers are on strike. There were some incredible scenes yesterday as Zagreb's main square became thronged with Croatian teachers striking and protesting for their rights. If you're still unsure exactly why Croatian teachers are currently striking, feel free to read our article on the precise reasons as to why education system employees have felt the need to take to the streets.  One man, Marin Miletic, has uploaded a powerful video on his YouTube channel which describes, films, and follows the striking Croatian teachers. The description reads…

ZAGREB, November 26, 2019 - The international community knows that the arbitration proceedings in the Croatia-Slovenia border dispute was compromised and now that has been confirmed in Slovenia's parliament, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said in Brussels on Monday. "The arbitration proceedings have been compromised and the international community is aware of that fact and that fact has now been confirmed in Slovenia's parliament. Who else needs to confirm that the arbitration proceedings were compromised if even the country that claims it wasn't, no longer thinks so," Grlić Radman said commenting on a report by a parliamentary…

ZAGREB, November 26, 2019 - Teachers' unions and the government on Monday failed to reach agreement on the demands by striking teachers, and negotiations will continue on Tuesday. The unions would not discuss details of the meeting, while the government representative expressed optimism and said that the two sides were "close to a solution". "We failed to reach agreement and are continuing negotiations tomorrow. We agreed not to reveal whether we are satisfied or not, but the positive fact is that we are continuing talks tomorrow," the leader of the Matica association of trade unions, Vilim Ribić, told the press…