Politics

ZAGREB, November 20, 2019 - Eight former HDZ members sent an open letter to the European People's Party on Wednesday to warn about the leadership's "totalitarian and non-democratic methods" in dealing with those with different political views. In the letter to the EPP; which is holding a congress in Zagreb, they say they found out from the media that they were expunged from the party membership and that they were expelled "for allegedly using 'hate speech' in communication in closed WhatsApp and Viber groups of HDZ members." They reject such accusations "with abhorrence and entirely" and note that, as intellectuals,…

ZAGREB, November 20, 2019 - A meeting between Education Minister Blaženka Divjak and union representatives regarding the issue of making up for lost lessons during the ongoing teachers' strike did not end with any concrete results and the unions rejected Minister Divjak's proposal to at least hold classes for eighth graders and high school graduate students. "We have to understand that entrenched attitudes will not resolve anything and we have to think about a strategy of cooperation that will enable us to work on something we all say we support. We will become a mature society when we realise that…

ZAGREB, November 20, 2019 - The Police Officers Union (SPS) on Tuesday supported a strike by education unions and announced a protest rally and a strike to fight for a better financial and social status of police. The SPS said in a press release it was showing solidarity with teachers in their fight for a better financial and social status which, it added, they deserve. Police officers are in a similar situation as they are underpaid and at the bottom of the social ladder, the only difference being that education workers have unanimous and agile representative unions which negotiate with…

ZAGREB, November 20, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday held talks with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Great Britain's exit from the EU and future relations between Brussels and London, the government said in a statement. Barnier informed Plenković of the latest developments regarding Brexit, and the two officials also discussed Croatia's role during its EU presidency regarding Brexit and future relations between the EU and the UK. Plenković presented the priorities of Croatia's EU presidency, stressing that with regard to Brexit, maintaining legal security for citizens and companies in the EU and the…

ZAGREB, November 20, 2019 - The European People's Party (EPP), the largest political group in the European Parliament, holds an election convention in the Arena sports hall in Zagreb on Wednesday and Thursday to choose its new leadership. The EPP is set to elect the outgoing President of the European Council, Donald Tusk of Poland, as the new leader. He will replace Frenchman Joseph Daul who has led the party since late 2013. Over 2,000 delegates from 40 countries are also due to discuss a climate action plan, youth policies and the Western Balkans. The EPP's first congress in Croatia…

ZAGREB, November 19, 2019 - The European Union needs to once again restore unity regarding the topic of enlargement after the disappointing decision not to okay the start of accession negotiations for North Macedonia and Albania, the President of the EU Council, Donald Tusk and Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Zagreb on Tuesday. Failing to decide about North Macedonia and Albania is a great disappointment, however, I remain an optimist, Tusk told reporters. It is necessary to restore EU unity on enlargement, he added. Plenković underscored that Croatia wanted the situation regarding North Macedonia and Albania to be…

ZAGREB, November 19, 2019 - The migrant gravely injured when a policeman shot him on Tuhobić mountain over the weekend underwent a fourth surgery in Rijeka on Tuesday but he remains unconscious and his condition critical. A doctor at the Rijeka University Hospital said one bullet was found in the migrant's body and that he suffered lung, liver and spine injuries. The accident occurred when police came across a group of illegal migrants on inaccessible terrain and one officer shot one of them in the torso and abdomen. County police said they recovered items on the scene that could help…

ZAGREB, November 19, 2019 - European Commission representatives called on all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday to join as soon as possible in dealing with the problems caused by the high influx of illegal migrants, insisting on the closure of the Vucjak migrant camp where hundreds of migrants stay in inhumane conditions. Michela Matuella, head of the unit for BiH at the European Commission Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, and Martin Taschner of the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, talked about the migrant crisis in Bihac with representatives of the city…

ZAGREB, November 19, 2019 - The Preporod union said on Tuesday 94% of teachers in 381 primary and secondary schools were against the government's proposal to raise the job complexity index by 2% for all school employees as of 1 July 2020, and that 91% were for continuing the general strike until their demands are met. Nearly 12,000 teachers took part in a poll conducted on November 13 and 14. The Croatian Teachers Union and the Independent Union of Secondary School Employees said last night they were embarking on a general strike until their demands for a 6.11% increase of…

ZAGREB, November 18, 2019 - An on-site investigation on Tuhobić mountain, where a police officer shot a migrant who is in a critical condition, has been completed and "items of interest for further investigation have been recovered," Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Police said on Monday. They added in a press release that they could not say more for the time being given the confidentiality of the investigation and a pending report by experts of the Police Directorate. In coordination with the county prosecutor's office, the police are continuing the investigation to establish all the relevant facts concerning the shooting of the…