Politics

ZAGREB, 23 May 2022 - The Education Ministry's official, Nandor Čapo, on Monday said that 16 ethnic minorities in Croatia exercise the right of education in their mother tongue, which covers education ranging from pre-school to secondary school and this year over 10,000 pupils are included in these programmes. Of the 22 ethnic minorities in Croatia, 16 are guaranteed this human right of education in their mother tongue, Čapo told an international conference entitled "Inter-cultural education in minority languages and script." He underscored that interculturality is a constituent part of Croatian society and that the Constitution recognises 22 national minorities who enrich…

ZAGREB, 23 May 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday said that thanks to the EU's regional development and cohesion policy, Croatian regions would reach the EU's average development level by 2030. Addressing a ceremonial session of the County Assembly on the occasion of Lika-Senj County Day, Plenković said that the process of decentralization has made the county stronger and has helped its fiscal capacities to rise by 78%. He added that strong cooperation on projects exists between the county and the government. Plenković underscored that budget funds from the schemes adopted to alleviate the pandemic crisis saved 5,000 jobs in 1,144…

ZAGREB, 23 May 2022 - Over 500 disgruntled workers of the Pružne građevine Ltd., which specializes in the construction and maintenance of railway and electrical infrastructure along railway routes in Croatia, protested outside Government House on Monday to warn about the serious situation in this company with 1,400 employees. This is the only Croatian company specializing in the construction and maintenance of railways. The protesting workers warned that the absence of large-scale investments in rail maintenance has plunged this company into trouble and it is faced with prospective official receivership and a loss of jobs. According to an estimate provided by the World Bank,…

ZAGREB, 23 May 2022 - The European Commission plans to issue a convergence report on 1 June which could give Croatia a final assessment on its readiness to adopt the euro. European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis on Monday confirmed that the Commission plans to release its convergence report on 1 June. "In Croatia debt ratios have declined significantly over the years and show a strong downward trend. This sends an important signal ahead of the convergence report that we will present on 1 June. As you know, Croatia aims to adopt the euro as its currency on January 1, 2023,"…

ZAGREB, 23 May 2022 - Croatia is no longer experiencing macroeconomic imbalances. Its debt ratios have declined significantly over the years and continue to display strong downward dynamics, the European Commission said on Monday. As part of its 2022 European Semester Spring Package, the EC has published findings of an in-depth analysis of the macroeconomic situation in 12 EU countries that previously had macroeconomic imbalances. Of those 12 countries, only Croatia and Ireland have been found to no longer experience macroeconomic imbalances. In the previous analysis published in 2021 nine of the 12 countries were found to have macroeconomic imbalances - Croatia,…

May the 23rd, 2022 - Huge sums of money from Croatia's Recovery and Resilience Plan (Croatian: NPOO) are set to flow into the country's medical and wellness tourism offer, which is a sector that has enormous potential for growth. The Bjelovar wellness tourism sector in particular is rubbing its hands impatiently. As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, financing projects in the Croatian tourism sector through the National Program for Recovery and Resilience in the Public Sector, for which Croatia will have a massive 930 million kuna at its disposal, will definitely support larger projects in a high stage of readiness, and…

ZAGREB, 22 May 2022 - Addressing the opening of a World Health Assembly session in Geneva on Sunday, President Zoran Milanović said he was following the attacks at hospitals and healthcare institutions in Ukraine with great sorrow and dismay, however, he added, this was not the only crisis that deserved global attention. This year’s session of the Health Assembly focuses on the theme of "Health for Peace, Peace for Health" and will run from the 22-28 May at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic are also the topics on the agenda of the…

ZAGREB, 22 May 2022 - The ministry of foreign and European affairs on Sunday issued a statement to mark the 30th anniversary of Croatia's membership in the World Organisation, underscoring that its entry into the UN was a crown of the process of international recognition of Croatia. Croatia was admitted to the United Nations on 22 May 1992. By hoisting its flag outside the UN building on 22 May 1992, with then Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali attending, Croatia was admitted to the organisation together with Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The statement issued by the ministry points out that during…

ZAGREB, 21 May (Hina) - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević has held talks with Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey on the margins of the conference "What is the green narrative?", and invited her to visit the Croatian capital. A delegation of the City of Zagreb, led by Tomašević, was on a two-day official visit to Berlin, the Zagreb city administration said on Saturday. Tomašević and Giffey discussed ways to deepen cooperation between the two cities, and the sustainable development and green policies they pursue, the city administration said. Emphasis was put on affordable housing, waste management, transport, notably bicycles as a mode of transport, public…

ZAGREB, 21 May, 2022 - The Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) director Daniel Markić has said in an interview with the Večernji List daily that Russia has stepped up cyber attacks against Croatia, and the targets have mainly been ministries and the tax administration so as to steal sensitive information. Not only state institutions but also big companies have been targeted by cybercrime groups and state-sponsored groups, Markić was quoted by the Večernji List newspaper as saying on Saturday. He recalls that over the recent years, NATO and the European Union have started naming who is behind such cyber attacks. Considering the…