Politics

ZAGREB, August 28, 2019 - Police have arrested eight persons suspected on participating in Uzdolje near Knin on August 21 in an attack against the patrons of a bar who were watching a football game between Serbia's Red Star and Switzerland's Young Boys, Šibenik county police said on Wednesday. The eight persons accused of rioting are from the Split area, police said, adding that more would be revealed after an investigation was completed. The perpetrators face from six months to five years in prison. The media recall that two attacks were committed last Wednesday on Serb bar patrons watching the…

ZAGREB, August 28, 2019 - Health Minister Milan Kujundžić on Tuesday said the government would find an additional 150 million kuna necessary to complete the construction of the new Pula hospital. "Two years ago, the government decided to increase the amount by 300 million kuna for the new hospital in Pula and now due to price increases of building material and equipment, an additional 150 million kuna is needed. That money will be found and I am sincerely pleased that Pula will have a new hospital and better working conditions," Kujundžić told reporters outside Government House after meeting a delegation…

ZAGREB, August 28, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday labelled as inappropriate and unacceptable the statements by Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) leader Milorad Pupovac that Croatia had become a factor of instability in the region because it promoted intolerance and attempted to rehabilitate Ustashim, calling on him not to contribute to the polarisation of society. "We consider it extremely inappropriate, even unacceptable, the statements by our coalition partner that would point to the conclusion that Croatia is a factor of instability in Southeast Europe and that present-day Croatia should be compared with the NDH (WWII Nazi-styled Independent…

ZAGREB, August 27, 2019 - The Belgrade-based football club Red Star (Crvena Zvezda) has allowed the parking of a tank outside the club's stadium ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League qualifying playoff against Swiss team Young Boys, an action that caused indignation among the Croats. The dpa news agency has reported that the fans of this Serbian club have parked a decommissioned tank in front of their stadium ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League qualifying playoff "in a gesture one fan described as 'entirely normal'. The news agency recalls that the Soviet-made T-55 tank is one of over a thousand…

ZAGREB, August 27, 2019 - The Croatian government finds SDSS leader Milorad Pupovac's claims comparing the present-day Croatia to the 1941-1945 the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) and about Croatia's being a factor of instability in the neighbourhood completely inappropriate and unacceptable. The Andrej Plenković cabinet on Tuesday issued a press release recalling that the contemporary Croatian state was founded thanks to the sacrifice of people who defended the country in the Defence War and it is not a successor to the NDH either politically, ideologically or legally. The Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) leader Pupovac said in an interview…

ZAGREB, August 27, 2019 - Croatian Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts Darko Horvat will conduct a working visit to Finland and Norway from August 27 to 29 at the invitation of the Kongsberg company and he will tour Patria Aviation Oy, AIM Norway AS and Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, the Economy Ministry said on Tuesday. On that occasion the minister will discuss the conditions for offset obligations to be fulfilled, future cooperation and of the presence of Patria and Kongsberg on the Croatian market, which would include some form of strategic partnership, transfer of know-how and technology, the ministry added.…

ZAGREB, August 28, 2019 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) president Davor Bernardić said on Tuesday there was money to raise salaries of healthcare workers, teachers, police officers and firefighters but that the government does not have the political will to do so. Addressing a press conference, he wondered why the finance minister said there was no money to raise salaries in the public sector if the economy and tourism were growing and the deficit was decreasing. Bernardić said that according to fiscal policy guidelines for 2020, the government predicted 3 billion kuna higher tax revenues and that they were predicted…

ZAGREB, August 26, 2019 - Former interior minister and incumbent Mayor of Virovitica Ivica Kirin on Monday was acquitted by Zagreb County Court pending appeal of abuse of office and power in the Fimi Media case due to lack of evidence. The panel of judges concluded that there is no evidence that major material damage was caused in contentious dealings between the Interior Ministry with Fimi Media nor that the marketing agency profited from them. The USKOK anti-corruption office has announced that it would appeal today's ruling at the Supreme Court. USKOK charged Kirin with doing business with Fimi Media…

ZAGREB, August 26, 2019 - Ivan Vrdoljak, the leader of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), a junior partner in the ruling coalition, said that he would not support any of the presidential hopefuls who have so far announced their candidacy for the forthcoming presidential election in the country. Vrdoljak said at a news conference that all the current candidates "are too much left or too much right oriented". The HNS can give support only to the "civil centrist policies and conduct", and that means no one at the right or left side of the political spectrum. In late September, the…

ZAGREB, August 26, 2019 - The Head of Croatia's Border Police Directorate, Zoran Ničeno, has said that the police registered an almost 200% rise in the number of illegal border crossings in the first seven months of 2019, with statistics showing some 9,500 such cases. In parallel, since a flow of migrants' started passing through Bosnia and Herzegovina, there has been an increase in the rate of detected criminal offences in this segment, Ničeno told the national broadcaster HTV on Sunday evening explaining that a rise in the detected criminal offences was also a result of the better organisation of…