Politics

ZAGREB, August 21, 2019 - The Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) confirmed media reports that it together with the relevant police services (PNUSKOK) is conducting an investigation into the case of former Public Administration Minister Lovro Kuščević who resigned on 8 July over reported involvement in murky real estate deals. USKOK will decide on further steps in this case after the collection of all necessary evidence and the public will be informed in a timely fashion, the Office said on Tuesday afternoon after web portals reported that Kuščević's house on the island of Brač had been…

ZAGREB, August 21, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday confirmed that Croatia would nominate Dubravka Šuica for its Commissioner in the new European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen. "Following internal consultations and talks with the new EC President Ursula von der Leyen, we are going to make the decision at tomorrow's meeting of the inner cabinet that we nominate Dubravka Šuica for our new member of the European Commission," Plenković told reporters after the ceremony of opening the 6th World Bridge Youth Open Championships in the Croatian seaside resort of Opatija. A Croatian member of the…

The German police reported on Tuesday morning that raids were performed at various locations in Germany, Lithuania and Croatia, all in connection with the closure of a website which was used as an explosives exchange, as well as for other materials needed for bombs, information and drugs. The German prosecutors and the police reported about the case to their journalists, saying that the illegal virtual markets where guns, explosives or drugs are sold and bought, just like the one against which the steps were taken today are extremely dangerous. Boris Pistorius, the Minister of the Interior of the Lower Saxony…

ZAGREB, August 20, 2019 - Defence Minister Damir Krstičević on Tuesday stated that the relevant services had to be on alert in the next two months until the end of this year's fire season and that a thousand soldiers were also at the disposal to quickly help to put out fires. Krstičević, who was addressing fire-fighters during his tour of the Divulje fire-fighting operational command centre, called on services to be on alert until the end of the fire-fighting season so that the large wildfires such had been on the Pelješac peninsula last September would not be repeated. The Croatian…

ZAGREB, August 20, 2019 - Health sector union representatives were disappointed with the outcome of a meeting with the ministers of finance, labour and health in the Health Ministry regarding a planned wage increase and despite an announcement of the start of a new round of negotiations, the unionists seem ready for a strike action. The union representatives reiterate that they will not back down from their demands that were initialled in a collective agreement with Health Minister Milan Kujundžić and that is, a wage increase of three percent for working conditions and four percent for life and health responsibility…

ZAGREB, August 19, 2019 - Since the start of this year until mid-August, Bosnian police have prevented more than 7,000 illegal migrants from entering the country. However, despite all their efforts a lot of migrants have managed to cross the border which is the result of the chronic shortage of police personnel to control the border, Bosnia and Herzegovina's border police chief Zoran Galić said on Monday as carried by the Banja Luka-based Nezavisne Novine daily. Precise data indicates that by 12 August, 7,650 illegal migrants were prevented from entering the country however thousands have managed to do so. "The…

ZAGREB, August 19, 2019 - The leader of the Croatian Pensioners' Party (HSU) Silvano Hrelja on Monday confirmed to Hina that he was leaving the Glas caucus and would join the parliamentary group of independent MPs because he believes that in that way he will be more visible regarding issues concerning pensions, health and labour relations. Asked about his moving away from the Amsterdam coalition, Hrelja said that such a decision has been made and that that coalition was the only possibility to participate in the European parliamentary election and that he believes all parties should participate at elections even…

ZAGREB, August 19, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who on Sunday visited the Istrian town of Barban, said that many projects in the tourist trade and infrastructure in Istria were nearing completion and that all ministries were engaged in their implementation. "Therefore, claiming that Istria is discriminated against is both factually incorrect and indecent," the premier said in his response to questions from the press regarding Pula Mayor Boris Miletić's claim that this Croatian region was being discriminated against when it comes to the issue of the debt-ridden Uljanik dock. As for the future of the ailing Uljanik company,…

ZAGREB, August 18, 2019 - Being prompted by a growing interest of the public in the case of diplomat Elizabeta Mađarević and xenophobic views expressed on her Facebook profile, the Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Saturday afternoon that diplomats accept the responsibility of representing their country abroad and are supposed to comply with Croatia's official policies. According to the index.hr web portal, Mađarević, who became the first secretary in Croatia's embassy in Berlin in January 2019, has spread racist and xenophobic views on her Facebook profile and advocated anti-migrant and anti-LGBT attitudes. Following this…

Yesterday, Index reported that Croatian diplomat in Berlin, Elizabeta Madjarevic, has been spreading racist, xenophobic and homophobic views on Facebook and on various portals, and accuses the German chancellor of having "a lack of her own culture". MVEP have now reacted sternly, calling her in and promising to take action. Elizabeta Madjarevic is otherwise the first secretary of the Croatian Embassy in Berlin. As Index writes on the 16th of August, 2019, on her Facebook profile, this Croatian diplomat has been spreading racist views, writes about white Europe and how only such a Europe is "pure". In addition, Index reported how…