Politics

ZAGREB, July 16, 2019 – MOST leader Božo Petrov said on Tuesday that instead of reshuffling his cabinet, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković should end his premiership. "It would be fair of the Prime Minister to step down. You can remember how many times he has said that this is his cabinet, he has been saying that for three years," Petrov said underscoring that it means that the premier should take over the full responsibility for the latest developments rather than insisting on a cabinet reshuffle. Petrov reiterated the position of this opposition party that the resignation of State Assets Minister…

ZAGREB, July 16, 2019 - The Vukovar branch of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) said on Monday that no one can be above decisions of the Constitutional Court and also criticise Mayor Ivan Penva for "collectivising the guilt of all Serbs in Vukovar" which they cannot accept. Vukovar Mayor Ivan Penava said on Sunday that dialogue and cooperation among local residents and ethnic Serbs in that eastern Croatian town was at a satisfactory level and any increase in the volume of rights of that ethnic minority would deteriorate the relations among local communities. Penava underscores that the first priority…

ZAGREB, July 16, 2019 - The resignation tendered by State Assets Minister Goran Maric ensued after a few days ago Marić had held talks with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on that step and it is not a surprise, the government's public relations office says in a press release issued on Monday afternoon. The government says that on Monday morning Marić sent his letter of resignation to PM Plenković and afterwards informed the public about that move. Marić announced his resignation on Monday in the town of Novi Vinodolski at a contract-signing ceremony saying this was the last contract on donating…

ZAGREB, July 15, 2019 The Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday sent an open letter to President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović calling on Croatia to "immediately stop summarily returning migrants and asylum seekers to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in some cases with force." "Zagreb needs to put an end to unlawful pushbacks and violence against migrants at its borders," Lydia Gall, senior researcher for Balkans and the Eastern European Union (EU) at Human Rights Watch, was quoted as saying. "Human Rights Watch and other nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Council of Europe (COE), have…

ZAGREB, July 15, 2019 - State Assets Minister Goran Marić tendered his irrevocable resignation on Monday, saying he was doing so "given the circumstances and the atmosphere of grave media defamation of the status and the obstruction of the work and activity of the State Assets Ministry" and himself as minister. Marić resigned in the coastal town of Novi Vinodolski after signing a contract on the gifting of state properties, saying this was the last contract he would sign. "I worked under terrible pressure, I became a target. I cannot accept the unprecedented attack on myself and my family," he…

ZAGREB, July 15, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Dubrovnik on Monday the demographic challenge was crucial for the survival of the Croatian nation, adding that the government's measures had resulted in 400 more newborns in 2018 than in 2017. Croatia is faced with negative demographic trends, he said at the international conference "Demographics, Jobs and Growth: Navigating the Future in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe", co-organised by the Croatian National Bank and the International Monetary Fund. In 1950, Croatia had 100,000 births and 50,000 deaths, whereas now there are 37,000 births and 51,000 deaths, Plenković said. In…

The introduction of the euro as Croatia's official currency, thus replacing the Croatian kuna, has been the subject of much talk and heated debate. While some are completely for the move for practical reasons, others are sad to see the kuna go, seeing the introduction of the euro as a loss of Croatia's precious identity, which was so hard-won. The debate about Croatia's imminent entry into the formerly highly problematic Eurozone continues to go on, with frightening memories of the Greek crisis still fresh in many a mind. Some are even demanding a referendum on the adoption of the euro,…

ZAGREB, July 15, 2019 - Vukovar mayor Ivan Penava said on Sunday he talked with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković a number of times during the day about a Constitutional Court decision on the use of the languages and scripts of ethnic minorities in the town, and that Plenković told him it was necessary to keep the peace and stability and to try to resolve the issue through communication and dialogue. Under the recent Constitutional Court decision, the rights of the Serb ethnic minority in Vukovar must be advanced. Speaking on Nova TV, Penava said Plenković was "open-minded and fully understands…

ZAGREB, July 14, 2019 - Međimurje County Prefect Matija Posavec, who is an official of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), a junior partner in the ruling coalition, on Sunday said he was sorry for the party's decision to enter the ruling coalition with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in 2017. During his interview with the HTV public broadcaster, Posavec said that he would be the first from the HNS to extend apologies over that coalition. He then apologised to the HNS "member, sympathisers and the general public for what the HNS did two years ago. That was neither courageous nor…

ZAGREB, July 14, 2019 - On 1 January 2019, Croatia had 4,076,200 inhabitants, 29,300 fewer than a year before and is among the European Union countries with the highest population decreases, Eurostat said earlier this week. The largest population decrease was recorded in Latvia (-7.5‰), followed by Bulgaria and Croatia (both -7.1‰), Romania (-6.6‰) and Lithuania (-5.3‰). In 2018, the population increased in 18 member states and decreased in ten. On 1 January 2019, the population of the EU was estimated at almost 513.5 million, compared with 512.4 million on 1 January 2018. During 2018, more deaths than births were…