Politics
Friday, 28 June 2019
Krstičević Meets with US Acting Secretary of Defence
ZAGREB, June 28, 2019 - Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević met with US Acting Secretary of Defence Mark Esper on the margins of a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on Thursday, the Defence Ministry said. The two officials reaffirmed the excellent cooperation between Croatia and the United States and discussed further cooperation in developing the defence capabilities and interoperability of the two countries' armed forces. "The United States is Croatia's key strategic partner and ally in defence and security," Krstičević said. Krstičević also met with Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak and Lithuanian Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis, reaffirming the…
Friday, 28 June 2019
Pejčinović Burić says Council of Europe Facing Huge Challenges
ZAGREB, June 28, 2019 - The Council of Europe is faced with huge challenges at a time of reappraisal of all global multilateral forums, Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić said on Thursday, a day after being elected the organisation's secretary general. "The Council of Europe, like many other multilateral organisations, finds itself in a time when all multilateral forums, their need and way of operation, are being re-examined, so it is faced with huge challenges," said Pejčinović Burić, who will take office in September. The Council of Europe consists of 47 member states with 830 million…
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Croatia's Economic Sentiment Deteriorates in June
ZAGREB, June 27, 2019 - Economic sentiment in Croatia deteriorated in June due to increased pessimism in the retail sector while consumer sentiment reached an all time high, the European Commission said in a report on Thursday. The Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) for Croatia in June fell by 1.3 points to 112.2 points, the EC said. Retail trade confidence fell the most, by 2.9 points compared to May, sliding to 5.2 points. Greater pessimism was expressed in the production and services sectors. The ESI in industry weakened by 1.8 points to 5.2 points while it slipped by 1.4 points to…
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Italian Flag Raised Over Trsat Castle in Rijeka (VIDEO)
June 27, 2019 - Just months after European Parliament President Antonio Tajani caused uproar by referring to Italian Istria and Italian Dalmatia, an Italian flag is raised at Trsat Castle in Rijeka. One of my favourite pub quiz questions is the following: Can you name the European city which was part of 12 different countries in the 20th century? A city, which if you were born there in 1913 and lived to 1991, would have meant that you had visited 12 countries without leaving home. The answer is the European City of Culture 2020 - Rijeka. Someone born here in…
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Croatia and Britain to Increase Defence Cooperation
ZAGREB, June 27, 2019 - Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević and the Britain's Defence State Secretary, Penelope Mary Mordaunt, on Wednesday met on the margins of a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels for the talks on boosting bilateral cooperation. Mordaunt confirmed the intention of Great Britain to sign documents regulating strategic partnership with Croatia in the field of defence, the Croatian ministry said in a press release. Zagreb perceives Great Britain as one of its strategic partners in terms of security and defence cooperation, as evidenced by the fact that 2,000 British troops have participated in international military exercises Swift…
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Kuščević: Somebody Will Have to Be Held to Account for Lying
ZAGREB, June 27, 2019 - Public Administration Minister Lovro Kuščević said on Thursday that media reports implicating him in a series of scandals are "fabrications, lies and manipulation" and that he was a target of orchestrated attacks, adding that somebody will have to be held to account for that. Coming to Government House for a cabinet meeting, Minister Kuščević told briefly the press that today media outlets published again a series of fabrications, lies, manipulations, photomontage and ill-intentioned conclusions explaining that he had already provided necessary documentation and even final court verdicts to counter those claims. According to some media…
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Government Delighted at Election of Pejčinović Burić as CoE Secretary General
ZAGREB, June 27, 2019 - At the beginning of his cabinet meeting on Thursday morning, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković again extended his congratulations to Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić on her election as the 14th secretary general of the Council of Europe. "This is the biggest international, political and diplomatic success considering the election of any Croatian representative to international institutions," Plenković said. "I think that we can be proud of the minister's success and of the broad backing she gained. We can be proud of Croatia's international position and reputation in foreign affairs and values we…
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Opposition Parties Call for Public Administration Minister's Dismissal
ZAGREB, June 27, 2019 - Some of the opposition parties in the Croatian parliament on Wednesday called for the dismissal of Public Administration Minister Lovro Kuščević over his failure to declare his property holdings. Social Democratic Party MP Peđa Grbin said that this was not just about two properties which the minister failed to register, but that Kuščević was a government official who had created a system marred by nepotism and corruption. "This is a politician who extracted real estate from companies that later ended up in bankruptcy, while he made millions out of them, or as much money as…
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Foreign Minister Pejčinović Burić Elected Secretary General of Council of Europe
ZAGREB, June 27, 2019 - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić was elected the new Secretary-General of the Council of Europe by secret ballot held in the CoE Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg on Wednesday evening. Pejčinović Burić will succeed Thornbjorn Jagland, whose second term in this post expires in October. Jagland, a former Norwegian prime minister and foreign minister, became the 13th Secretary General of this international organisation in September 2009 and was re-elected in 2014 for the second term. Pejčinović Burić and Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, were the two nominees shortlisted for the 14th Secretary-General…
Wednesday, 26 June 2019
Foreign Minister Pejčinović Burić in the Running for Council of Europe Secretary General
ZAGREB, June 26, 2019 - Croatia has done a good job regarding the candidacy of its Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday. The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, which consists of 324 representatives of the national parliaments of 47 member states, will elect a new Secretary General to a term of five years by secret ballot on Wednesday evening. They will choose between Pejčinović Burić and Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders to succeed Thorbjorn Jagland, former Prime Minister, Foreign Minister…
Wednesday, 26 June 2019
Bulgarian Zlatev New Head of EC Representation in Zagreb
ZAGREB, June 26, 2019 - The European Commission on Tuesday appointed Mr Ognian Zlatev as the new Head of the Commission's Representation in the Croatian capital of Zagreb to succeed Branko Baričević, who has been appointed an adviser to EC President Jean-Claude Juncker for the preparation of Croatia's presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2020, the Commission stated. Zlatev, a Bulgarian who is currently the head of the European Commission's Representation in Sofia, will take up his duties in Zagreb on 1 July. The press release introduces Zlatev as "a highly experienced expert in communication, with…
