Politics

ZAGREB, 3 April 2022 - The Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's state presidency, Milorad Dodik, said on Sunday he did not care what the local government in Dubrovnik thought about the construction of an airport at Trebinje, adding that no attention should be paid to that. Commenting on the letter which Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković had addressed to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zoran Telgetija, asking for suspension of all plans to build the Trebinje airport before assessing the environmental impact of the project, Dodik told the press in Banja Luka that the mayor…

ZAGREB, 2 April 2022 - The flag of the Serb minority has again been removed from the building housing the Serb Minority Council in the northern city of Varaždin, the local organisation of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) said on Saturday, condemning this incident as an act of hatred. The Serb minority flag was removed some time between Friday afternoon and 10 am on Saturday, when the police were notified, while all other flags were left in place, Marina Kolarić, spokeswoman for the Varaždin Police Department, confirmed to Hina. She said a criminal investigation was under way. The incident was sharply…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Minister Tomo Medved, who is at the helm of the national post-quake reconstruction team, said in Glina on Friday that so far over 1,900 family houses had been rebuilt or renovated in the earthquake-hit areas of Sisak-Moslavina County. In addition, over 900 houses are currently being reconstructed, and project documentations for 3,000 buildings and structures have been prepared, said the minister. Over 500 contracts have been signed for the construction of houses that will replace the demolished properties, he said adding that the builders tasked with constructing blocks of flats in Glina, Petrinja and Topusko…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić said on Friday that the government and the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development are always ready to cooperate with shipyards, but "the current problems at Brodosplit are somewhat more complex" than what has been presented in the public. Addressing the press after a conference on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO), Ćorić said that Brodosplit had undergone successful restructuring, which had cost the state budget HRK 1.5 billion. The minister also explained that the DIV Group, of which Brodosplit is a member, had taken the positive course, however, the progress was…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Bridge MP Zvonimir Troskot said on Friday the government had not used all the available instruments to cushion the impact of rising prices on citizens' living standards and on businesses or secure energy supply routes, calling for lower VAT and fuel excise taxes and for subsidies for enterprises. Troskot recalled that Bridge MPs and 16 other MPs had submitted a motion to offer additional short and long-term solutions as, he claimed, the government had not used all the instruments at its disposal. Asked about a government reshuffle, Bridge MP Nikola Grmoja said he did not want to…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Croatian natural gas distributor PPD has so far not received a request from its Russian partner to make payments in roubles, the company told Hina on Friday. "PPD has so far not received a request from out supplier, Gazprom Export, to change the contractual provisions. Deliveries are running smoothly and PPD is meeting all its obligations towards all its buyers," the company said. PPD said that the security of supply was its "absolute priority" and that it was ensuring the security of supply thanks to all its suppliers.  Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he had…

ZAGREB, 1 April (2022) - Vice Mihanović, leader of the HDZ party in Split, said on Thursday his party's nine deputies in the Split City Council would resign if Deputy Mayor Antonio Kuzmanić, who Mayor Ivica Puljak, confirming his own resignation earlier in the day, said would run the city as commissioner until a snap election, did so. "The condition for HDZ councillors to resign is for the other deputy mayor, Antonio Kuzmanić, to resign as well," Mihanović, whose party is in the opposition in the Split City Council, told Hina. Confirming his own resignation, as well as the resignation of his first deputy Bojan Ivošević…

ZAGREB, 31 March 2022 - Croatia has surpassed nine EU member states in terms of EU funds absorbed since 2020 and now ranks 19th, the Regional Development and EU Funds Ministry said on Thursday. According to Cohesion Data, the European Commission platform on finances and achievements under the European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020, in 2020 Croatia ranked 27th among the EU's then 28 countries in terms of payments. Croatia is better at absorbing funds than Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Romania, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg and Austria. Lithuania has absorbed the most EU funds. In the 2014-20 period, Croatia had €10.73 billion from ESIF at its disposal. By 24 March 2022,…

ZAGREB, 31 March 2022 - Most deputies in the Zagreb City Assembly on Thursday supported a proposal to take a new short-term loan in the amount of €50 million, with a repayment period of 12 months, and the funds will be used to improve the liquidity of the city-owned companies. Thirty million of the 50 million euro loan will be used to improve the liquidity of the Zagreb Holding multiutility conglomerate and 20 million for the liquidity of the ZET public transportation company. The city will take a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Even though it was endorsed, the…

ZAGREB, 31 March 2022 - According to NATO estimates, Croatia last year met the target the allies set for investing at least 2% of GDP in defence and significantly surpassed the target of earmarking at least 20% of the defence budget for equipment. Last year's purchase of fighter jets significantly increased Croatia's defence budget. According to a report presented by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday, NATO estimates that last year Croatia increased its defence budget to 2.16% of GDP from 1.71% in 2020 and that 30.6% of its defence outlays were earmarked for equipment. NATO member states committed in 2014 to increase their defence…