Politics

ZAGREB, 10 March 2022 - The city of Lviv in the west of Ukraine is faced with food and drug shortages as well as a shortage of volunteers to help the newly-arrived refugees who mostly lack safety, Croatian Ambassador to Ukraine Anica Djamić told Hina on Thursday. More than two million people have fled Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion on the country two weeks ago. Djamić said that western Ukraine was faced "with an unprecedented number of refugees". People from the east of the country fleeing daily attacks by Russian forces are trying to reach the west of…

ZAGREB, 10 March 2022 - Members of parliament on Thursday supported a proposed decision to send up to 70 Croatian troops to Hungary as part of NATO forces, agreeing that this was required by the current situation and was also Croatia's obligation. Presenting the proposed decision, the State Secretary at the Defence Ministry, Zdravko Jakop, said the current security situation in the east of Europe was one of the most serious threats to Europe's security in the past decades. "The attack on an independent, peaceable, democratic state is a bitter reminder that freedom, peace, security and stability cannot exist if we are…

March the 10th, 2022 - Branko Roglic is very well known name among business and investment circles across the Republic of Croatia, and he, one of the most wealthy Croats at the moment, has stated that he has no idea how Russia will survive the harsh sanctions placed on it, and that he hopes the country goes bankrupt. As Jutarnji list/Novac HR writes, Branko Roglic, one of the most well off Croats who owns a company that operates in about 20 countries across Europe, including Russia and Ukraine, was a recent guest on Dnevnik Nova TV. "We have 50 people over…

ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - Parliament on Wednesday gave a vote of confidence in Ivan Paladina as the new minister of construction, physical planning and state assets, after which he was sworn in. He was supported by 77 lawmakers in the 151-seat legislature, while 51 were against and three abstained. An entrepreneur and manager with more than 15 years of experience in strategic and executive leadership in different fields of business, Paladina is taking over the ministry from Darko Horvat, who resign last month on suspicion of illegal allocation of incentives to small businesses while he served as the economy minister in…

ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - The government on Wednesday adopted a set of measures to buffer energy price hikes worth almost HRK 5 billion, including a bill of amendments to the VAT Act, decisions to subsidise gas prices for households and small businesses, and once-only aid to pensioners and the socially vulnerable. The measures enter into force on 1 April, whereby the government is directly helping households and businesses, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said. The measures are aligned with European Commission guidelines which allow for regulating prices in case of need and justifiable circumstances, he added. VAT cuts The government sent amendments to the…

ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - Referring to International Women's Day on Wednesday Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that equality between women and men "is a precondition for a modern, successful and healthy society that we are building together." "Equality between women and men is a right and a fundamental value of our constitution and legislative framework," Plenković said in his opening remarks at a cabinet meeting. He mentioned women in Ukraine, saying that their "fundamental rights and security are threatened in these difficult circumstances" of Russian military aggression. Plenković said that International Women's Day is an opportunity to examine women's…

ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - The cost of adapting the system to introduce the euro currency will cost about two billion kuna, Finance Minister Zdravko Marić revealed during a debate on the euro currency bill in the Sabor on Wednesday, underscoring that the positive aspects of that process outweighed the negative ones. "We need to introduce the euro as soon as possible because Croatia is a highly eurorised country. Introducing the euro will mean a higher credit rating and hence lower interest rates. The business community also supports the euro, and being part of the euro area will better protect us in times of…

ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday adopted the prime minister's report on the situation in Ukraine, which strongly condemned the Russian invasion and praised the Ukrainian military and people for their heroic resistance. Also adopted were government measures relating to the humanitarian, healthcare, financial, banking, energy, transport, defence and other sectors, and the government was called upon to consider the proposals put forward by MPs. In the report, presented last week, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković expressed full support for the Ukrainian people "who are dying for European values". "Supporting Ukraine and respecting the courage of Ukrainians…

ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - Before the start of a formal debate in the parliament on the government's proposal for the introduction of the euro as the official currency in Croatia, two parliamentary groups expressed their opposition to the proposal. "Croatia is not ready to enter the euro area. Do not wander into the fog", Marijan Pavliečk of the Croatian Sovereignists  (HS) told Finance Minister Zdravko Marić. "Conduct structural reforms. Bring some order to public finances and then when we stand on our own feet, let the people decide in a referendum", Pavliček added. Miroslav Škoro (ZPH) claimed that the Croatian economy is…

ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - The European Union (EU) Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi  on Tuesday informed the European Parliament (EP) on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and called for agreement on Bosnia's election law, while Croatian MEPs urged the amendment of that legislation soon. The developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina was one of the topics on the agenda of the EP on Tuesday in Strasbourg, and during the discussion members of the EP agreed that the war in Ukraine had also made the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina more complicated. Last week, the EU increased its military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina from…