Politics

ZAGREB, 4 March (2022) - The leader of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Bakir Izetbegović, said on Thursday that the agreement on changes to Bosnia and Herzegovina's election law would be reached when the Croat side was ready. The neighbouring country is set to hold elections in autumn, and there is still no agreement on the new election law and limited constitutional changes. Speaking in an interview with Croatia's Nova TV, Izetbegović said that Bosniaks were ready for agreement. "(The agreement will be possible) when the Croat side is ready. We are... I supported the current negotiating model (with…

ZAGREB, 4 March (2022) - The GONG nongovernmental organisation on Friday opened a three-day online conference "Open data against infodemic" on the occasion of the 9th Open Data Day, to promote the importance of publicly available, open data which the NGO describes as a valuable social resource. GONG executive director Oriana Ivković Novokmet said the conference would include three panel discussions, one of which would focus on the coronavirus infection and disinformation during the pandemic. Experts from the universities of Rijeka, Osijek and Dubrovnik will be discussing how false coronavirus information is spread and who the most influential disinformers are. The second panel, entitled…

ZAGREB, 4 March (2022) - The GONG nongovernmental organisation on Friday opened a three-day online conference "Open data against infodemic" on the occasion of the 9th Open Data Day, to promote the importance of publicly available, open data which the NGO describes as a valuable social resource. GONG executive director Oriana Ivković Novokmet said the conference would include three panel discussions, one of which would focus on the coronavirus infection and disinformation during the pandemic. Experts from the universities of Rijeka, Osijek and Dubrovnik will be discussing how false coronavirus information is spread and who the most influential disinformers are. The second panel, entitled…

ZAGREB, 4 March (2022) - The Sabor has included on its agenda a motion regarding the deployment of 70 Croatian troops as part of NATO's enhanced forward presence in Hungary. The parliament also put on its agenda the motion for up to five Croatian Armed Forces' members in the European Union's Cyber Rapid Response Teams (CRRTs). Lawmakers are expected to debate the motions next week. The government made a recommendation to the Sabor on Thursday for Croatian troops to participate in the forward presence mission. Defence Minister Mario Banožić has said that a NATO meeting of defence ministers in February and an extraordinary NATO…

ZAGREB, 3 March 2022 - The government on Thursday sent the parliament a bill on the introduction of the euro as legal tender in Croatia for first reading, and, among other things, the bill concerns the basic principles of euro introduction, possibilities of exchanging kuna for euros and the period of both currencies being in use. Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said the bill defines that, after the Council of the EU decides to introduce the euro and adopts a regulation determining a fixed conversion rate, the government will make a decision announcing the date to introduce the euro, the fixed rate of conversion,…

ZAGREB, 3 March 2022 - Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman said on Thursday that pressure should be put on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his aides to convince them of the senselessness of the invasion of Ukraine. Speaking in an interview with Media Service, Grlić Radman was asked if fear of a nuclear war was founded, to which he said that "we should act cautiously, but resolutely" towards Russia. "We should use all the instruments of pressure through political diplomacy to convince Putin and his oligarchy, his closest aides of the senselessness of this political adventure,"…

ZAGREB, 3 March 2022 - Croatia's government on Thursday decided to send a convoy with HRK 1.8 million worth of goods and equipment to Moldova after the country took in a considerable number of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. Moldova has asked international organizations for help in accommodating the Ukrainian refugees. Earlier in the day, the head of the Civil Protection Directorate, Damir Trut, announced in an interview with Croatian Radio that Croatia would send a humanitarian aid convoy to Moldova to help it cope with the influx of Ukrainian refugees. The aid will include tents, beds, and other items for the…

ZAGREB, 3 March 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday said that his cabinet would make sure that the sanctions against Russia are carried out consistently by Croatia. Also, the war in Ukraine is going to disrupt supply chains in agriculture because Ukraine is one of the major exporters of cereals and oilseeds to the European Union. "The government is analyzing all the consequences of this situation, and will take all necessary measures accordingly so as to protect Croatian citizens and businesses and reduce the repercussions for everyday life," said the PM. Next week, Plenković will attend an informal meeting…

ZAGREB, 3 March 2022 - In the last 24 hours, there have been 1,625 new cases of the infection with coronavirus in Croatia, and the disease has claimed another 23 lives, bringing the COVID-related death toll to 15,145, the country's COVID-19 crisis management team reported on Thursday. There are currently 12,041 active cases, including 1,130 hospitalized patients of whom 81 are placed on ventilators. Since the start of the pandemic in Croatia two years ago, over 1.06 million cases of the infection have been registered, and the healthcare authorities have reported 1,032,892 recoveries, including 1,800 recoveries in the last 24…

ZAGREB, 3 March 2022 - Croatian Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković attended an extraordinary video meeting of EU agriculture ministers on Wednesday to discuss the potential impact of the conflict in Ukraine on the EU's agriculture and food sector. Vučković expressed understanding of the situation in which Ukraine found itself, given Croatia's experience with the 1991-1995 Homeland War. She mentioned the fundamental goals of the common agricultural policy, including ensuring a secure food supply at affordable prices and decent living conditions for rural communities across the EU. Vučković said that monitoring the situation on the market was not enough anymore and…