Politics

ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 - Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Wednesday Europe would be faced with a refugee influx unseen since WWII, and that no country could deal with that alone. According to last night's numbers by Frontex, more than 600,000 people from Ukraine have entered the EU, he said on Croatian Radio. The influx is not big yet because the UNHCR and other agencies estimate that five million people could leave Ukraine, Božinović added. This is a humanitarian situation that is becoming dramatic, and can be dealt with only if everyone stands together, he said. Speaking of meetings of EU…

ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 - Croatian Ambassador to Ukraine Anica Djamić has left Kyiv and is en route to Lviv, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday. "Given the deteriorating security situation in Kyiv and the attacks on Ukraine's capital, yesterday I instructed our Ambassador Anica Djamić to leave Kyiv," he told the press. The ambassador is en route to Lviv, where she will stay and do her duty, helping Croatian nationals and following the situation in Ukraine. "She is fine and we are believe that in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, she will be safe," Plenković said. For more on the Ukraine…

ZAGREB, 2 March 2022 - The future of Europe depends on the fate of Kyiv, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in the Croatian parliament on Wednesday, once again condemning Russia's aggression in the strongest terms and commending the Ukrainian army and people for a heroic resistance. "A quarter century after the Homeland War, a war is raging on European soil again. To the shock of the whole world, Russia's unprovoked brutal aggression on Ukraine is in its seventh day. There has been no war of such force and such extent in Europe for 77 years," he said, presenting a report on the…

ZAGREB, 1 March 2022 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović has supported Ukraine's EU membership application and recommended granting membership candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and opening accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, the President's Office said on Tuesday. "President Milanović believes that Ukraine should be granted EU membership candidate status as soon as possible," a statement said. Milanović thus supported the initiative by eight European Union member states that had called for Ukraine to be granted candidate status. "Ukraine is being subjected to aggression by the Russian Federation and we all need to provide it with the necessary assistance, just…

ZAGREB, 1 March 2022 - After the euro is introduced in Croatia, consumers must not be in a less favourable position than before the common European currency was introduced, Finance Minister Zdravo Marić said at the conference "Croatia as part of the euro area" in Varaždin on Tuesday. The conference was organised by the Večerjni List daily and the Vindija food processor. Marić said that regardless of the current situation and challenges Croatia is faced with, it has to see the priorities that have been worked on for many years, and one of those is introducing the euro currency.  Introducing the euro is…

ZAGREB, 1 March 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will submit a report on the situation in Ukraine to the Croatian parliament on Wednesday. The report comes after Russia mounted a military invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Croatia has expressed its strong support for Ukraine and sharply condemned the unprovoked Russian aggression. The Croatian parliament has adopted a declaration on Ukraine, calling on Russia to immediately cease the military attack and withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory. The Croatian government has adopted a package of support measures for Ukraine relating to the possible acceptance of refugees, gas supply, and a…

February 28, 2022 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced a package of support measures for Ukraine, including 124 million kuna in protective equipment and small arms, in addition to restricting the use of air space by Russian planes. Here is a summary of the measures taken in Croatia so far. Four days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukrainian territory, fighting continues across the country, including in the capital of Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pointed out that, so far, they have successfully resisted the Russian offensive and the daily results are positive. In addition to the fact…

28 February, 2022 - The Croatian-Czech Friendship Association on Sunday celebrated the 30th anniversary of its existence with a concert at the Croatian National Theatre and the 30th anniversary of the international recognition of Croatia and establishment of diplomatic relations with what then was the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic. The concert was held under the aegis of the Czech Embassy with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the AŽD Zagreb company, and featured Czech violinist Jan Talich and Croatian musicians Goran Končar (violin), Aleksandar Milošev (viola) and Petra Gilming (piano). The concert was…

February the 28th, 2022 - Croatian geopolitics expert Professor Vlatko Cvrtila has discussed the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine following Russia's unjustified invasion of that Eastern European country. He also touched on potential Balkan consequences of the war. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Geopolitics expert Professor Vlatko Cvrtila spoke about the current and escalating situation in Ukraine on N1 television, where he went deeper and analysed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He commented, among other things, on how the Russian-Ukrainian crisis could affect the Balkans. "We're now in a version of the Cold War 2.0. We know how things were back…

ZAGREB, 27 Feb 2022 - By supporting the attacked Ukraine, Croatia is "on the right side of history" and "on the right side of values," Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Sunday. "Croatia is on the right side of history, on the right side of values, on the right side of international law, on the right side of humanity. It's very important that at this moment such a clear message prevails also in the Croatian public," he told the press. Plenković said that he, the cabinet and his HDZ party had a "consistent line" on this issue, adding "not everyone has been... so…