Politics

ZAGREB, 17 Feb 2022 - Split Deputy Mayor Bojan Ivošević, who threatened an editor of the Slobodna Dalmacija daily, Nikolina Lulić, saying he would "drink her blood" and was lambasted by the public, on Thursday promised that he would not be an "embarrassment" for the city authorities anymore. "I am aware that I am no longer an activist but deputy mayor and something like that will never be repeated again and I will not embarrass our town," Ivošević said. He apologized to Mayor Ivica Puljak (Centar), city councillors in the ruling majority for being connected to some of his wrong decisions. This was…

ZAGREB, 17 Feb 2022 - The government's agriculture strategy up to 2030 resulted in a heated polemic in the Sabor on Thursday even prior to the official debate, with the opposition saying that it did not contain anything specific to Croatia and as such was inapplicable, yet the ruling HDZ commended the document. The opposition called out the government for the agriculture policy, accusing it of not fulfilling the promises it made. There was a list of your promises and what you would change, but what have you done? Božo Petrov (Bridge) asked, wanting to know what made the strategy specific to Croatia and adding that the government could well have given…

ZAGREB, 17 Feb 2022 - The Bridge party called on the government and Public Administration Minister Ivan Malenica on Thursday to count the 410,000 signatures the party collected for a referendum against COVID certificates and the national COVID crisis management team. A representative of the referendum petitions, Iva Rem, told the press the signatures were delivered to parliament on 24 January and that nothing had happened since. Bridge MP Marin Miletić said Malenica announced yesterday the counting would take 15 to 30 days. "I once again call on Malenica not to engage in shady deals, not to play games of deception. They need…

February the 17th, 2022 - PM Plenkovic has revealed the Croatian Government's highly anticipated inflation measures to try to curb the negative effects globally rising prices are having on the domestic economy and as such on the country's residents. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, PM Plenkovic has stated that Croatia's inflation measures will be put into force as of April the 1st this year. "The current global rise in energy prices has caused a wave of rising prices across Europe. Fuel prices in Europe are rising due to higher demand after the coronavirus crisis, the second reason is the situation with…

ZAGREB, 16 Feb 2022 - The Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK) said on Wednesday that the government's package of measures for cushioning energy price rises would protect more than 200,000 jobs in the craft industry, but they also said the question was how much prices of products and services could be expected to decrease. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday unveiled an HRK 4.8 billion (€640 million) package of measures aimed at cushioning the impact of rising energy prices, with the measures including a lowered Value Added Tax (VAT) rate on gas supplies and some agricultural products, subsidised gas prices,…

ZAGREB, 16 Feb 2022 - The opposition said on Wednesday that Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić "should have been gone long ago" not just due to suspicion of involvement in the Krš-Pađene wind park case but also due to his inaction. "Ćorić should have been gone long ago. Now is just a matter of the prime minister's will whether he will keep a minister for whom there are serious leads on involvement in a crime worth billions," said Social Democratic Party president Peđa Grbin. He recalled that parliament discussed a confidence vote in Ćorić 14 months ago and that the wind park was one of the reasons.…

ZAGREB, 16 Feb 2022 - Union leaders Mladen Novosel and Krešimir Sever on Wednesday said that the government's measures to cushion energy price hikes are comprehensive and will lead to a milder blow to the wallets of citizens, pensioners, socially vulnerable citizens, as well as entrepreneurs and the economy overall. President of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH) Mladen Novosel said that the unions had met with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković just prior to the measures being presented along with representatives of pensioners and the Employers' Association. Too much left up to "good faith" of those who raised their prices "The measures are comprehensive,…

ZAGREB, 16 Feb 2022 - MPs on Wednesday criticised Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Peđa Grbin after it transpired that he and his party colleague Arsen Bauk had used the most benefits as MPs. "Everyone answers for themselves but how can Grbin claim that he can run the country if he can't say where he lives," said Stephen Nikola Bartulica of the Homeland Movement after Grbin said that by using his living away from home allowance (LAFHA), he had not violated any law. "In principle, politicians in Croatia are divorced from reality, they live in a parallel world", said Bartulica. Marijan…

ZAGREB, 16 Feb 2022 - Opposition MPs on Wednesday welcomed the government's measures to alleviate the impact of rising inflation on citizens, VAT reduction and its aid scheme, but noted that measures for the business sector were insufficient and belated and warned that margins could grow and prices stay the same. SDP MP and former finance minister Boris Lalovac welcomed the scheme, noting that it was comprehensive and generous. "These measures will definitely alleviate the impact of inflation, the market will stabilise and there are instruments to alleviate emergency situations," he said, adding that it would be good if the…

ZAGREB, 16 Feb 2022 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković met with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on Wednesday the government said in a press release. The two officials reaffirmed the good relations between Croatia and Saudi Arabia, which the opening of embassies in Zagreb and Riyadh is expected to intensify. Plenković and Prince Faisal expressed readiness to organise a Croatian-Saudi business forum. They also discussed the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Plenković saying that key for its prosperity and European future was that it was a stable country where the equality of the three constituent peoples was honoured. The two officials…