Politics

ZAGREB, 5 Feb 2022 - The chair of the Conflict of Interest Commission, Nataša Novaković, said on Friday they were looking into media reports concerning Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković. "The Commission is investigating facts concerning Mr Jandroković, and that's all I can say. I can't go into details. We are focusing on everything that has been published in the media, the relevance and truthfulness of those reports," Novaković told Nova TV. The Commission is investigating the link between Jandroković and businessman Vedran Gajski. Jandroković has confirmed that Gajski contacted him because he was paying rent to the Državne Nekretnine state…

ZAGREB, 4 Feb 2022 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said on Friday he expected the State Inspectorate which is conducting a technical inspection of the cable car connecting the foot of Mt Medvednica and Sljeme peak, to give a positive opinion and the cable car should be put into operation in a few weeks' time. "A noise impact assessment has been submitted and now the decision is up to the State Inspectorate, which I believe will give a positive opinion. After that, the Transport Ministry is expected to issue an operating licence. I hope everything will be over in a…

ZAGREB, 4 Feb 2022 - President Zoran Milanović confirmed on Friday having received contracts on the purchase of the Rafale fighter jets but he would not comment on them, saying the documents were confidential. "I do not have any comment except for the fact that an extra €200 million will be deducted from the Defence Ministry budget," he said. Asked what else the army needed, Milanović said that the issue of army equipment procurement was far from having been finished. "The Bradleys purchase had to be pushed for. I could not believe that someone could think, like an amateur, that the issue…

ZAGREB, 4 Feb 2022 - Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Ćorić said in Split on Friday the construction of the Lećevica waste management centre should be completed in three to four years. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Split-Dalmatia County head Blaženko Boban, Ćorić said that he was informed at the meeting about the implementation of the Lećevica project, noting that project documentation was being adjusted to the new programming period. "The plan is to start work on the Lećevica project in 2023, and the second stage, which concerns unsorted municipal waste, is planned for 2024 and 2025," Ćorić…

ZAGREB, 4 Feb 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Friday that 1 January 2023 would be a historic moment for which one should be well prepared in every regard, including the adoption of a good law on euro introduction and the amending of a set of other laws this year. "This includes also economic preparations and consumer protection," he said in reference to the planned introduction of the euro as legal tender in Croatia on 1 January 2023. In an address at an event at which the most successful designs of the national side of the euro and cent…

 4 February 2022 – Many words can be used to describe Croatian politics: controversial, sensitive, dull, exciting, but confusing stands out as the word that I think many of us would associate most strongly with the topic. A closer look into Croatian political parties.  Political misperception represents a common challenge globally. In an age where misinformation campaigns are rampant, the task of discerning fact from fiction is becoming evermore arduous and personal. Moreover, for the diaspora, the Croatian political establishment can present as a bit of a Blackbox. However, our votes matter, as does our political engagement. To make an…

ZAGREB, 4 Feb 2022 - Workers Front (RF) MP Katarina Peović said on Friday that she had put forward to the parliament a conclusion and regulations with a set of measures asking that citizens' income threshold be taken into account when allocating vouchers for energy products and their value be raised from HRK 200 to 400. Peović said the proposed measures should be discussed by the parliament urgently as they were related to current energy price hikes and her party considered them very important "class measures." "We believe inflation is a class issue because the rising prices will not affect everyone…

ZAGREB, 4 Feb 2022 - Independent MP Hrvoje Zekanović was reserved in his comments on media reports on Friday that he was planning on forming his own political group in the Croatian parliament.  The group would include independent MP Marijana Petir and Goran Dodig of the Croatian Christian Democratic Party (HDS) and would support the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)-led majority in Parliament. "It's much easier to work through a group and there are greater possibilities for debate," Zekanović told reporters. Zekanović had been a member of the Croatian Sovereignists group until December last year when he was expelled for criticising…

ZAGREB, 4 Feb 2022 - Croatian lawmakers on Friday welcomed amendments to the Cadastral Survey and Cadastre Act which will relieve the burden on the business sector and ensure a modern and efficient land administration. They were particularly pleased with the fact that the new system will shorten the time for cadastral surveys of municipalities from six and a half years to about two years. Organising the cadastre is a precondition for cities to develop and, shortening processing time is very important, said MP Anamarija Blažević (HDZ). Predrag Štromar (HNS, HSU and independent MPs group) underscored that unorganised land registers are…

ZAGREB, 4 Feb 2022 - Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said on Friday that tax policy would be part of a comprehensive package of measures to cushion the impact of increased energy prices. "It would be great if the impact of price increases could be alleviated by tax policy alone, but that is not possible. Tax policy will certainly make its contribution," Marić told the press after a meeting of the Council for the Adoption of Euro as legal tender in Croatia. He did not specify how much VAT on gas and electricity would be reduced by. He said that the…