Politics

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - The Croatian parliament on Friday adopted a package of judicial laws as well as a report on the effects of epidemiological measures against coronavirus from 1 September to the end of December 2021. The package of judicial laws includes amendments to the Courts Act, the State Attorney's Office Act, and the law governing the territorial jurisdictions and seats of courts and state attorney's offices. It specifies the election procedure for the Supreme Court President and Attorney General and introduces mandatory background checks for all judges and state attorneys every five years. Court presidents and state attorneys…

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - Defence Minister Mario Banožić on Friday met with members of the 8th Croatian Army contingent who had recently returned from NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Poland, saying that they had done a fantastic job and that he was proud of them.  The defence minister said that Croatian soldiers were always highly appreciated in international missions and operations. Our allies and partners have expressed great respect for the involvement of the 8th Croatian Contingent and their knowledge and skills, he added. "We are showing a high level of knowledge and resourcefulness. I am proud of you…

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - Parliament on Friday asked the government to verify the number and authenticity of the signatures collected for the Bridge party's referendum petitions to abolish COVID certificates and the crisis management team, and to include at least two representatives of each petition in the process. The government was also asked to check if all the signatures were collected in line with the Referendum Act. Parliament passed the relevant conclusions, proposed by the Committee on the Constitution, with 77 votes, while 32 MPs were against and 13 abstained. Before the vote, parliament rejected amendments by Bridge and the…

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - Protecting oceans is one of the most important global challenges and Croatia wants to make additional efforts in combating sea pollution and preserving biodiversity, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Brest, France on Friday. "Protecting oceans, the biggest ecosystem on Earth, is equal to protecting our planet, preserving our biodiversity, our lives," he said at the One Ocean summit, which he attended at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. Plenković said protecting oceans and seas was necessary and that, as a maritime country, Croatia wanted to set an example in the fight against the ocean and sea pollution.…

February 11, 2022 - After receiving approval from the Croatian government under the maritime code, the American aircraft carrier 'USS Harry S. Truman' returned to the port of Split after just over 6 years as part of a routine visit for logistical replenishment and for the crew to rest. After it was escorted from Rogoznica, the American aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) sailed in front of the port of Split. Before it, as reported by Slobodna Dalmacija, the Norwegian frigate HNoMS "Fridtjof Nansen" (F310) sailed. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, already in Split at the beginning of December 2015, is anchored in…

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - Željko Sačić of the Croatian Sovereignists party (HS) said on Friday the State Attorney General and the justice minister should demand an explanation of the decision of the Osijek County State Attorney's Office to scrap a criminal report against the murderers of a small girl in Borovo Selo in 1992. The county office has dismissed the criminal report filed by an association of war veterans against the perpetrators of the March 1992 war crime in Borovo Selo where four-year-old Martina Štefančić and her grandmother were killed and her uncle was seriously wounded when there were no war operations there. Sačić told…

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will on Friday hold a speech on sea protection and efforts to deal with plastic pollution during  "The One Planet Summit for the Ocean" in Brest, which is being hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. France, the current chair of the European Union, is organizing this 9-11 February summit on ecology. "The goal of the One Ocean Summit is to raise the collective level of ambition of the international community on marine issues and to translate our shared responsibility to the ocean into tangible commitments," it is stated on the summit meeting's website. Image:…

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - The buildup of Russian forces along the Russia-Ukraine border is not a local problem but a global security threat, Croatian member of the European Parliament, Tonino Picula, told the BBC on Thursday. The war with the pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine is entering its eighth year, and pro-Russian separatists, supported by Russia, carried out secession of the three eastern Ukrainian areas:  Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea, said Picula, a foreign policy coordinator of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. According to a statement issued by Picula's office, the MEP said that Ukrainians…

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who flew on Thursday evening to France for "The One Planet Summit for the Ocean", met European Council President Charles Michel ahead of the summit meeting, which is taking place in Brest on 9-11 February. Plenković tweeted on his account that he and Charles Michel discussed Croatia's aspirations to join the Schengen Area and the euro area, and efforts to address energy price rises as well as the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the importance of the reform of that country's election legislation. On Friday, PM Plenković and Croatian Economy and Sustainable Development…

ZAGREB, 10 Feb 2022 - The government has allowed the USS Harry S. Truman nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to sail into Croatian waters and stay in Split port from 11 to 15 February, with Defence Minister Mario Banožić underlining the good cooperation with the United States allies and partners. "It's a routine visit for logistical replenishment and for the crew to rest," he said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday. Before the meeting, the minister told the press he would visit the ship on the 14th. It will be an opportunity for talks with our American allies, partners, for a strong support which will be reaffirmed…