Politics

ZAGREB, 13 July 2022 - The Croatian government has recommended that parliament adopt the proposal by 92 lawmakers to amend the provisions of the constitution concerning referenda. The amended constitution and the adoption of the new Referendum Act, which is also in the pipeline, will fully regulate this area of law, the government said in a statement on Wednesday. The proposed amendments will facilitate the launch of referendum initiatives by voters while at the same time ensuring the legitimacy of decision making, it added. The government in particular supported the proposal to reduce the necessary number of voters petitioning for…

ZAGREB, 12 July 2022 - Croatia's President Zoran Milanović held meetings with the Speaker of the Maltese House of Representatives, Anġlu Farrugia, Prime Minister Robert Abela and the Opposition's leader Bernard Grech, on Tuesday, the last day of his two-day state visit to Malta. On Monday, he was received by his host, Malta's President George Vella, for the talks on Croatia's aspirations to join the Schengen Area, Malta's experience in the changeover to the euro and the status of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These topics were also on the agenda of the meetings with the Maltese officials on Tuesday. Vella invited…

ZAGREB, 12 July 2022 - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Tuesday received the visiting Montenegrin Prime Minister, Dritan Abazović, the Sabor said in a press release. The two officials reaffirmed very good relations between their countries, based on mutual respect and constructive cooperation, notably within NATO. They highlighted the importance of further integration of southeastern European countries in the European Union membership. The repercussions of Russia's aggression against Ukraine were also on the agenda of the Jandroković-Abazović meeting. For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 12 July 2022 - Without new residents and bringing in workers from abroad, Croatia cannot maintain a welfare state, it was said on Tuesday at a conference - "How to boost economic development with labor policies and continuous investment in education" - at the Lavoslav Ružička Polytechnic in Vukovar. The director-general of the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) Damir Zorić assessed that a large part of today's unemployed people in Croatia fall into the category of hard-to-employ and those whom the labour market can hardly count on. "The second part of the problem is young people leaving the country and…

ZAGREB, 12 July 2022 - The ceremony of signing the three final legal acts necessary for Croatia to adopt the euro on 1 January was held in Brussels on Tuesday, whereby the decision-making process for Croatia's entry into the euro area was completed. One of those legal acts adopted by the European Union's Economic and Financial Council (Ecofin) sets the conversion rate between the euro and the Croatian kuna at 7.53450 kuna for 1 euro. The rate corresponds to the current central rate of the kuna in the exchange rate mechanism (ERM II). Another of the three acts concerns the decision on…

ZAGREB, 12 July 2022 - After the Ecofin on Tuesday adopted final three legal acts enabling Croatia to introduce the euro as its currency on 1 January 2023, the national bank (HNB) governor said that the euro area membership would produce concrete, direct and lasting benefits for Croatia's citizens and enterprise sector. European Union's Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) today formally endorsed Croatia's entry into the euro area on 1 January 2023, and one of its three decisions sets the conversion rate between the euro and the Croatian kuna at 7.53450 kuna for 1 euro. The rate corresponds to the current central…

ZAGREB, 11 July 2022 - The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development on Monday released the code of ethics for the process of switching to the euro at the start of 2023, and all business entities that interact with consumers are called to join the code. Croatia will enter the euro area on 1 January 2023 after it met all the convergence criteria, the ministry recalls. The ministry notes that the transition from the national currency to the euro is an important topic that raises many questions, and definitely, a part of consumers are also concerned about possible price rises.…

ZAGREB, 11 July 2022 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović held talks with his Maltese counterpart George Vella in Valletta on Monday and informed him that he expects Malta's support for Croatia's entry into the Schengen Area. During their meeting the two presidents also discussed the adoption of the euro by Croatia and the position of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A press release from the Croatian President's Office notes that the visit to Malta is a return State visit at the invitation of President Vella. Milanović said that Croatia's entry into Schengen is of direct interest to Croatia. "We are an…

ZAGREB, 11 July 2022 - The Centar party's candidate Ivica Puljak on Sunday scored a landslide victory in the Split mayoral runoff, winning 27,496 votes, while his opponent Zoran Đogaš, nominated by the HDZ and the HSS, won 13,243, according to the State Electoral Commission. Puljak and his deputies Bojan Ivošević and Antonio Kuzmanić will run the city until the next regular local election in spring 2025. The government called a snap election in Split after Puljak, Ivošević, and Kuzmanić resigned on 8 April, having lost their partners' support in the City Council. The turnout in the runoff was 28.36%. In his first address after…

ZAGREB, 11 July 2022 - The first indictee of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Croatia, Danijel Vinković, on Monday pleaded guilty to subsidy fraud worth €1 million, settling for a ten-month prison sentence which was replaced with community service. The Zagreb County Court was to have decided today on the EPPO's indictment against Vinković, who pleaded guilty before the indictment panel and reaching an agreement with the prosecution, Hina learned at the court. The businessman from Međimurje was charged with applying to the Paying Agency for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development for a HRK 7.4 million grant in 2020. Of that amount, 85% was from the European…