Politics

ZAGREB, 27 April 2022 - Bosniak members of Bosnia and Herzegovina's upper house of parliament on Wednesday blocked a vote on amendments to the electoral law put forward by the Croat HDZ BihH party, scuppering the last chance of changing the law before general elections are called for October. "We declare this proposal harmful to the vital national interests of the Bosniak people," said MP Asim Sarajlić of the Democratic Action Party (SDA). He said that the proposal was completely unacceptable, unilateral and unconstitutional because relevant parliament committees did not have a chance to discuss it. The parliamentary rules of…

ZAGREB, 27 April 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday after a meeting of the parliamentary majority that he would nominate Anja Šimpraga as a new deputy prime minister, Davor Filipović as the new labour minister and Marin Piletić as the new economy minister. Speaking to the press after presenting the candidates to the coalition partners, Plenković said all three had known for 20 days that they would be nominated, but the announcement was postponed until after the Easter holidays and the completion of negotiations with trade unions led by Labour Minister Josip Aladrović. "They are the new generation, they are very…

ZAGREB, 27 April 2022 - Income tax refunds for 2021 will be paid as of 2 May and 664,000 citizens will receive HRK 1.7 billion in total, while 91,000 citizens have to pay HRK 316 million into the state budget in due taxes, Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said on Wednesday. Speaking to the press, he said 146,000 of those eligible for a refund were young people and that they would receive HRK 640 million in total. Marić said the 7.8% inflation the government forecast for this year was the highest in Croatia's recent history. Earlier today, the government adopted Croatia's convergence programme for…

April 27, 2022 - Economist Damir Novotny was a guest on N1 Television's ''Novom Danu'', and commented on how certain is it that Russia will suspend gas to Croatia based on recent threats to Bulgaria and Poland. Novotny said Russia's threat to stop supplying gas to Poland and Bulgaria is in some ways a warning to the entire European Union, as the Polish and Russian governments clash most verbally, reports Index.hr. The economic analyst pointed out that he did not think that Russia would make a decision to stop supplying gas to Croatia. "It is possible that Russia will suspend gas to…

ZAGREB, 27 Apr 2022 - President Zoran Milanović's statement that the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO should be blocked will not change the good relations between Croatia and Finland, Finnish Ambassador to Zagreb, Kalle Kankaanpää, told Hina on Wednesday. "I don't think anything will change in relations between Croatia and Finland", the diplomat said, adding that bilateral relations have always been good at all levels. "I have been here as ambassador for more than a year. I closely follow politics in this country and am familiar with the way politics are run in Croatia", the Finnish ambassador said. Kankaanpää explained that on Tuesday…

ZAGREB, 27 April 2022 - The statements by President Zoran Milanović about the blockade of Sweden's and Finland's bids to join NATO have led NATO members to believe that Croatia has changed its foreign policy, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Wednesday. Milanović said on Tuesday that the Croatian Parliament "must not ratify any country's accession to NATO" until neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina changed its electoral law, adding that he considered Finland's and Sweden's bids to join the alliance "a very dangerous adventure". Grlić Radman said the president's statement had prompted a number of calls, and that he had…

ZAGREB, 27 April 2022 - In his first media interview after winning Slovenia's parliamentary election on Sunday, prime minister-elect Robert Golob said on Wednesday that the new government will strive to develop good neighbourly relations with everyone including Croatia. In the interview with RTV Slovenia televised late on Tuesday night, Golob said that there is no need for any uneasiness following the election with regard to outstanding issues with Croatia. He reiterated that the arbitration agreement is certainly "an anchor" from which not one Slovenian government "can back out of and we too do not have that intention." "I do not think there…

ZAGREB, 27 April 2022 - Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Ćorić confirmed on Wednesday he was leaving the government, saying he was satisfied with what he had done during the last five and a half years in office. Speaking to reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting, Ćorić described his term in the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković as five and a half years of work experience with difficult and less difficult moments. He said he was leaving with mixed feelings, but that ultimately he was satisfied. He said that his decision making was guided by his profession and…

April the 27th, 2022 - Could Economy Minister Tomislav Coric become the most powerful name in the domestic banking sector? As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Blaskovic writes, while Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic is busy calculating with the government reshuffle, which has (once again) been eroded by varying scandals, there is speculation on the sidelines that Economy and Sustainable Development Minister Tomislav Coric could continue his career as the vice governor at the Croatian National Bank (CNB). Since the return of Martina Drvar to the European Central Bank, the position of Vice Governor for Supervision has been open since the middle of last…

ZAGREB, 26 April 2022 - Split City Council president Jakov Prkić said on Tuesday, after the Council could not hold a session due to a lack of quorum, that the incumbent council would no longer hold meetings and that the Justice and Public Administration Ministry would launch activities to dissolve it and call an early election. "There was a lack of quorum at today's session, the seven deputies from the Centre party have in the meantime resigned, which means that the present Council will no longer hold meetings," Prkić said. He added that even though he could try once more to…