Politics

ZAGREB, 5 April 2022 - Former Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović on Tuesday would not give an answer when asked if she saw herself as the next NATO Secretary-General, saying the appointment should be based on qualifications and not on sex. The moderator of a panel discussion at the US-Croatia Forum focusing on the representation of women in the security and economy sectors asked the former president if time had come for NATO to have a woman secretary-general and if she saw herself in that role. "The next NATO Secretary-General must be chosen exclusively based on their work, education, ethics, competence, experience and all…

ZAGREB, 5 April 2022 - The Justice and Administration Ministry said on Tuesday it had not yet received the resignations announced by Split Mayor Ivica Puljak and his first deputy Bojan Ivošević, and that in the event of an early election, the city until then would be governed by a government commissioner. The ministry said the appointment of a government commissioner in local government units was defined by law and that the commissioner's powers pertained only to technical governance, to ensure the functioning of local services. In the event that Puljak resigns as announced, he would do so after less than one…

ZAGREB, 5 April 2022 - Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Tuesday, after the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the case of six-year-old Afghan migrant girl Madina Hussiny has become final, that his resignation was not on the table and that the purpose of such rulings was to improve the system. "In cases like this the burden of responsibility is always on the system. We need to see what can and should be rectified," Božinović told the press on the sidelines of the second day of the US Croatia Forum in Zagreb when asked whether he considered himself…

April 5, 2022 – Minister Oleg Butković visited the Vukovar-Srijem County on Monday, where he held meetings discussing the construction of the Srijem border thoroughfare. As Glas Slavonije writes, the project will be completed within a maximum of four years. The Minister of the Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković paid a working visit to Vukovar-Srijem County on Monday, held a meeting in Ilok with the representatives of the County, and attended the inaugural conference of the project "Construction of the Apševac and Lipovac Thoroughfares". This is a project by Hrvatske Ceste, which represents the first of the remaining three…

April 5, 2022 - The European Court of Human Rights rejected Croatia's request to reconsider the case of the family of little Madina Hosseini, which confirmed the previous verdict and the responsibility of the Republic of Croatia for the tragedy arising from it. Interior Minister Davor Božinović says his resignation is ''not on the table'' following the ruling. Tportal.hr reports that, in the tragic death of six-year-old Madina Hosseini, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) last year found the Republic of Croatia responsible for numerous human rights violations under the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: the right…

4 April 2022 - Croatia and the United States will sign an agreement today on Croatia's entry to the Global Entry programme which will allow some Croatian citizens privileged entry to the US, Under Secretary of Commerce Marisa Lago said on Monday. As of October 2021, Croatian citizens can travel to the US without a visa for tourist and business trips lasting up to 90 days. Speaking at a US-Croatia Forum in Zagreb, Lago announced another step in the removal of barriers to bilateral trade. Global Entry, a programme of the US Department of Homeland Security, allows pre-approved expedited clearance upon arrival into the…

4 April 2022 - The war in Ukraine cannot spill over to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia is an example of a smart energy policy, the United States administration's special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said on Monday. Speaking at the US-Croatia Forum in Zagreb, he said he did not think the Ukraine crisis could spill over to Croatia's neighbourhood because it had returned Europe's focus to dealing with crises around it. The war in Ukraine has also led to EU membership candidates pro-actively showing solidarity with Western values, Escobar said, adding that Serbia condemned the Russian invasion at the…

4 April 2022 - Demographic revitalisation remains a strategic issue of Croatia's future and all actors must cooperate in this long-term project, from the national and local governments to civil society and the business sector, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday. Speaking at an Economic and Social Council session, he said the Croatian Bureau of Statistics was still processing the results of last year's census but that they led to the conclusion that everyone would have to work together on more effective public policies that would contribute to turning the negative population trends around. "We wish to create a positive…

4 April 2022 - Tomislav Žigmanov's being elected to the Serbian parliament is extremely important for Croat representation, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday. He wrote on Twitter that he congratulated Žigmanov this morning. Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman also congratulated Žigmanov on Twitter, but also warned that despite the seat won, Sunday's election was yet another one in which Serbia failed to comply with the 2005 bilateral agreement on the protection of national minorities. He said the Croatian government would continue to insist on reciprocity at all government levels. According to the first unofficial results of the election, Democratic…

4 April 2022 - Croatian President Zoran Milanović on Monday congratulated the election winners in Serbia and Hungary "despite deformations of democracy." "That's the choice of their voters," he said. Milanović said that in relations with other countries one should not "lecture" anyone on internal matters such as "what kind of school classes there will be in Warsaw and Budapest, or what they will teach their children." "That's their business, that's right. We will break the EU up if we start acting like cosmopolitan moralists," he said. Milanović said that the current situation was an opportunity for Serbia to finally take…