17 May 2021 - Prime Minister and HDZ president Andrej Plenković said that the party's result in local elections was very good and victorious on Sunday night. In the next four years, the HDZ would have the most county prefects, mayors, and municipal heads.

"Our result is very good, victorious. Looking at the overall results, the HDZ will again be the party which will have the most county prefects, mayors, and municipal heads in the next four years," he said in the HDZ's campaign headquarters in Zagreb.

He congratulated everyone who took part in the elections and especially citizens who voted for the candidates of the HDZ and its partners.

Plenković said he was pleased that four HDZ candidates for prefects had won in the first round and that its candidates would be in runoffs with convincing leads in eight counties.

He singled out the results of Gari Cappelli and Anđelko Stričak in Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Varaždin counties. He congratulated Ivan Radić and Vice Mihanović for their results in Osijek and Split.

As for Davor Filipović, the party's mayoral candidate in Zagreb, Plenković said he was a new asset for the party. He did a fantastic job during the campaign, and that he was a first-class politician for big elections.

"The HDZ is the second slate in Zagreb, which is extremely good. It's a new generation of HDZ politicians in Zagreb, and I'm confident that in the years ahead, they will gain more experience and offer even better solutions for Zagreb."

Filipović, who ranked fourth in the Zagreb mayoral race with less than 10% of the vote, congratulated Tomislav Tomašević on receiving the largest number of votes in the first round and apologized; to the other candidates if, during the campaign, he said "one word too many."

He said his own result was almost twice as good as the HDZ mayoral candidate's four years ago and twice as good as in 2013. "Therefore, we have reason to be optimistic, and that's a pledge for the future to work for the good of Zagreb."

For more news about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 13 May, 2021 - President Zoran Milanović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday issued separate messages offering their best wishes to Muslims on the occasion of the holiday of Ramadan Bayram.

Wishing all the best to the head of the Islamic Community in Croatia, Mufti Aziz Hasanović and the Muslim community, PM Plenković wished them an abundance of peace, hope and family unity.

Stressing the traditionally good relations between the government and the Islamic Community, Plenković expressed confidence that "our continual dialogue, mutual respect and understanding will contribute to an even better cooperation to the benefit of our society and community."

In his message to Muslims, President Milanović said that he wished the great holiday of sacrifice and self-restraint to serve as an encouragement in the promotion of mutual understanding, dialogue and tolerance to the benefit of Croatia.

"My sincere congratulations to fellow citizens of Muslim faith on the occasion of Ramadan Bayram. May this great holiday of sacrifice and self-restraint bring you peaceful and joyous moments of piety and family unity and serve as encouragement in the promotion of mutual understanding, dialogue and tolerance to the benefit of our homeland," Milanović said in his message.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, too, today offered his best wishes to Muslims on the occasion of Ramadan Bayram.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 12 May, 2021 - During a visit on Wednesday by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to the British American Tobacco (BAT) factory in Kanfanar, BAT revealed an investment of HRK 200 million in the production of a new category of heated tobacco products (HTP), underlining the importance of the new logistics centre in Rijeka.

"By expanding production in Kanfanar and opening a hub in Rijeka, we are continuing with BAT's significant investments in Croatia. With the introduction of production lines for new product categories, Croatia is additionally strengthening its position on the global map of production sites in the tobacco industry. We are continuing to expand our selection for consumers in Croatia," BAT Adria director Zvonko Kolobara said in a statement to the press.

He added that the increased capacity in Kanfanar would help BAT meet growing demands for HTP in Europe and northern Africa.

Kolobara thanked the government and Prime Minister Plenković for their efforts in creating an investment climate that stimulates further investments.

Plenković expressed satisfaction that BAT is continuing with its investments in Kanfanar and ensuring jobs. BAT's announcement of the investment comes after its announcement that it could leave Croatia due to unfavourable business conditions.

Plenković underlined that the new investment was an example of a good business climate and that BAT did not exert any pressure on the government to meet its demands to continue doing business in Croatia.

"The new, HRK 200 million investment in new products means a new impetus, enthusiasm and a new generator of business and with that, a contribution to Croatia's economy. The company employs 1,600 people and another 800 cooperate closely with BAT and make a living that way. The investment plans have been coordinated with their headquarters in London and all the employees at the factory will be satisfied while the entire economy of Istria County will benefit from BAT's operations," said Plenković.

He noted that the government was open to large global investors.

"It is excellent that BAT has established a hub in Rijeka for products from China that are distributed throughout Europe. That is additional confirmation of Rijeka's attractiveness as an exceptionally important transport and commercial port in the country. As far as BAT's staying is concerned, the government took account of the Croatian economy and creating conditions for all foreign companies doing business in Croatia and investors to have the same treatment. It is obvious that BAT has decided that the Kanfanar factory is important and that it wants to invest and that Croatia is important to it. There was never any pressure," said Plenković.

For more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 11 May, 2021 - President Zoran Milanović has said that his candidate for Supreme Court President Zlata Đurđević's programme is not the reason to reject her candidacy and that the HDZ should exempt itself from voting on her appointment as the party is in a conflict of interest, having been convicted of corruption.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Milanović said that nobody had read Đurđević's programme and that it was more serious than anything Plenković had ever written but that that was not crucial for her appointment.

Plenković will come up with another reason (to reject her) tomorrow, he said.

Plenković said on Monday that Đurđević would not be backed by the ruling majority also due to her "populist political programme."

The premier said that the programme was designed to restore the system of election of judges as existed at the time when politicians appointed judges, recalling that she had failed to apply to the first public call for the position.

Milanović said today that he expected the Supreme Court President to be strict, have high criteria and, if necessary, launch disciplinary proceedings.

If a "completely inexperienced" politician like Plenković could have become "such a brilliant prime minister", then Ms Đurđević can do a job that is still less complicated than that of a prime minister, said Milanović.

The HDZ should exempt itself from the vote on the Supreme Court President because the party has a case pending before the Supreme Court, he noted.

To the extent the Supreme Court President will have minimum influence on the case, the HDZ is in a conflict of interest, he added.

Milanović also said that Plenković had started entertaining plans to have him replaced.

Plenković said yesterday that he received a report from Albania, where "Milanović's friend (PM Edi) Rama" was initiating a no-confidence vote in President Ilir Meta for interfering in elections and inciting to hate speech and violence.

"He is talking about the Albanian no-confidence vote instead of phoning Rama and congratulating him, like most European leaders. By the way, the Albanian president was elected by the parliament, and I was elected by Croatian voters," Milanović said, adding: "He should take care that that does not happen to him."

May 9, 2021 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has sent a message of support to the Global Citizen initiative and the Vax Live concert, underscoring the COVID-19 pandemic will be over only when the whole population has access to vaccines.

For 16 months, we have been living with the pandemic that has completely changed our way of functioning and our lives. It has affected our health situation, our economy, and financial stability and influenced the way the world is now functioning, Plenković said, among other things in his message.

"VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World," featuring performances by Jennifer Lopez, J Balvin, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, and HER, was held at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday 2, May. The event was pre-taped and broadcast on TV channels worldwide and YouTube on Saturday, 8 May. 

Global Citizens helped mobilize 302 million in commitments so far to provide more than 26 million doses of vaccine against coronavirus.

Croatia's Prime Minister also recalled that several initiatives, including COVAX, were launched in Europe during the Croatian presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2020.

Croatia will continue supporting efforts to mobilize forces for such activities at the national, European, and global levels.

CROATIA pledged as part of the VAX LIVE campaign to share 50,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as part of a bilateral agreement in coordination with COVAX, the European sharing mechanism. The doses will go to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo. Croatia also committed €500,000 (US$600,000) to COVAX.

"We shall continue to be one of the countries that supports these activities, both on the national level, but also at the European and global level, too," said Prime Minister Plenković.

Messages were also sent by Pope Francis, U.S. President Joe Biden, Prince Harry, and some other very important persons. Pope says, "I beg you not to forget the most vulnerable."

For more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, 9 May 2021 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Sunday forwarded a message on the occasion of Europe Day, calling on his citizens to continue their commitment to the Europe of peace, social justice, and economic development.

"Europe Day is being marked this year in such circumstances when we are faced with the biggest global challenges since the Second World War" Plenković underscores.

Therefore this is an occasion for us to recall that the visionary idea of a united and democratic Europe, as a safeguard for permanent peace and solidarity and prosperity of European peoples, was born in the aftermath of that war when one of the gloomiest and most tragic periods of the European history was over and also against the background of the threat of the Communist totalitarianism, he said.

The idea could seem as a utopia then, however, today it is a reality shared by the 27 member states, including Croatia as the youngest member, Plenković said underscoring some of the achievements of the present-day EU bloc.

Although EU citizens make up only 6% of the global population, the EU is the top agricultural power and the second strongest economy. It is also the top-ranking donor of international aid, the most sought-after tourist destination, and a global leader in the fight against climate change, he said highlighting the fact that in the last 70 years, the European Union has been developed as a project of peace, reconciliation, democracy, development, cooperation and mutual solidarity.

Being aware that cooperation between member-states is key to a more successful struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic, we are investing joint efforts to ramp up the vaccination of our citizens, as this is the safest and fastest way to returning to the life we had before the pandemic, he added.

Plenković says in his message that Croatia has donated vaccine doses to its neighbors that are non-EU member states as a sign of solidarity because the pandemic can be halted only if the sufficient rate of immunization of the population in Europe and the world is achieved.

This year, Europe Day is also the day when the Conference on the Future of Europe kicks off.

In the coming months, we will have opportunities to be included in discussions on the future course of the development of the European Union. In all member-states, individuals, civil society associations, the academic community, business people, unionists, and all other stakeholders, together with representatives of European institutions, are encouraged to be engaged in those discussions and give their ideas and proposals conducive to the improvement of the functioning of the Union and making it more prepared to deal with global challenges, the Croatian premier said among other things.

Croatia can make a marked contribution to this conference in which a lead role will be played by European Vice President for Democracy and Demography, Croatian Dubravka Šuica, according to Plenković's message.

Šuica is leading the Commission’s work on deliberative democracy and the Conference on the Future of Europe.

For more, follow our dedicated politics section.

May 9, 2021 - As the SLAPP lawsuit intimidation tactics against journalists continue in Croatia, I invite Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to back the proposed anti-SLAPP bill from Centar MP Marijana Puljak. 

It has been an intense few weeks. 

In addition to the launch of our new national tourism portal, Total Croatia, and the ongoing Digital Nomads-in-Residence Program in Dubrovnik, the aftermath of my decision to make public the two lawsuits from the Croatian National Tourist Board against me continues to feature large in my daily life.

I have been genuinely stunned at the public reaction and support (95% in an Index poll in which about 20,000 people voted), as well as the significant media interest from Croatia's independent media. I am also very grateful for the opportunity to discuss my case on national television (you can see my appearance on Good Morning Croatia - Dobro Jutro Hrvatska below).

I decided to go public with news of the lawsuit after reading an article on RTL about the culture of intimidating journalists through the issuing of SLAPP lawsuits by my lawyer, Vanja Juric (you can read a translation of that article here).  I had no idea that the practice was so widespread. Why would I, if very few people talk about such things in public. 

Apart my surprise at the massive public support, the other thing that stayed with me from breaking the news was how shocked people were that the national tourist board would sue me for 100,000 kuna.

Apart from being shocked in the sense of being intimidated (at least initially until Legendica Vanja filled me with reassurance), I was not that shocked at the issuing of the lawsuit. I took it as a HUGE compliment, of course, that one fat blogger in a cafe can bother them so much with the truth, but these tactics of intimidation are not actually that new to me - or, I am guessing, any other independent journalist in this country.

And while we all bear these daily harassments silently, I am wondering if perhaps the time is right to try and initiate a public discussion on this very topic.

I feel emboldened to do so in support of Centar MP, Marijana Puljak, who kindly raised my case in Parliament, calling for the quashing of the lawsuit and the removal of Kristjan Stanicic as Director of CNTB. You can see Marijana's speech above (and a translation under the video in this article). 

But this is certainly not the first time I have been subjected to this kind of intimidation as an independent journalist. And, just as I called for - and received - the Prime Minister's attention to my case last time, so too in this case. My impressions of the premiership of Andrej Plenkovic fluctuate a LOT, but I will remain eternally grateful to him calling me over for a chat on the main square in Jelsa at a time where I had been made to feel like a pariah by sections of the local community. 

I know of one other foreigner after me who wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Plenkovic, of course, and I congratulate both Jan de Jong the PM for working together to make the Croatian digital nomad permit a reality in a very short space of time. 

But back in August 2018, foreigners writing open letters to Prime Ministers was unheard of. I decided to do so because I thought the intimidation I was made to feel in my adopted hometown needed to be countered by someone of influence outside the town. And with the Prime Minister coming the following week for 'Dan Opcine Jelsa' (Jelsa's Municipal Day), I decided to try something out of the box which you can read about this TCN article - How to Fix Croatia: Open Letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

That summer of 2018 taught me more about the realities of Croatia than any other. 

Jelsa has been incredibly good to me, providing me with a home, lovely family, and a fantastic lifestyle for more than 13 years. It was a town (and an island) I loved writing about. And my Total Hvar blog was - for the most part - incredibly positive about Hvar, putting many destinations on the international map for the first time.

And then it all changed. 

It remains the story I am most proud of in my ten years of writing for the Total Project, in terms of facts and research. I don't think I have ever published a story which had as many documents or verified facts. I first published in March, 2018.

Goodbye Jelsa Bench, Hello Carpe Diem? Mayor Niksa Peronja Gives Prime Concession to Hvar Party Partner.

The story caused quite a stir, but the plot thickened, as certain people (always anonymous - nobody wanted to be publicly quoted) sent me more links and documents, which I also published in July:

Hvar Party Tourism Spreading to Jelsa? How to Grab Island Zecevo When Nobody is Watching.

This caused an immediate reaction from the Mayor of Jelsa, more I suspect due to the anonymous letters posted around Vrboska. He announced a public meeting in Vrboska to explain to people there the truth behind the future of Zecevo. 

The night before the meeting, there was a town council meeting in Jelsa, after which I was informed by three sources that the Mayor had decided to sue me for defamation. A figure of 200,000 kuna was apparently mentioned. 

A huge sum, and certainly not one I could afford to pay at the time. But I decided to attend - and film - the public meeting the following day. I was extremely curious not only what the Mayor would say, but also what the reaction of the local audience would be to such an emotive issue. 

And that is how - as YouTube has recorded for posterity - Mayor Niksa Peronja announced to the world that he was suing me (see video below). 

What happened after that was a real education. People I had known for years unfriended me on Facebook. Others looked the other way while I walked down the street. Suddenly there were lots of seats next to me at the cafe. As unpleasant as that was, the really fascinating place to be was my inbox. So many people thanking me, but asking for my understanding that they could not be seen to do so publicly. Others sending me other examples of alleged corruption, with documents, asking me to publish them. When I suggested that we publish under joint name, they disappeared. It was fine for me to fight the fight on their behalf, but there was no way they would greet me in the street or stand with me.  

And so I wrote to the Prime Minister. If he would show me some support, that could potentially make my life less unpleasant. 

He sat down at the next cafe with the local HDZ crew for a chat and photo op, as the Prime Minister does at this event every year. And every year, I always rise from the next cafe and take a photo for a story. Only this year was different. 

The Prime Minister motioned for me to come over to his table. I did, and he rose to greet me. 

"Hi. Call me Andrej. You are the blogger, right? The one who wrote an open letter with four ways to fix this country?"

Indeed I was. We had a pleasant chat for a couple of minutes with ended with a very reassuring promise from the Croatian Prime Minister, which was the title of my next article, some 15 minutes later, and which he has (so far) kept:

Prime Minister Tells Total Croatia News: I Won't Sue You, Don't Worry.

And he never has. And for that brief intervention in my life, I will always be grateful to the man who told me to call him Andrej, even if I have strong differences of opinion on some other issues. 

And the funny thing is that Mayor Peronja never sued me either, despite his public promise. Make of that what you will. 

And so, Andrej, for that is how you told me to address you, you have shown decency on the topic of defending the independent media with my case in Jelsa three years ago.

Will you also commit to supporting Marijana Puljak's initiative to introduce anti-SLAPP legislation into the Croatian Parliament? 

May 8, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Saturday defended his government's proposal to partly ban Sunday work, rejecting President Zoran Milanović's assessment of the proposal groundless and describing his statements to the press as political barbarism and rudeness.

Earlier in the day, Milanović told the press that Plenković's speech on the ban was insincere and a gimmick ahead of the 16 May local elections.

"I did not see what he said. I presume he is still on the campaign trail trying to keep the remaining SDP pockets in the counties, municipalities, and towns alive because what he is doing is a local campaign by the President of the Republic, a former leader of the SDP (Social Democratic Party), which has never been seen before. But I guess this is a new outlook on democracy along the lines of all those salvos of insults directed at other political actors, such as the HRT (public broadcaster), your journalist colleagues in Split," Plenković told the Croatia media in the Portuguese city of Porto where he was attending the EU Social Summit.

"That's outrageous! I expected that the HRT and its reporters, who are otherwise quick in contacting the European Federation of Journalists, would promptly respond and seek protection as they have in the past, that they would condemn that act. Such political barbarism and rudeness towards the media is unprecedented, it is a new dimension, and we should talk about it," he added.

Milanović commented on the statement made by Plenković in Porto on Friday that a ban on Sunday work would be good for "balance between work and family life."

"(Milanović) obviously did not follow last year's election campaign for the Croatian Parliament because that was one of the key messages from our election manifesto. Over the previous months, we have been working thoroughly on the proposal to amend the Commerce Act, conducting consultations and surveys. A majority of Croatian citizens are in favor of banning Sunday work. Since Croatia is a tourist country, businesses would be allowed to work on 16 Sundays a year, whereby all the needs of the tourist season would be met," the prime minister said.

"At the same time, shopping centers would be allowed to work on holidays, and balance would be achieved between work activities and family life. It is a well-balanced and appropriate proposal that will be put to public consultation and come before Parliament, and it is in no way connected with this election campaign. After all, proposals like this are not adopted by local councils or elected leaders but by the Croatian Parliament," Plenković concluded. 

For more, follow our politics section.

ZAGREB, 7 May, 2021 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who is taking part in the Social Summit in Porto, said on Friday that his government would continue with its active policy towards workers because it considered workers to be important.

"After four years we are again focusing on social rights, workers' protection, social inclusion and dialogue, equal opportunities, the possibility to help our workers across the EU through the principle of European solidarity and to save jobs through cooperation," Plenković told reporters upon arrival in Porto, Portugal, where the summit is taking place.

Portugal, which has been chairing the EU since January, is hosting the summit at which the leaders of the EU's 27 member states will try to put into practice a document called "The European Pillar of Social Rights", agreed to four years ago.

Among the 20 principles stated in the document, are training and lifelong learning, gender equality, fair pay and workers' participation in talks on forms and conditions of work.

"In that regard, Croatia has done quite a lot in the past 15 months," said Plenković.

"We have saved jobs, supported workers, as well as employers. Numbers speak for themselves, today we have more insurees than we had last year, and what is more important, we have more than we did in 2019," he said.

"We have invested more than €10 billion in workers' wages, secured funds for those who had to work shorter hours, as well as for fixed costs, making it possible for more than 120,000 employers to keep their workers and pay wages," he said.

Croatians, just like citizens of other EU countries, have felt the health and economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis. Thousands of workers have lost jobs and many fear poverty.

According to figures form the Croatian Employment Service, the unemployment rate in Croatia is 9.3%.

"The state has exempted many from paying both taxes and contributions. We will continue with an active employment policy," Plenković said.

Portugal's Socialist government in January set strengthening social rights in Europe as on of its priorities during its EU presidency, which ends in June.

The European Commission in March presented a plan under which the number of poor people in the EU would be reduced by 15 million by the end of 2030.

The forum in Porto focuses on that plan and PM Plenković is expected to participate in a panel discussion on that topic later in the day.

The Porto summit is taking place one week after International Workers' Day, when workers across Europe once again pointed out their difficult situation.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 7 May (Hina) - Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said on Friday that she was shocked by President Zoran Milanović's attack on the HRT public broadcaster, adding that she had always stood up for press freedom.

"The government has no ambition whatsoever to influence any media outlet in Croatia. Quite the contrary, I believe that we strengthen democracy and all the values in society if we try to ensure conditions for reporters to do their job professionally and without any pressure," Obuljen Koržinek said after a ceremony of opening a library in the town of Delnice.

She condemned Milanović's statements in which he attacked an HRT correspondent in Split, refusing to answer her questions and saying that the HRT was not a public broadcaster but was serving the interests of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

"I think that Milanović is the last person who can call out anybody," Obuljen Koržinek said, stressing that the concept and legislative framework for the HRT management had been inaugurated during his term as prime minister.

She went on to say that in her capacity as the minister of culture and media, she had always stood up for the autonomy of the media, notably reporters.

Union leader: Milanović attacks journalists who are not responsible for HRT's policy

Croatian Journalists' Union leader and HRT reporter Maja Sever said on Thursday that the reporters whom Milanović verbally attacked earlier in the day were not responsible for the public broadcaster's editorial policy and that he was among those who had failed to ensure HRT's autonomy. 

Also on Thursday, the Journalists' Union and the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) branch at the HRT condemned Milanović's statements, but also noted that the HRT under current director Kazimir Bačić was not an independent public service and that the government led by PM Andrej Plenković was responsible for that.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.