ZAGREB, 8 Feb 2022 - Istria County prefect and former Pula mayor Boris Miletić on Tuesday dismissed "all the unfounded accusations and ill-intentioned insinuations" made by Social Democratic Party county councillor Danijel Ferić, who said he had pressed charges against Miletić.

Speaking for HINA, Miletić said this was not the first time Ferić was using criminal complaints "solely as a tool for political promotion."

He said Ferić's MO was "to press charges, call a press conference and then, making bombastic statements and announcements to exert pressure on the Croatian judiciary, because he knows very well that when the charges are dismissed as unfounded and false, he will not carry any responsibility."

Miletić said Ferić, like every individual, was personally responsible for every publicly uttered untruth "which the court will easily establish."

Ferić told the press earlier today he had filed criminal complaints on behalf of the SDP against Miletić and his closest associates when he was the mayor of Pula on suspicion of financial wrongdoing.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 10 Oct, 2021 - A train adjusted for the transport of passengers and bikes between Pula and Buzet was presented in the biggest Istrian city earlier this week.

The train has been prepared as part of the "Istra bike and train" programme within the European ICARUS programme.

Attending the launch of the bike-friendly train at the Pula Railway Station, Istria County Prefect Boris Miletić said that the project was in line with efforts to encourage the green transition and reduce greenhouse gass emissions.

The initiative on the Pula-Buzet bike-friendly train was launched in cooperation with the Croatian HŽ Putnički Prijevoz company.

The head of that state-run company for rail passenger transport, Željko Ukić, said that foundations for the further development of the railway network in Istria had been laid within the Interreg Italy-Croatia ICARUS project

The HRK 16.5 million ICARUS aims at improving passenger intermodal transport connections and facilitating coast-hinterland sustainable accessibility, promoting car-independent lifestyles.

Istria County's development agency (IDA) participates with the amount of HRK 1.4 million.

The implementation of the projects lasts until the end of 2021. 

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ZAGREB, 25 Sept, 2021 - Istria County on Saturday marked its day and the 78th anniversary of the decision for Istria, Rijeka, Zadar and islands to leave the Kingdom of Italy and join with the parent country Croatia.

Istria County Assembly chair Sandra Ćakić Kuhar said on that occasion that the World War II People's Liberation Struggle was marked by the noble ideal of resistance to discrimination, hate speech and violence.

It was a struggle in which many lives were lost and the foundations of today's Istria were laid and that must never be forgotten, she said.

"If we lose our regional identity... we will lose a part of ourselves and devalue the struggle of our WWII fighters as well as our (Homeland War) defenders. That is why we have to continue respecting, protecting and promoting the values of antifascism, multiculturalism, multiethnicity, multilingualism and co-existence," she said.

Istria County head Boris Miletić said that Istria most strongly condemned any act attempting to devalue antifascism, stressing that "Istria is particularly ashamed that there is no courage and determination in our country to do away with the demons of the past."

"I am talking about finally outlawing the Ustasha salute. Four years ago, members of parliament from Istria put forward a bill to that effect but that document remains a dead letter," Miletić said, among other things.

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ZAGREB, 22 July 2021 - Istria County prefect Boris Miletić on Thursday welcomed tighter COVID restrictions along the coastline because of the spread of the Delta variant, saying it was in everyone's interest to keep the tourist numbers recorded to date as long as possible.

Speaking to the press in Pula, he said arrivals and overnights in the first seven months of this year were at 60% of those in the corresponding period in 2019, a record year for tourism.

"2020 can't be a reference point of comparison as it would turn out that we were 200% better. In July alone, in the first 20 days, we recorded 90% of the arrivals and overnights recorded (at the same time) in 2019."

More tourists than the domestic population in Istria

Miletić said 236,000 tourists were currently staying in Istria, which has a population of 209,000, adding that 38% were staying in private accommodation, 38% in campsites, and 24% in hotels.

"In any case, we have to be maximally responsible because tourists don't want big parties and big gatherings, but to spend their annual vacation normally," he said, adding that he hoped responsibility would be evident at all levels so that this tourist year could be much better than the last.

Miletić said big gatherings were not necessary, except for various festivals like the ongoing Pula Film Festival. He added that big outdoor gatherings were a problem because it was difficult to control that many people and impossible to ban someone from coming.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, February 14, 2020 - Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) president Boris Miletić said on Friday, on the party's 30th anniversary, that it had shown how a region in Croatia could develop, how to contribute to society's democratisation and be on the side of civil rights, and how to promote European values.

Speaking in Pula, Miletić said "three decades of successful work are behind us. I'm glad that today Istria (County) is indeed an oasis of tolerance, an example and a beacon in our country, for which most of the credit goes to our citizens, but also to the IDS which throughout that time has given a vision of the development of our region."

He also commented on the case of Tar-Vabriga municipal head Nivio Stojić, who verbally attacked a journalist after she asked him about his declaration of assets. Miletić said Stojić did the only possible thing by leaving the IDS. "I'm sorry (the attack) happened. As a party, we have shown in this instance too how to protect the values we promote."

Miletić said IDS members' declarations "are available to anyone" and underlined the importance of transparency, adding that "if someone wants to do a public job, they must respect the law."

Speaking of cooperation with the Social Democratic Party, he said the IDS was open to cooperation with the left liberal bloc.

"We have a big chance to change this incompetent, corrupt government, and if that is the joint goal, it must be the highest goal of all the parties which want to participate," Miletić said, adding that "citizens are losing trust in politics" and that "all parties should work on trust in the public system and politics."

He said the "modality" of running in the next parliamentary election "should be subordinate to one goal - that the group of parties have a majority in parliament and form a new government which will finally steer this country in the right direction."

"That means that we want to make Croatia a normal European state, that we stop dealing with the past so much and start thinking about the living standards of all citizens."

The IDS will celebrate its 30th anniversary in Pazin tomorrow. Among those attending will be President-elect Zoran Milanović.

More IDS news can be found in the Politics section.

As yet, there is still no consensus as to whether beautiful Brijuni will be a luxurious lifestyle destination, or some sort of mix between a national park and a resort.

ZAGREB, March 27, 2018 - Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) leader Boris Miletić said on Monday that the ratification of the Istanbul Convention concerned values of civilised societies and that it should not be treated as a political issue. "Some predominantly Catholic countries such as Italy and Spain have ratified that convention without any problems and I think that our believers would not have any problems with the convention either," Miletić said in an interview with Croatian Radio.

ZAGREB, February 19, 2018 - Boris Miletić, who was re-elected leader of the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) over the weekend, held a press conference in Pula on Monday to present the main guidelines of his programme for the next four-year term in office.

ZAGREB, February 18, 2018 - The Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) leader Boris Miletić was re-elected for this position by a majority vote at an election convention of this parliamentary party held in Labin on Saturday.

The leader of the most significant regional party in the Croatian Parliament speaks openly about their goals and plans.