December 7, 2022 - The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has confirmed Croatia's fine for fan taunts at Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan in their second-round Group F match at the World Cup on November 27, 2022. 

The disciplinary committee of the International Football Federation (FIFA) fined the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) 50,000 Swiss francs for the behavior of some fans at the 2022 World Cup match against Canada in Qatar.

During the match, some Croatia fans insulted the Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who has Serbian roots and had previously made inappropriate statements about the Homeland War and being born in Krajina, not Croatia, back in 1987. A poster with offensive content referencing his leaving Croatia also appeared in the stands.

"The Croatian Football Federation was fined 50,000 Swiss francs for violating Article 16 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (use of words and objects to convey a message that is not appropriate for a sporting event) in connection with the behavior of Croatia fans during the match against Canada," FIFA announced.

The Football Federations of Serbia and Saudi Arabia were also fined.

Serbia was fined 20,000 Swiss francs for "violations of Article 11 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 4 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Regulations about the flag displayed in the dressing room after the match against Brazil," they said.

Namely, after the match against Brazil, a flag was hung in Serbia's dressing room with a map of Kosovo painted in the colors of the Serbian flag, with the slogan: "No surrender."

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has been fined 15,000 Swiss francs twice for misconduct by players who earned six yellow cards during matches against Argentina and Mexico.

Source: HRT

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ZAGREB, 22 Nov 2021 - Croatia's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, met with members of the Croatian community in Canada in the Croatian Martyrs Parish in Mississauga on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said in a press release.

In his speech, Grlić Radman highlighted the role of Croatian parishes in fostering Croatian national identity, notably language, culture, and tradition. He described the parish in Mississauga as one of the best examples of dedication to promoting national consciousnesses and connections with Croatia.

The minister said that the Croatian government would continue to support the Croatian community in Canada by financing projects, Croatian language learning and scholarship programs, and supporting publishing activities.

"We will continue to support projects to preserve and promote cultural, scientific, economic, sports and other cooperation between Croatia and Canada," Grlić Radman said.

Grlić Radman thanked the Croatian community in Canada for their continued support to Croatia, including at the time of the Homeland War and last year's earthquake in Petrinja. He also emphasized their important role in strengthening the very good relationship between Croatia and Canada, the press release said.

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ZAGREB, May 15, 2019 - During her state visit to Canada, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović met with business women and women chief executive officers and investors in Toronto on Tuesday, her office said in a press release. The meeting was organised by the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

Addressing those present, Grabar-Kitarović emphasised the strong dynamic of mutual visits at political and other levels which were helping promote friendly relations between the two countries. She in particular highlighted the importance of advancing economic cooperation, which she said had not yet reached its full potential.

The president said that Croatia and Canada had growing potential to boost their economic cooperation, especially in trade, industry, energy, information technology and tourism.

Croatia welcomes Canadian investors and supports Canadian investments, particularly in the manufacturing sector, including oil production, the wood-processing, food and electronic industries, and in services such as tourism, she said.

Canada has a strong, industrially developed and modern market economy and is a G8 member, considerably contributing to the stability and development of the global economy, and it is also one of the oldest and closest partners of the European Union, she added.

By joining the European Union in mid-2013, Croatia has become part of this strategic partnership which has recently been crowned with the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada, and the benefits of the provisional implementation of the CETA are already visible in our economic cooperation, the Croatian president said.

Grabar-Kitarović expressed her confidence that stronger trade with Canada would create new opportunities for growth and job creation in the EU and Canada, and thanked the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce for helping to establish business and broader economic cooperation between Croatia and Canada.

Also on Tuesday, Grabar-Kitarović had a working meeting with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Elizabeth Dowdeswell. She expressed her satisfaction with the cooperation between Canadian and Croatian universities, saying that cooperation in science and education was very important for the overall development of relations between the two countries.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is an area of constant and accelerated change, which requires a dynamic education system, the Croatian president said, adding that cooperation between Croatia and Canada should be encouraged in STEM areas.

Grabar-Kitarović said that Croatia strongly supported and promoted the activity of the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Toronto and the Croatian-Canadian Business Network in Zagreb, which are making efforts to attract investment and strengthen relations between the two countries.

On Wednesday, the Croatian president is scheduled to visit the western province of Alberta and meet with Lieutenant Governor Lois Mitchell and the local Croatian community.

More news about relations between Croatia and Canada can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, May 14, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on Monday for talks about the two countries' economic cooperation, with Grabar-Kitarović saying that the Croatian government was making efforts to improve the investment climate and expressing confidence that Canada would increase its investment in Croatia.

Grabar-Kitarović said the Croatian government was continuously working on improving the investment climate and the legal framework to assist business people in both countries through measures providing equal conditions for doing business and investment for both national and foreign companies. She expressed confidence Canada would recognise Croatia as an investment destination, according to a press release issued by the President's Office.

Stressing the importance of the two countries' cooperation in science and education, Grabar-Kitarović expressed satisfaction with a broad range of cooperation between Canadian and Croatian universities, which includes two Croatian studies centres at the universities of Waterloo and Toronto.

Grabar-Kitarović said she was grateful for the fact that the Croatian language was integrated in the elementary and high school systems in Ontario and British Columbia.

At the talk with Trudeau, Grabar-Kitarović underscored the contribution the Croat community in Canada made not only to the development of strong relations between the two countries but also to Canada's overall development.

Trudeau congratulated Grabar Kitarović on taking over the chairmanship of the Council of Women World Leaders, the only organisation in the world dedicated to women heads of state and government, the statement said.

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović also met with Governor General Julie Payette in Ottawa. They reaffirmed the strong ties between the two countries bound by friendship, mutual respect and the same values, the President's Office said in a press release.

Grabar-Kitarović said that Croatia and Canada shared the same views, promoting democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights and freedoms.

Croatia actively promotes gender equality, empowerment of women and girls to ensure equal access to education, justice and political freedoms. We share the same values, we are partners and allies in NATO and other organisations, Grabar-Kitarović said.

The president noted that Canada had one of the largest and most successful Croatian emigrant communities. She said that the Croatian people and she personally were very proud of the Croatian community in Canada and their contribution to the overall development of Canada, adding that the Croatian community was a strong link between the two countries.

Grabar-Kitarović said that Canada was an extraordinary example of multiculturalism and respect for different ethnic groups, their language, culture and customs, expressing her confidence that her visit would encourage further advancement of Croatian-Canadian relations.

After the meeting, the Croatian president attended a tree planting ceremony.

Earlier on, Grabar-Kitarović met with members of the Croatian community and presented the Charter of the Republic of Croatia to St Nikola Tavelić Parish of Montreal and Ottawa's Croatian Catholic Parish of St Leopold Mandić for their outstanding contribution to the provision of social and spiritual care and for their pastoral activity among Croatian emigrants in Canada.

More news about relations between Croatia and Canada can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, May 3, 2019 - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović travels to Canada next week for an official visit from May 12 to 17, during which she will meet with Governor General Julie Payette, who represents the Queen of the United Kingdom.

It will be the first state visit to Canada by a Croatian president since Croatia gained independence in the early 1990s.

President Grabar-Kitarović and her husband Jakov Kitarović are scheduled to visit Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton and Calgary.

"Croatia is a valued partner for Canada in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU). Croatian-Canadians make important contributions to Canada's multicultural society," Payette's office said in a press release.

Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met with Payette in Ottawa in October 2017 after in July of that year she was approved by Queen Elizabeth II as the next Governor General of Canada, becoming the fourth woman to fill this post.

More news about relations between Croatia and Canada can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 15, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who on Monday received Canadian Parliament Speaker Geoff Regan, said after the talks that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) offered an opportunity for Croatian businesses to deliver their goods and services on the Canadian market.

Plenković underscored the importance of strengthening of bilateral economic cooperation and spoke about the common values which Croatia and Canada, members of NATO and other international associations, share, the government's public relations office reported.

Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and his Canadian counterpart Regan earlier on Monday hailed the benefits of the trade agreement between Canada and the European Union, underscoring that the CETA and NATO membership reinforce overall cooperation between Croatia and Canada.

Croatia was the third country to ratify CETA.

On Tuesday, Regan and his hosts in Zagreb will hold a press conference on the occasion of the first anniversary of CETA coming into force.

More news on the relations between Croatia and Canada can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 14, 2019 - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Canadian Parliament Speaker Geoff Regan on Monday hailed the benefits of the trade agreement between Canada and the European Union, underscoring that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and NATO membership reinforce overall cooperation between Croatia and Canada.

Economic cooperation, notably tourism, and NATO membership are pillars of bilateral cooperation, Jandroković told the press after receiving Regan in Zagreb on Monday morning.

Their talks focused on the Croatia-Canada cooperation and efforts to increase Canadian investments in Croatia and Croatia's exports to Canada. In this context, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement is of exceptional importance, Jandroković said.

Croatia was the third country to ratify CETA.

As a result, bilateral trade increased by more than 100% in the first nine months of 2018, the speaker of the Croatian parliament said.

We are happy to see that the Republic of Croatia supported CETA, said Regan, who was on a return official visit to Zagreb.

We believe that CETA is very important for the future and for job creation as well as for connections between our two countries, he added.

Jandroković and Regan described the 300,000-strong Croat community in Canada as a strong bridge connecting the two countries that have been developing their partnership for more than 25 years.

The two countries are also connected by their membership in the Western military alliance and Canadian tourists visiting Croatia, Jandroković said, citing direct flight services from Zagreb and Split to Toronto.

Regan will wrap up his visit on Tuesday.

More news on the relations between Croatia and Canada can be found in the Politics section.

In the first eight months of this year, Croatian exports to Canada grew by almost 150 %, Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) for International Affairs and EU Ivan Barbarić said at the Croatian-Canadian Economic Forum held in Toronto, reports Lider on November 30, 2018.

Since the signing of the CETA free trade agreement, the Canadian market offers ever greater opportunities for Croatian entrepreneurs, and the very strong Croatian diaspora with more than 250,000 people is an added impetus to enter the Canadian market. That is why we believe that now is the right time to use this positive trend and increase trade exchange to a much larger figure than the current 85 million dollars. This is also the main reason for our delegation’s visit. We have decided to focus on three sectors we consider to have the greatest potential, namely IT, food industry and cosmetics,” Barbarić explained.

The experiences of Croatian companies already operating on the Canadian market are positive. “Collaboration with Canadian companies is at the highest level of professionalism. The well-established Croatian community needs to be used because new opportunities are constantly being opened,” said Petar Šimić, CEO of Primaco, a company which has been working with Canadian companies for many years, providing them with logistics services for the consolidation of goods, customs representation, and transport from Croatia, central and southeast Europe to Canada.

“Our business meetings went exceptionally well, the people I spoke with demonstrated openness and sincere interest in co-operation. We have opened several networking opportunities with potential clients from the Canadian market,” said Vanja Bertalan, CEO of the Burza company, which deals with web development, digital strategies and similar activities.

Marica Matković, Ambassador of Croatia to Canada, recalled that Croatia and Canada are marking 25 years of diplomatic relations this year, but added that the ties are much older. “CETA is a new generation of free trade agreements which do not create the winners and the losers, but are a winning formula for everyone,” Matković said.

The opinion that this moment should be exploited by businessmen is shared by Daniel Maksymiuk, Canada's Ambassador to Croatia, who pointed out that Croatian entrepreneurs in Canada are successful in all sectors.

Cameron Sinclair, Deputy Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Economy, Employment and Commerce, also stressed the CETA benefits for businesses and added that he would like to see more Canadian investors in Croatia.

The Croatian economic delegation met with the Croatian diaspora representatives. The meeting was organized by the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. “Contact us, we can open the doors for you,” said diaspora representative Ivan Grbošić, listing as one of the examples the Ancona company from Đakovo which produces furniture. They recently helped them get in contact with Canadian partners and are already in negotiations about furnishing one Canadian hotel.

In addition to individual sector cooperation, the potential for Croatian-Canadian cooperation can also be found in tourism. About 140,000 Canadian tourists visited Croatia last year, an increase of almost 25 % compared to 2016.

About 40 Croatian businesses sent their representatives to Canada, including Adria Winch, Poslovna Inteligencija, Aduro Ideja, Konekta Tehnologije, Mobendo, Orgula Group, and Petričević Group.

The visit was organized as part of the HGK project “HR.exports – with HGK to foreign markets”, co-financed by a European Union grant from the European Regional Development Fund. The project aims to further strengthen the presence of small and medium-sized enterprises in foreign markets to increase exports of Croatian products and services.

For more on the relations between Croatia and Canada, click here.

Translated from Lider.

The car was brought to Croatia from Australia.

ZAGREB, September 23, 2018 - Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinovic Burić attended a two-day Women Foreign Ministers' Meeting (WFMM) in Montreal which was dedicated to gender equality and empowerment of women as a key factor in efforts to build peace, eradicate poverty and ensure economic growth, the Croatian Foreign Ministry stated in a press release on Sunday.