ZAGREB, April 27, 2019 - In terms of perceived independence of courts and judges among the general public, judiciary in Croatia scored worst among the European Union member states, although the country has made progress in reducing the length of proceedings and the backlog of cases, according to the latest EU Justice Scoreboard released in Brussels on Friday.

A Eurobarometer survey of the perception of judicial independence, which is included in the EU Justice Scoreboard, puts Croatia at the bottom of the ranking, given that 42% of those polled in the country believe that the situation concerning independence of the judiciary is fairly bad and 34% say it is very bad. A mere 4% believe that the perceived independence of the judicial system is very good and 14% believe that it is fairly good.

Respondents said that the main reason for this situation is interference or pressure from government and politicians (68%), and interference or pressure from economic or other specific interests (62%), whereas 42% think that the status and position of judges do not sufficiently guarantee their independence.

In terms of perceived independence of courts and judges among the general public, the second to last place is occupied by Slovakia with 24% of respondents there describing that segment as very bad and 36% as fairly bad.

In the lower part of the ranking are Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Romania.

On the other hand, as many as 47% of Danish respondents perceive the independence of their judiciary as very good, and 40% as fairly good, while merely 1% believe that it is very bad, and 5% that it is fairly bad.

Other EU members with better results in the perceived independence of the judiciary are Finland, Austria, Sweden, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.

In terms of the number of judges per 100 000 inhabitants, Croatia had 43.2 judges in 2017, as against 42.8 judges in 2010. Slovenia ranks second with 41.5 judges per 100,000 inhabitants and Luxembourg is third with 32.8 judges.

Since 2010 the number of backlog cases in Croatia has been cut by 30%. Time needed to resolve civil, commercial, administrative and other cases in Croatia was 114 days on average in 2017, as against 133 days in 2010.

After the presentation of this comparative overview of the independence, quality and efficiency of justice systems in EU member states, Vera Jourova, the Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, said she was pleased to see that many countries continue to improve their judiciary.

"Sadly, some others are reversing the positive trends. There are still too many EU citizens who don't see their justice systems as independent and who are waiting too long for justice to be served," the commissioner said.

Since 2013, the EU Justice Scoreboard analyses three main elements of an effective justice system: efficiency, quality and independence. It is one of the tools in the EU's rule of law toolbox used by the Commission to monitor justice reforms undertaken by member states and feeds into the European Semester, according to information on the EC's website.

More news about judiciary in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 17, 2019 - The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted a law banning products of dual quality, and the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU had the key role in efforts to put an end to the sale of products of poorer quality in eastern European countries, said a Croatian member of the European Parliament, Social Democrat Biljana Borzan.

The European Parliament adopted by a majority vote the final agreement reached in March by the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council to ban products of dual quality in the EU.

"Romania's EU Council Presidency had a crucial role in putting an end to the division between the EU's east and west because it put the item high on the agenda," Borzan, a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, and a deputy member of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection, told Hina.

Borzan said that the new law "primarily protects consumers in eastern countries, however, western consumers are not spared unfair business practices either."

Two years ago, Borzan and the Croatian Food Agency presented results of a product quality survey analysing the quality of the same products sold in Croatia and Germany.

The analysis revealed quality differences in more than half of product samples and that most of the analysed products were more expensive in Croatia.

It has been decided that the existing directive on unfair trading practices would be supplemented with a law banning dual product quality, and producers will be penalised for breaches with up to 4% of their annual sales.

Member-states will have one year from the entry into force of the directive to transpose it into their national law. A safeguard clause has been agreed to ensure that the effects of the directive are analysed in 2022 to determine if it functions in practice, Borzan said.

"If producers come up with innovative ways to bypass the law, we will have the opportunity to make the law more strict," said Borzan.

More news on the European Parliament can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 16, 2019 - The European Parliament on Tuesday endorsed the appointment of Croatian candidate Ivana Maletić to the European Court of Auditors, although an EP rapporteur said earlier her nomination was political and non-transparent.

Maletić's appointment was supported by 329 MEPs, 264 were against and 55 abstained.

The EP rapporteur on the appointment of Court of Auditors judges, Estonia's Indrek Tarand, said before the vote that nearly all candidates were chosen politically.

He said at a plenary in Strasbourg that Maletić had very good professional references for the Court of Auditors but that the nomination procedure, notably in new member states, was far from transparent. Romania and Croatia did not meet the high standards envisaged by EU treaties in the nomination process, he added.

Tarand called on member states to always publicly nominate two candidates, and to also take gender balance into consideration.

Croatian MEP Željana Zovko called Tarand's statements ideological and inappropriate.

Maletić did not comment. Last week, she was interviewed and supported by the EP Committee on Budgetary Control, whereas Romania's candidate, Viorel Stefan, was not and his rejection was confirmed by the EP.

The EP gives its opinion on the candidates for the European Court of Auditors, while the final decision is made by the Council, which is not obliged to follow the EP's opinion.

Although the EP's opinion is non-binding, Maletić pledged before the Committee on Budgetary Control that she would scrap her candidacy if the EP did not support it. She said that if appointed to the Court of Auditors, she would leave all political functions, including the position of vice president of the HDZ party.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 15, 2019 - Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić on Monday unveiled a government action plan for the Croatian EU presidency which determines the content of the presidency, logistics, human resources and a schedule of important meetings.

"This is the biggest task state administration has ever had and therefore it requires a special approach and the activation of everyone, both in state administration and outside of it, such as professionals, representatives of civil society, the Croatian parliament and many others," Pejčinović Burić said at a cabinet meeting.

Croatia takes over the six-month rotating EU presidency on 1 January 2020, and Pejčinović Burić said that the action plan was also a guide to the public on the significance and functions of the presidency.

"This is a good way to keep track of everything that is done. We have drawn from the experience of others. This is a major task for both large and small member states, those that do it for the first time and those that held the presidency before. It is important that we prepare the presidency well, and this is a good opportunity for Croatia to show that it is ready to implement all activities as a member state," the foreign minister said.

The National and University Library building will serve as the headquarters of the Croatian EU presidency where most formal activities and meetings will take place.

About 30 high-level events will take place in Croatia during its EU presidency, a summit of heads of state and government, 20 informal councils of ministers and conferences, and four major events that will be organised by the Croatian parliament.

Most of the activities will take place in Zagreb, but some will be organised outside the capital to promote other parts of the country, Pejčinović Burić said.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 8, 2019 - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said in Vienna on Monday Croatia would continue to insist that the European Union keeps focus on Southeast Europe, so that it too could be integrated with the EU system once aspirants meet the membership conditions.

Jandroković is taking part in a conference of European Union parliament speakers which is being held in Vienna on Monday and Tuesday.

Th conference will bring together parliament speakers of the EU member states, the European Parliament, EU candidate countries, as well as parliament presidents from Western Balkan countries -- candidates for EU membership -- as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina which does not have candidate status but was invited as a special guest.

The heads of parliament will over two session, organised as part of Austria's EU presidency, talk about the enlargement policy and challenges of the May EP election.

Jandroković told the press before the conference that it was exceptionally important to Croatia for the EU to realise how important its neighbourhood was.

"We want to see security, stability and economic prosperity in our neighbourhood. I will explain Croatia's position and underscore that we are prepared to support European prospects and future membership for all our neighbouring countries, after they meet the necessary criteria of course," Jandroković said.

Jandroković also said that Croatia wanted all potential members to be assessed according to their own merits, adding that Zagreb was prepared to assist them with its experience and knowledge.

Later today, the Croatian Parliament Speaker is expected to meet the President of the Austrian National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka. Apart from parliamentary cooperation, their talks are also expected to focus on the commemoration at Bleiburg.

More news about Western Balkans can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 31, 2019 - Opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić said on Saturday that Croatia could not be free or progressive without a strong social democracy and a strong SDP, recalling that his party had led Croatia into the EU and that now it should lead a fight to ensure equality for Croatia in the EU.

Addressing a convention of the SDP branch in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in Čavle, Bernardić presented candidates on the SDP's slate for elections for the European Parliament, including former minister of the interior Ranko Ostojić, former SDP member and environmental protection minister Mirela Holy, member of parliament Gordan Maras, former deputy foreign minister Joško Klisović, former war veterans minister Predrag Matić, and members of the European Parliament Biljana Borzan and Tonino Picula.

Bernardić said that the number of male and female candidates on the slate was the same.

The head of the SDP county branch, Zlatko Komadina, said that the SDP still carried the banner of free thinking in Croatia.

If our government puts an equal sign between Jasenovac and Bleiburg, it is only natural that Austrians have to enlighten us, said Komadina in reference to a recent decision by the Gurk-Klagenfurt Diocese in Austria to deny permission for this year's Mass in the Loibach field as part of a ceremony commemorating members of Nazi-allied Croatian forces killed there at the end of World War II.

Answering reporters' questions, he said that the EU had slid into neo-liberal capitalism, that 18 EU countries used to have Social Democrat governments while today there were only eight such governments, and that only Social Democrats could reverse current neo-fascist and extremely conservative trends.

Commenting on the current situation in the shipbuilding sector, Komadina said that the shipyards had not been managed well and that no government had controlled how state guarantees for ships were spent. He called for a solution to the current situation in the ailing Uljanik shipbuilding group that would enable its takeover by another legal person.

MEP Tonino Picula said, among other things, that the government's response to the crisis in Uljanik was not as proactive as had been the case during the crisis in the Agrokor food and retail group, when, he said, the government reacted promptly to prevent its negative impact on the economy.

More news on the European elections can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 29, 2019 - Daylight saving time (DST) starts on Sunday 31 March at 2 a.m., when clocks will be turned forward one hour to 3 a.m.

The Croatian Automobile Club is reminding drivers in Croatia that they need not keep their headlights on during daytime, except in conditions of reduced visibility.

European Summer Time begins (clocks go forward) at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday in March, and ends (clocks go back) at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday in October.

On 26 March, the European Parliament voted to scrap the twice-a-year custom of changing the clocks by an hour in spring and autumn by 2021, leaving only national governments to now give their assent.

"EU countries that decide to keep their summer time should make their final clock change on the last Sunday in March 2021. Those that prefer to keep their standard (winter) time, can adjust their clocks for the final time on the last Sunday in October 2021, says the draft law approved by MEPs with 410 in favour,192 against, 51 abstentions," according to information on the EP website.

Thus, MEPs backed the European Commission proposal to end seasonal time changes, but voted to postpone the date from 2019 to 2021.

In Croatia, just as in other EU member-states, there are still debates as to whether to keep the standard (winter) time or to have summer daylight saving time as of 2021.

Nearly 90 percent of Croatian companies want an end to the practice of changing the clocks in spring and autumn, with 60 percent in favour of staying on summer time all year round, shows a survey conducted by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) in September 2018.

Asked about their experience with clock-changing, of 567 companies polled, as many as 84 percent said their experience was negative or very negative.

Nearly 90 percent of respondents proposed ending the seasonal clock changes, citing people's health, energy saving and the functioning of the international market. Sixty percent were in favour of summer time throughout the year, while 32 percent preferred winter time.

When announcing an end to the practice of twice-yearly changing of the clocks, the European Commission has said that member-states would be given the freedom to decide whether to adopt permanent summer time or winter time.

Daylight saving time (DST) - the so-called summer time - has been compulsory in the EU since 2001, aimed at making the EU internal market work more smoothly and reducing energy costs.

Responding to citizens’ initiatives, in February 2018, the EP called on the Commission to assess the summer time arrangements directive and, if necessary, present a proposal for the directive to be revised.

The HGK said that the results of its survey largely corresponded with those of the European Commission. The EC survey covered 4.6 million EU residents and found that as many as 84 percent wanted the practice of clock-changing abolished because of negative effects on human health, an increase in traffic accidents and insufficient energy saving.

During the winter, spring and autumn, when DST is not applied, there are three standard time zones across the EU. Thus, 17 countries are in the Central European Time (CET) zone, which is GMT+1 and which in the summer becomes Central European Summer Time (CEST). Eight European countries have Eastern European Time, which is GMT+2 and three states apply GMT (the UK, Ireland and Portugal).

More news about European Union can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 22, 2019 - The decision by the leaders of 27 European Union member states to offer the United Kingdom two dates to delay its departure from the bloc (Brexit) provides legal security, reliability and predictability for everyone involved, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Brussels on Friday.

The leaders of 27 EU member states unanimously agreed on Thursday night to delay the UK's departure from the Union until 22 May, provided that the withdrawal agreement was adopted by the British Parliament next week, and if not, London would be given until 12 April to say whether it wanted to hold an election for the European Parliament or leave with no deal.

"That message is one of reliability, predictability and security for natural and legal persons, for the financial markets, and for all political actors on the British political scene to know exactly what will be going on and also for us to know what will be going on. That's why that message is very good, it is a reasonable answer to Prime Minister Theresa May's letter," Plenković said before the start of the second day of the summit of EU leaders.

The first date, of 22 May, will apply only if the British Parliament approves the withdrawal agreement by 29 March, the existing date for the UK's departure. That date was chosen because the European Parliament election takes place in all EU member states from 23 to 26 May, and an extension of the Brexit date would require the UK to participate in the election.

The second date, of 12 April, is the deadline by which an election for the European Parliament should be called in the UK. If the UK fails to ratify the withdrawal agreement and if it does not want to withdraw from the agreement, it has to decide by 12 April whether it will call an election for the European Parliament or seek a longer extension.

"If they ratify the agreement next week, they will have enough time by 22 May to adopt all the necessary laws. This is realistic and this is a positive scenario. If this does not happen, and at this point we cannot know what will happen in the United Kingdom and what will be the political consequences of another possible rejection, then we have the second deadline of 12 April. If they do not call the election by then, they leave automatically on 22 May," Plenković said.

The decision on whether the UK will participate in the European election will have repercussions for Croatia and 13 other member states which are to get more seats in the European Parliament under a new seat distribution plan.

A new seat distribution has been agreed as part of preparations for the UK's exit from the EU, under which the number of seats in the European Parliament would be reduced from 751 to 705.

Of the 73 seats currently assigned to the UK, 46 would be held in reserve for future enlargement, or would remain unfilled, while the remaining 27 British seas would be distributed among 14 member states which are underrepresented in the European Parliament. Croatia would thus have 12 instead of the present 11 seats.

In Croatia, elections for the European Parliament must be called at least 60 days in advance, meaning by 26 March, which is next Tuesday.

More news about Croatia and Brexit can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 14, 2019 - The European Commission Vice-President for the Euro and Financial Stability, Valdis Dombrovskis, said in the European Parliament on Wednesday that Croatia's exit from the Excessive Macroeconomic Imbalance procedure was a step towards entry into the euro area.

The EC in February said that Croatia had overcome excessive macroeconomic imbalances, which Dombrovskis recalled at a plenary session of the European Parliament.

Croatia's economy still suffers from macroeconomic imbalances but they are no longer excessive. That's good news, especially in the context of Croatia's preparations for participation in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and eventually membership in the euro area, Dombrovskis said during a debate on a draft resolution called the European Semester for Economic Policy Coordination: Annual Growth Survey 2019.

The European Semester was launched in 2011 with the aim of harmonising the member states' economic and budget policies. It is part of a wider reform of the economic management of the EU designed to guarantee the stability of the member states' public finances, encourage economic growth and prevent excessive macroeconomic imbalances.

Croatia had been among countries with excessive macroeconomic imbalances since 2014. In its latest report, the EC says that economic development has contributed to the gradual correction of the existing imbalances, notably those related to high levels of public, private and foreign debt. However, in order to maintain that situation, Croatia must continue implementing structural reforms.

More news about the introduction of euro can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, March 8, 2019 - There is still no consensus among European Union member states about reforming the European asylum system, the topic that has been on the agenda for the past three years, Croatian Interior Minister Davor Božinović said in Brussels on Thursday.

"After three years of talks we can say that the idea about a set of migration laws, including the asylum system, has failed, at least in the term of the present Commission," Božinović said after a meeting of the EU interior ministers.

Carmen Dan, Romania’s Minister of the Interior and the president of the Council of the European Union, also said no progress was made in sharing out the burden of asylum seekers which would replace the existing Dublin regulation.

The Commission and several countries are calling for the adoption of the parts of the package of laws on which consent has been reached, such as setting up a European asylum agency and improving a database with migrant fingerprints.

"I am not sure that a common position has been reached on this either," Božinović said.

The reform is at a stalemate because some member states do not wish to take in asylum seekers, not even in cases of a sudden migrant influx to share a burden with countries on external EU borders.

More news on the migrant crisis can be found in the Politics section.