ZAGREB, April 7, 2020 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has wished a speedy recovery to his British counterpart Boris Johnson, who was placed in the intensive care unit of a London hospital on Monday evening after contracting the COVID-19 virus.

"I wish a quick recovery to my friend @BorisJohnson. We all hope he recovers soon," Plenković wrote on his Twitter account.

"We stand together and united in our fight against the #COVID19 and our resolve to protect the health of our citizens," he added.

Johnson's health condition deteriorated on Monday afternoon after which he was transferred to the intensive care unit of St Thomas' Hospital. He was hospitalised on Sunday evening after having the symptoms of the coronavirus infection for about ten days.

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

ZAGREB, February 25, 2020 - Croatia and Great Britain wish to continue strengthening mutual relations and to increase trade as well as strengthen cooperation in the area of security and defence, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said after meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London on Monday.

"We agreed to continue strengthening relations in the economic sense, to increase the volume of trade and cooperation in the field of culture, and to strengthen cooperation in the area of defence and security because we continue to be partners and allies within NATO," Plenković told reporters in London.

This was the first meeting between the two prime ministers since Great Britain exited the European Union on January 31.

Plenković invited Johnson to visit Croatia and he "who accepted the invitation with pleasure and now we just need to define a time."

In addition to bilateral relations, the two prime ministers discussed future relations between the EU and the United Kingdom.

Plenković said that during Croatia's presidency of the Council of the EU, a mandate for negotiations will be determined and that the EU's main negotiator will be Michel Barnier.

"Croatia's position is very clear. We wish the continuation of contractual, regulated relations, from the economy and trade to the foreign policy, security and defence," said Plenković.

"It would be good that, in that way, we secure predictability for enterprises and for citizens' rights. We are prepared for all scenarios, even if an agreement on contractual relations is not reached. As far as trade relations are concerned, they would be conducted based on the World Trade Organisation's rules, and as far as citizens' rights are concerned, we have adopted the relevant laws that regulate the status of a little more than 650 British citizens in Croatia, and we are also taking account of the ten thousand of our citizens who live in the United Kingdom," added Plenković.

Before meeting with Prime Minister Johnson, Plenković attended a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development investment summit for the Western Balkans.

"It is very important for the Croatian public to recognise that we have put our southeast neighbourhood high on the agenda of EU institutions," Plenković said, noting that now several member states are organising meetings with representatives of the six Western Balkan countries that will be held ahead of the Zagreb Summit in May.

"At the Zagreb summit we wish to adopt a new political narrative on the enlargement policy and the European prospects of our neighbouring countries for the next decade. Then for the European Commission to prepare an investment package that will enable economic development in those countries so we can see how they can be included in the Green Deal policy proposed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. We also want those meetings to become regular after the Zagreb Summit, about every second year and not 15 years as was the case until recently," added Plenković.

He also underscored that he believes that a decision on opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania will be adopted before the Zagreb Summit.

"They are representatives of various investors who manage funds, who are familiar with Croatia and have previously reacted positively whenever Croatia issued sovereign bonds. During our term in office we have achieved a big step forward. We have a healthy and continuous growth of GDP. We are heading toward a balanced budget. We have been given investment rating by two rating agencies. Investors are interested in structural reforms, key priorities until the end of our term in government and plans for the future," said Plenković.

Asked about the situation with the coronavirus, he said that Croatia was acting very responsibly on the national plane and as the presiding country of the Council of the EU.

"We are exchanging information and following the developments in Italy. We will enhance preventative measures and checks and attempt to do everything in our power to protect Croatian citizens from the possible spreading of this epidemic, in agreement with Italy and other EU member states. All the institutions in Croatia that need to be, are engaged in this matter," concluded Plenković.

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

ZAGREB, February 24, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who arrived in London on Sunday evening, said that in the next several months the European Union would try to reach agreement with Great Britain on the future relations, however, he admitted his scepticism about finding a compromise in such a short period of time.

"We in the European Union will try in the next ten months to reach a compromise with Great Britain, which could lay down the foundations for the first contractual relations, thus facilitating the business and trade exchange, and the rights of British citizens in the EU and the rights of EU citizens in Great Britain," Plenković said in the Croatian embassy in London where he met with Croatian citizens living in the U.K.

"Being the current chair of the Council of the European Union, Croatia will give its contribution," he underscored and recalled that the negotiations between the EU and some third country usually take some time.

If the negotiations (on future relations) are completed in the next ten months, this will be a precedent in the sense of efficiency, Plenković said.

The Croatian premier arrived in London to attend a meeting which the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) scheduled for Monday to discuss plans for investments for the Western Balkans.

The bank says on its website that "the aim of the summit is to highlight potential investment and business opportunities in the Western Balkans region and to promote regional projects." This is the fourth EBRD summit of its kind. The inaugural Western Balkans Summit took place at the EBRD in February 2014 and, for the first time, brought together all six of the region’s prime ministers.

The meeting will be opened by EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti and the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, in his current position as holder of the European Union presidency, the EBRD says on its website.

Plenković said in his address in the Croatian embassy in London that he and Finance Minister Zdravko Marić would meet potential investors to notify them of the macroeconomic state of affairs and the current Croatian cabinet's achievements in the financial and economic sector: including the restoration of the confidence of two international credit rating agencies in Croatia, the reduction of the country's public debt, a well-balanced budget, a sound growth, and more favourable interest rates for the enterprise sector and for citizens.

Commenting on the relations between Croatia and Great Britain following Brexit, Plenković said that his country would try to develop economic cooperation, and called on prominent Croats in the business sector, in scientific and artistic domains in the U.K. to give their contribution, too.

He praised them for being "an important part of the mosaic" in building the relations between the two countries.

During his stay in London, Plenković will also meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

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

ZAGREB, February 1, 2020 - Croatia regrets the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union (Brexit), but the Union remains strong even without it, the Croatian government said in a statement on Friday, the last day of the UK's EU membership.

While regretting the departure of one member state from our European family, "we are heartened by the reinforced unity that the 27 of us have demonstrated in the past three years," the statement said.

"The European Union will be smaller in numbers, but remains strong and unified as ever," it added.

Croatia, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, sees Brexit as an opportunity for "an ambitious and long-lasting" new partnership with the UK, the first country to leave the bloc.

"The UK’s departure from the EU is also a new beginning in our relationship. Both as the Council Presidency and bilaterally, Croatia remains determined to invest all its efforts to keep the United Kingdom as one of our closest partners," the Croatian government said.

Zagreb believes that efforts should be made during the transitional period until the end of the year to facilitate the transition for citizens and businesses on both sides.

"Croatia highly appreciates the hitherto tireless work of EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier and his team. They have our full support and confidence in the forthcoming negotiations about the future relationship with the United Kingdom as well," the statement said.

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

ZAGREB, January 30, 2020 - Brexit will not affect tourist travel from Croatia to Great Britain this year, or vice versa, and anyone who has made a booking or plans to travel can do so with their ID cards for the time being, while future arrangements will depend on agreements with the EU, the Croatian Tourism Board (HTZ) said on Thursday.

The HTZ said that the positive trend in physical tourism turnover from the British market continued this year. Data from the eVisitor system shows that 1,750 tourists have come to Croatia from Britain so far in January and generated 5,500 nights, which is an increase of 2% and 7% respectively compared with January 2019.

In 2019 there were 897,500 tourists from the UK who generated 4.6 million nights, which was an increase of 4.2% and 3.4% respectively compared with 2018.

Informing local tourists who wish to visit Great Britain that there is no need for concern due to Brexit, which enters into force on January 31, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli underscored that the current system of visa and passport free travel will continue.

"Great Britain is formally leaving the EU but in principle there will be no changes for the tourism or travel sector. What is more, we already have good announcements from Great Britain regarding tourists to Croatia for this year and some tour operators and airlines like Jet2.com and others, expect an even greater increase of trips to Croatia compared to last year and they are very optimistic," Cappelli said.

"The uncertainty regarding Brexit in 2019 had a greater impact on tourist plans than it will have this year and now that Brexit is here. Last year was uncertain ... because we did not know whether Great Britain would leave the EU or not. However, despite that, in Croatia and in many other countries around the world there were more tourists than in 2018," the director of the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT) Veljko Ostojić said.

As there is no indication that anything dramatic will occur with Brexit and everyone believes that the separation between Great Britain and the EU will be civilised and without any problems for the transit of people and commodities, Ostojić does not expect any problems in the tourism business and cooperation on long-term contracts with local hoteliers and other British partners.

"The only thing is that there was a little bit of fear regarding the exchange rate for the pound because at one stage it dropped and that was immediately reflected on bookings. However, more recently there has not been any significant change and we think that if there are no further negative occurrences with the exchange rate, this year we can expect good results from Great Britain. I think that the exchange rate for the pound is key because if it drops 10% then that is already a grave scenario, but also if it increases, which has been announced and could be possible, then that will be good for Croatia's tourism," concluded Ostojić.

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

ZAGREB, January 24, 2020 - Croatians living in the United Kingdom do not have to worry because there will be no significant changes after Brexit on January 31, British Minister for Europe Christopher Pincher told Hina in an interview.

Pincher expects that the current EU president Croatia, with its enthusiasm and innovation, will help London accomplish its ambitious plan and reach an agreement with Brussels on their future relationship. He said that Brexit is just an institutional divorce from the EU and that the UK will strengthen bilateral relations with EU member states, including Croatia.

About 6,000 Croatians work or study in the UK, mostly in London, and 600 Britons live in Croatia. About 900,000 British tourists visit Croatia every year.

"Croatians living in Britain can feel absolutely secure. London is your home and will remain your home," Pincher said.

"I don't think you'll see any significant changes at all. We want to make sure that those people who live and work in the UK and they're EU nationals feel at home, as much as on the 1st of February as they do today," he added.

Pincher met Croatian officials in Zagreb on Thursday to discuss the Croatian EU presidency plan.

The UK is leaving the EU on 31 January, more than three and a half years after 52 percent of its citizens voted in a referendum in favour of leaving the bloc, which it joined in 1973. It will remain subject to EU rules until the end of 2020 as part of a transition period agreed to alleviate Brexit.

If they choose to stay in the UK, EU citizens need to apply for settled status by the end of June 2021. Some 2.7 million out of about 3 million EU citizens had done so by the end of last year, and only two applications were turned down because of the applicants' criminal past.

Those granted settled status will be issued not a physical but a digital document proving their right to stay in the UK. Pincher says there are two reasons for that. "If you're given a digital document, it can never be lost. And the other reason is that ID is not part of our culture," the minister said, recalling that the UK abolished ID cards in 1952.

Permanent residence applications are filled in online and are free of charge. The UK government invested GBP 9 million in communication with EU citizens wishing to stay in the UK.

Along with the new Multiannual Finance Framework and EU enlargement, Brexit is one of the main challenges facing the presidency of the Council of the European Union, which Croatia took over on 1 January.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is confident that an agreement on all aspects of future cooperation with the Union can be concluded by the end of 2020, which Brussels considers questionable. Pincher, however, insists that the end of the year is a realistic deadline and that the newest EU member can play an important role in it.

"Can we do it? Yes, of course, we can, with the help of Croatia, with its enthusiasm and innovation, we can do it," Pincher said. "Where there's a will, there's a way. If we use the momentum that we have built over the past few months and use the skills of the negotiation teams, then yes, we can get the deal done by the end of 2020."

Pincher mentioned the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada as a model for future UK-EU trade relations, while also emphasising the importance of overall cooperation with the Union and with member states individually.

Bilateral relations with Croatia remain strong and will be even stronger, notably in multilateral organisations such as the UN, NATO, OSCE and the Council of Europe, Pincher said. This also includes cooperation in security, education, economy and environmental protection, he added.

We are leaving an institution, not Europe. That is the message we wish to emphasise, Pincher concluded.

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

ZAGREB, November 20, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday held talks with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Great Britain's exit from the EU and future relations between Brussels and London, the government said in a statement.

Barnier informed Plenković of the latest developments regarding Brexit, and the two officials also discussed Croatia's role during its EU presidency regarding Brexit and future relations between the EU and the UK.

Plenković presented the priorities of Croatia's EU presidency, stressing that with regard to Brexit, maintaining legal security for citizens and companies in the EU and the UK was important to Croatia.

The two officials also discussed preparations for a summit of EU and Southeast European countries to be held in May 2020 in Zagreb. On the agenda of the summit will be the pace of development of future relations between the EU and Southeast European countries and their EU membership prospects.

Barnier is visiting Zagreb on the occasion of a congress of the European People's Party (EPP), which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday and at which Donald Tusk will be elected the new president of the biggest European political group.

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

ZAGREB, November 5, 2019 - Regardless of the outcome of Brexit, the current announcements from British market partners show that the number of British tourists visiting Croatia in 2020 could be the same as this year and anything more would be a step forward, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said on Monday, the first day of the World Travel Market in London.

The 40th WTM is taking place on November 4-6 and the first day focused on Brexit, its uncertain outcome and its possible consequences for tourism in the UK and the many countries Britons visit.

"Croatia is an already recognisable destination which Britons like to visit, more and more of them every year, and although we can't yet be sure what 2020 will be like on that market, we are confident the results will be the same as this year when, by early November, close to 900,000 of their tourists arrived, generating 4.5 million nights. Those are growths of 4% and 3% in relation to 2018," Cappelli said.

He said the tourism ministers of Greece, Albania, Cyprus and Portugal, with whom he talked at the WTM, as well as UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Tourism Helen Whately, shared those thoughts.

After visiting the Croatian stand and talking with Cappelli and National Tourist Board director Kristjan Staničić, she said cooperation in everything remained very important.

Brexit makes tourist deals and travel a little uncertain, but we are not that concerned because we see that partners from the world want to continue to work with us. Also, regardless of the outcome, we want to continue the close long-term cooperation also with partners in the EU, in which Croatia is certainly important, Whately said.

Cappelli and Staničić said new five-year contracts were signed at the WTM with British airline EasyJet to increase the number of flights to Croatia as of next year, including a contract with Pula Airport.

Pula Airport director Svemir Radmilo and EasyJet's UK manager Nail Slaven said the contract was excellent for both sides and that they expected the number of passengers to increase from the current 150,000 to 250,000.

That will benefit not only the City of Pula and Istria County but other destinations in Croatia as well, said Radmilo.

He said market research showed that Britons were satisfied with the price-quality ratio in Croatian tourism, but added that it was necessary to continue to innovate and raise product quality, notably in segments important to Britons such as boating, gastronomy and culture.

More news about Croatian tourism can be found in the Travel section.

ZAGREB, September 19, 2019 - During a discussion on the report which he submitted to the national legislature on Croatia's participation in the European Council's recent meetings, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wedneday evening that the country was ready for Brexit.

"We have adopted necessary laws to get Croatia prepared for Brexit," said the premier.

All relevant agencies and services have full information, and the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry provides Croatian citizens with all necessary information on this topic.

The available information is in the section "Brexit - General Information" on the ministry's website.

"For the Republic of Croatia, it is vital to preserve the rights of Croatian citizens in the UK, as well as the UK citizens in Croatia, and provide them with clarity regarding their future status. In case of a no deal-scenario, the UK leaving the EU without the agreement, the Croatian Government is currently undertaking all measures necessary for establishing the conditions of reciprocity in order to minimize the effect of withdrawal on citizens and business activities. The condition of reciprocity means that Croatian citizens in the UK would enjoy the same rights as the UK citizens in Croatia," the ministry says, noting that there are two possible scenarios of the UK's withdrawal from the EU: orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU, and disorderly withdrawal (“no-deal” Brexit).

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

ZAGREB, September 4, 2019 - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman has said that despite "a chaotic situation" in Great Britain, he expects an orderly deal-based Brexit to happen.

"This chaotic situation in Great Britain is definitely not good, I am very sorry about that," the Croatian minister said on Wednesday ahead of an inner cabinet in Zagreb.

"I, nevertheless, expect an orderly Brexit that will not burden us," he said.

Grlić Radman stopped short of answering whether Croatia is bracing itself for a hard Brexit.

"We are conducting preparations for our (EU) presidency," the minister told the press.

On 1 January, Croatia assumes the six-month-long rotating chairmanship of the European Union.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a new challenge on Wednesday in the British parliament after his first vote as PM saw him lose to rebel Tories and opposition MPs who object to a no-deal exit.

The Commons voted 328 to 301 to take control of the agenda, allowing them to bring a bill requesting a Brexit delay. The PM is to call for a general election if he is forced to request an extension to the 31 October deadline, the BBC has reported.

"More than three years after the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union, the defeat leaves the course of Brexit unresolved, with possible outcomes still ranging from a turbulent ‘no-deal’ exit to abandoning the whole endeavour," the Reuters news agency notes.

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