ZAGREB, 13 May 2022 - The Croatian parliament on Friday passed a law on the adoption of the euro as legal tender, with 117 MPs voting in favour, 13 against and one abstaining.
MPs rejected amendments by Bridge and the Green-Left Bloc and a conclusion by Bridge that the government had not endorsed.
The euro is expected to be introduced on 1 January 2023.
As of the 5th of September this year through 2023, prices would be displayed both in kuna and in euro.
Next year there will be no cost for exchanging kuna cash for euro, which will be done in banks, post offices and the Financial Agency. Citizens will be able to exchange kuna bills for euro in the central bank indefinitely.
Bridge and Sovereignists against euro
Before today's vote, some of the opposition again spoke against introducing the euro.
Miro Bulj of Bridge said an estimate of the effects of the introduction should have been made, calling on parliament to repeal the law and saying that experts should state their opinion and the people decide in a referendum.
Marijan Pavliček of the Sovereignists said the party was concerned about how citizens would survive the month upon entering the eurozone and how pensioners and workers would live.
He said it was insane to enter the eurozone during the EU's biggest energy crisis, biggest economic uncertainty, and the biggest inflation in 20 years.
2022 budget revision included in agenda, debate next week
Parliament today added 14 items to the agenda, including a draft revision of this year's budget.
"We'll debate it next Wednesday," Speaker Gordan Jandroković said.
For more, check out our politics section.
ZAGREB, 4 May 2022 - Both opposition and ruling parties in the Croatian parliament on Wednesday welcomed the government proposal that the services of notaries-public should be digitised and accessible to the public, but opposition lawmakers warned that notarial fees were high and that they would be regulated by rules and not by law.
Presenting the proposal to amend the Notary Public Act, Josip Salapić, state secretary at the Ministry of Justice, said that the proposed amendments allow parties to participate in legal procedures online and that they provide for new rules in the appointment of notaries.
"Until now, the minister signed a decision on the appointment of a notary-public without seeing who this person was. We had certain problems about it and now we want everything to be transparent," Salapić said.
The proposal provides for the selection process to be conducted by an independent commission and for short-listed candidates to be interviewed by the minister.
MP Miro Bulj (Bridge) objected to this, asking whether candidates would need "a party membership card" for the interview. He also expressed his dissatisfaction at the fact that notarial fees would be regulated by rules and not by law, over which parliament would have no influence.
Katarina Peović of the Workers' Front also complained about high notarial fees, to which Salapić said that notarial expenses had been reduced to a minimum through amendments to the Enforcement Act.
Lawmakers agreed that the Signature, Manuscript and Transcript Authentication Act, adopted 50 years ago, should be repealed.
For more, make sure to check out our dedicated politics section.
ZAGREB, 16 April 2022 - Sabor Speaker Gordan Jandroković says in his Easter message that this Christian holiday encourages the promotion of peace, forgiveness and charity, and he calls for thinking of all who are suffering and who have lost the hope and joy of their life in these fast-changing times marked by the Ukraine war.
Wishing a happy Easter to the Croatians in the country and abroad, the parliament speaker said on Saturday that Easter is a holiday of families and reflects the importance of the family blessing and care for children and the youth who have passed through the very demanding last two years marked by the pandemic and earthquakes.
"This greatest Christian holiday urges us to strengthen togetherness, mutual respect and respect for diversities as well as to strengthen solidarity to ensure that every human being can have a dignified life," says the Parliament Speaker, among other things.
ZAGREB, 24 March - Members of the Croatian Parliament on Thursday welcomed the proposal for a national hydrogen strategy until 2050, stressing the importance of economic development based on hydrogen, own energy production and increased electricity production from renewable sources.
Some opposition lawmakers warned of the commercial unprofitability of green hydrogen.
In recent years, Croatia has been making a great effort in decarbonising its energy sector and economy, its goal being to ensure that by 2030 at least 36.6 per cent of electricity consumption comes from renewable sources, said Ivo Milatić, state secretary at the Ministry of Economy.
A hydrogen-based economy is an important part of plans by EU member states towards a green energy transition, and the proposed strategy follows up on the EU hydrogen initiative, which Croatia signed in 2018, he said.
The proposal puts emphasis on renewable hydrogen, obtained by low-carbon emitting technologies. Some sectors of the Croatian economy have already expressed an interest in developing hydrogen technologies, which is why a government strategic document is needed to give direction to the development of hydrogen technologies, Milatić said.
Ljubica Maksimčuk of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was interested in whether Croatia was ready for the first phase of the strategy, from 2020 to 2024, which aims to ensure the production of one million tonnes of renewable hydrogen.
"Croatia is ready for this. Under the National Recovery Plan, we have undertaken to install 10 refuelling stations over the next three years and finance a certain number of electrolysers," Milatić said, adding that there was interest from hydrogen associations and private and public companies.
In response to a question put by Andreja Marić of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Milatić said that 60 public transport buses in Zagreb would switch to hydrogen use and that a hydrogen refuelling station would be installed for that purpose.
Vesna Vučemilović (Sovereignists) wanted to know why the proposed strategy gave priority to transport over industry and to green hydrogen, which she said would have to be subsidised because it was commercially unprofitable.
Milatić said that Croatia was rich in renewable energy sources and that it would not be wise to go any other way than green hydrogen. He, however, noted that they were aware that ample government subsidies would be necessary as long as this technology did not become cheaper.
Responding to a question from independent MP Hrvoje Zekanović about the price of a kilogram of hydrogen, Milatić said that its price currently ranged between 12 and 15 euro and that a car with six kilos of hydrogen in the tank can drive between 500 and 600 kilometres.
Marin Miletić (Bridge) said that the EU planned to invest about €500 billion in renewable energy sources by 2050 and Croatia more than HRK 70 billion (€9.3bn), which is equivalent to the cost of 17 Pelješac bridges. He asked Milatić where Croatia would get that money from.
Milatić said that conventional renewable energy sources, such as wind and sun, would require minimum or no state subsidies in the near future. "Our focus will be on small solar cells on houses and on new technologies, and among new technologies, hydrogen will dominate financially and in any other respect."
Politics: For more, check out our politics section.
ZAGREB, 16 March 2022- Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković on Wednesday presented a new land consolidation bill aimed at facilitating the integration of small and irregular parcels into bigger and more regular ones as prerequisites for increasing production, cultivating land, and upgrading local infrastructure.
The money set aside to apply the law will help to consolidate 18,000 hectares, but there is interest in consolidating more, the minister said in parliament.
Twenty-three local units interested in the consolidation of 46,600 hectares replied to the ministry's call for applications last October, she told independent MP Marijana Petir, who asked if consolidation funds could be increased given the interest.
HRK 313 million has been set aside for farmland consolidation until 2026, of which HRK 263 million from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility and HRK 50 million in national funds.
Under the bill, consolidated land cannot be divided for 99 years, the minister told Luka Brčić of the ruling HDZ, who asked if Croatia was considering preventing further division of inherited land.
Land consolidation is of strategic interest to Croatia, the minister said, dismissing claims from Bridge MPs that the new law would be unfeasible and that everything was being shifted onto local government units.
Vučković dismissed as incorrect Bridge MP Miro Bulj's claims that 700,000 hectares of land was uncultivated.
Defending the minister, Stipan Šašlin of the HDZ asked Bulj why he did not do in Sinjsko Polje what Draž Municipality in Baranja did by consolidating over 800 hectares of land and building a HRK 25 million irrigation system.
Selling land to foreigners will mean "game over", says Beljak
Krešo Beljak of the opposition Croatian Peasant Party said that allowing foreigners to buy land would mean "game over" for Croatian farmers and agriculture.
The law will be unfeasible due to many obstacles, from unsolved property rights relations to the cadastre, the opposition said.
Processes should be made simpler and faster, said Ružica Vukovac of For a Just Croatia, adding that land has not been consolidated for 30 years.
Anja Šimpraga of the ruling coalition's SDSS said the bill provided a new approach and represented a huge step forward.
Ljubomir Kolarek (HDZ) said the new law would put to use farmland which was used little or not at all because it was not consolidated.
Politics: For more, check out our politics section.
ZAGREB, 11 March (2022) - Croatia will send up to 70 troops to Hungary as part of NATO's Enhanced Vigilance, parliament decided by majority vote on Friday.
One MP voted against and 118 for the decision to send troops to Hungary, where they can be deployed this year and the next, with the possibility of rotation.
The decision was tabled by the government whose representative, Defence Ministry state secretary Zdravko Jakop, told MPs that Russia's invasion of Ukraine represented one of the most serious threats to European security in decades.
"The attack on an independent, peace-loving, democratic state is a bitter reminder that freedom, peace, security and stability can't exist if we are not ready to defend them," he said.
Jakop said NATO enhanced its rapid response force in recent months, deploying additional forces on its eastern flank, reinforcing forces in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and organising new battle groups in Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania.
HRK 38 million has been set aside in the state budget to send Croatian troops to Hungary.
Currently, 181 Croatian troops are deployed in UN and NATO missions, the most, 141, in Kosovo.
Also today, parliament unanimously voted for the participation of five Croatian troops in the EU's Cyber Rapid Response Teams and Mutual Assistance in Cyber Security.
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ZAGREB, 10 March 2022 - Members of parliament on Thursday supported a proposed decision to send up to 70 Croatian troops to Hungary as part of NATO forces, agreeing that this was required by the current situation and was also Croatia's obligation.
Presenting the proposed decision, the State Secretary at the Defence Ministry, Zdravko Jakop, said the current security situation in the east of Europe was one of the most serious threats to Europe's security in the past decades.
"The attack on an independent, peaceable, democratic state is a bitter reminder that freedom, peace, security and stability cannot exist if we are not prepared to defend them," Jakop said.
Jakop said that in recent months NATO had generated additional rapid reaction forces, deploying additional forces in the eastern members of the alliance, consolidating existing forces in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and forming new battlegroups in Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania.
A total of HRK 38 million has been secured in the state budget for the implementation of the government's decision to send troops to Hungary, he said.
Currently, Croatia has 181 troops in UN and NATO peace missions, and most of them, 141, are serving in the mission in Kosovo.
We must be solidary, we must respect our obligations, this is the defence of peace and international order, MPs of both the ruling majority and the opposition said during the debate.
"That is the only guarantee that we will preserve what we have acquired because we live in a crazy world, with crazy leaders that will stop at nothing to launch armed conflicts," said HDZ MP Rade Šimičević.
"It is important to send a message that participation in NATO does matter, a message that in the event of a threat we are prepared to act together," said Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Peđa Grbin.
Nino Raspudić of the Bridge party, too, supported the decision but noted that a risk assessment should have been made and the context of the decision should have been explained in geopolitical terms.
Care was taken of security assessment, and the estimate was that this is the best, least risky proposal, Jakop replied.
MPs also wanted to know if the Defence Ministry was considering increasing the number of Armed Forces members, considering the instability in Croatia's neighbourhood.
"There is a possibility of enhancing the forces with reservists, the law also provides for civil-military cooperation, there is no grading of readiness for the time being but activities are defined on a daily basis," he said.
Asked by independent MP Marijana Petir if additional NATO forces would be needed in Croatia, Jakop answered in the negative.
"That option is not being considered," he said, adding that the security situation in the neighbourhood and in Southeast Europe was being monitored and that for the time being there was no reason for concern.
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ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - Parliament on Wednesday gave a vote of confidence in Ivan Paladina as the new minister of construction, physical planning and state assets, after which he was sworn in.
He was supported by 77 lawmakers in the 151-seat legislature, while 51 were against and three abstained.
An entrepreneur and manager with more than 15 years of experience in strategic and executive leadership in different fields of business, Paladina is taking over the ministry from Darko Horvat, who resign last month on suspicion of illegal allocation of incentives to small businesses while he served as the economy minister in 2018.
Paladina is faced with numerous challenges due to slow post-earthquake reconstruction in the Zagreb and Banovina areas.
Earlier today the parliamentary construction and economy committees supported by majority vote, a conclusion to appoint Paladina as the new minister.
During the hearings, the opposition questioned his private businesses such as Kupari, Hidroelektra, the Croatian Postal Bank and the IGH Institute as well as his alleged Russian ties.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković attended the hearings, calling the argument that Paladina is a Russian player ridiculous and reiterating that Paladina has not had contact with Russian companies in four or five years.
Paladina called on the MPs to report him to the authorities if they felt there was anything contentious in his role.
"I will also say that even if someone was Russian, should we really sever all contacts with him just because of the brutal aggression on Ukraine?" said Plenković.
With his entrepreneurial and managerial experience, he added, Paladina should accelerate the reconstruction process.
Addressing the committees, Paladina said "it's a fact that reconstruction has not started on even one building in Zagreb. That's what we must work on the most." He added that reconstruction was under way in the Banovina region and that progress would be seen soon.
Paladina said he would call Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević tomorrow to convene a meeting and start to actively deal with every obstacle on a daily basis so that reconstruction could start as soon as possible.
For more information on this, check out our dedicated politics section.
ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday adopted the prime minister's report on the situation in Ukraine, which strongly condemned the Russian invasion and praised the Ukrainian military and people for their heroic resistance.
Also adopted were government measures relating to the humanitarian, healthcare, financial, banking, energy, transport, defence and other sectors, and the government was called upon to consider the proposals put forward by MPs.
In the report, presented last week, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković expressed full support for the Ukrainian people "who are dying for European values".
"Supporting Ukraine and respecting the courage of Ukrainians not to flee before tanks, not to give in to blackmail, not to bow down their heads, to be inspired by love of their country as the Croats were in the Homeland War, let us stand together with Ukraine and Ukrainians today. Glory to Ukraine!" Plenković said.
Parliament adopted amendments to the Court Register Act and the Companies Act aimed at helping companies avoid a bankruptcy.
Also adopted was the proposal to declare 14 May, Croatian Diabetes Day. An estimated 500,000 people in Croatia have diabetes, and the importance of this topic will be marked twice a year - on World Diabetes Day (14 November) and Croatian Diabetes Day (14 May).
The ruling majority rejected the proposal by Marijan Pavliček (Croatian Sovereignists) to amend the Civil Protection System Act so that all decisions made by the national COVID-19 response team would be put to a vote in Parliament.
For more information on this and more, check out our dedicated politics section.
ZAGREB, 9 March 2022 - The European Union (EU) Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi on Tuesday informed the European Parliament (EP) on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and called for agreement on Bosnia's election law, while Croatian MEPs urged the amendment of that legislation soon.
The developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina was one of the topics on the agenda of the EP on Tuesday in Strasbourg, and during the discussion members of the EP agreed that the war in Ukraine had also made the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina more complicated.
Last week, the EU increased its military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 600 to 1,100 personnel by sending reserves from Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia to prevent potential instability there following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last Saturday, France announced training flights over Bosnia and Herzegovina in light of the deteriorated international security situation.
"Thirty years after the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war is back on European soil. Once again, we are witnessing extreme human suffering, with many lives lost and millions fleeing Ukraine," said the Commissioner.
"The last weeks and the changing geopolitical constellations have brought the need for peace back on the top of our agenda. This also means that the stability and security of the Western Balkans have never been so important as they are today!"
"A lot of hope and efforts have been put in the ongoing talks on the electoral and constitutional reform, but a solution is not yet there. It should be found urgently and without any further delay," he added.
"Fair, free and inclusive elections must take place in October, as scheduled," Várhelyi underscored.
He called on Bosnian Serb representatives to take steps "to deescalate tensions, to avoid further rhetoric and to ensure the swift return to State institutions and ensure their full functioning."
Croatian MEP Tonino Picula of the S&D group said that outvoting one of the three peoples "is direct abuse of the system".
MEP Željana Zovko (EPP) recalled the City of Mostar as example after its citizens have not been able to elect their representatives for 12 years.
"Let us make Bosnia and Herzegovina and its election law successful and give people a chance to exercise their voting rights", she said.
MEP Tomislav Sokol (EPP) said that the urgent amendment of the election law was a precondition for the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He elaborated that the matter of the protection of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina concerns the preservation of fundamental European values including the rule of law, and it also represented a key to stability of that part of Europe.
German Green MEP Romeo Franz said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression against Ukraine is an attack on Europe and the European values.
"Putin wants to push Bosnia and Herzegovina back to the past and his biggest ally is (Bosnia Serb leader) Milorad Dodik", Franz said during the debate.
For more information on this, check out our dedicated politics section.