October 30, 2021 - Croatian authorities such as the President, the PM, the FinMin and the HNB have recently commented on the process of euro introduction. Meanwhile, a collection of signatures is being carried out throughout the country to promote a euro introduction referendum to reaffirm the kuna as the official currency in Croatia.

Marko Milanović Litre, Member of Parliament of the Croatian Sovereignists and a representative of the Organizing Committee of the euro introduction referendum initiative Let's Protect the Croatian Kuna, said in Zagreb today that 157,000 signatures had been collected in five days and that the organizers were satisfied with the collection dynamics, reports Index.hr.

The initiative for the euro introduction referendum was launched by the Croatian Sovereignists, the Croatian Party of Rights, the Independent for Croatia, and the Generation of Renewal, and by November 7 they should collect 368,867 valid signatures of citizens. 

Signatures are collected at 250 locations throughout the country, and citizens thus declare whether they are in favor of the provision in the Constitution that the currency of the Republic of Croatia is the kuna, which is divided into one hundred lipa, and that the decision to change the currency is made by voters in a referendum.

"In the first five days, thanks to our volunteers, members of the Croatian Party of Rights, and Croatian Sovereignists, we managed to collect 157,000 signatures by 5 pm yesterday'', Milanović Litre told a news conference at the place where signatures are collected in Zagreb's central square.

He expressed satisfaction with the dynamics of collecting signatures.

"At the moment, we are satisfied with the dynamics of collecting signatures, especially after the first day and the media presence we received. It is much clearer to people what we stand for and what our goal is with this referendum initiative, which is greater democracy in Croatia", Milanović Litre said.

He assessed that the ruling party is ignorant of their initiative and stated that Croatia has the right to decide at what point it will accept the euro.

"They can repeat their mantras that it has already been decided in a referendum on joining the EU, which is not true. That is half the truth. Croatia has the right to decide when to adopt the euro. It must not be a decree of one person and his interests, but the decision of the Croatian people to decide on their own destiny", Milanović Litre said, among other things.

"We will fight for the kuna to remain because we are currently in the biggest economic crisis in human history and we cannot rush into a new monetary union that will have its own interests'', said Croatian Sovereign MP Milanović Litre.

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ZAGREB, 27 Oct 2021 - Social Democratic Party MP Sabina Glasovac said on Wednesday the measures against the spread of COVID-19 were inconsistent and illogical, calling out Prime Minister Andrej Plenković for deciding to close schools without explanation.

"We still don't know on what basis the measures are being adopted. Is it based on the number of new infections or those hospitalised? Or those who end up on ventilators? Or based on the number of deaths?" Glasovac said in parliament.

Euro referendum

Hrvoje Zekanović of the Croatian Sovereignists called on MPs to sign today a petition for a referendum on the introduction of the euro.

"It's time we say that we stand by the people, that we are not politicians but activists," he said, adding that the will of the people was more important than protecting the national currency and that "the people must decide on key matters."

Jeckov: Fight against Serbs is the basis of politics in Vukovar

Dragana Jeckov of the Independent Democratic Serb Party criticized a conclusion of the Vukovar City Council on the need to expand the rights of ethnic Serbs.

She said that every year the conclusion stated that the degree of tolerance between Croats and Serbs "has not progressed and that conditions have not been created for expanding the rights."

"This year, that justification sounds bad, which is that we must wait for the data of the population census to see exactly how many Serbs live in Vukovar," Jeckov added.

As long as the current city administration remains in power, the conditions to expand Serbs' rights will not be met because collective guilt is ascribed also to those born in 1997, 2007, and 2017, she said.

"The fight against Serbs and presenting Serbs as scapegoats are the basis of politics in Vukovar," Jeckov said, adding that Serbs only wanted what they were entitled to under the law and the constitution.

She said the city leaders continue to stigmatize Serbs. "They make the treatment of Serbs a measure of their own patriotism in order to be recognized as the only true patriots because they are always and strictly against anything Serb. Serbs are a threat to all in Vukovar, except during local elections when good and suitable Serbs are put on slates and then those same Serbs vote that there are no conditions to expand Serb rights in Vukovar."

Jeckov said it was not only about Cyrillic signs on public buildings but also proportionate representation and the rights to education and housing. "I am much more worried that the climate was better in 1997," she added.

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