ZAGREB, April 19, 2019 - The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), of which the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) is a member, on Friday issued its manifesto ahead of elections for the European Parliament, scheduled for 23-26 May, to help promote media freedom, media pluralism and quality journalism in all EU member states and countries aspiring to join the bloc.

"Journalism is a public good," the EFJ says, urging policymakers to support its proposals "for the revival of a free, trusted and pluralistic media in Europe, where possible in cooperation with the Council of Europe, the OSCE representative on Freedom of the Media and other relevant stakeholders dealing with media."

Europe needs media pluralism, financial sustainability and the future of journalism, investigative journalism, collective bargaining and social protection for all workers, trust and accountability through ethical journalism, authors’ rights and fair contracts for all, strong independent public service media, and safety at work for journalists, the manifesto says.

Although the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights promotes freedom of expression, media freedom and media pluralism, journalism and journalists are increasingly under pressure, the ECJ warns, recalling that four journalists have been killed in the EU in the last two years.

"The financial sustainability of independent media is at stake, media concentration is on the rise and the increasing power of the internet platforms caused an unprecedented threat to our news and information ecosystem lacking accountability, transparency and regulation," the manifesto says.

"The 2019 EP elections come at a turning point for the European Union which urgently needs to reconnect with its citizens and represent their interests. We wish a forward-looking EU where not only the economy and growth matter but where concrete action is taken to ensure that everyone’s right to know is guaranteed.

"Unfortunately, the solemnly proclaimed European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and the European Semester together with other EU strategies, such as the Digital Single Market (DSM) do not sufficiently provide an adequate framework for Member States to take action to protect (freelance) media workers and journalists, who often live in extreme precarious conditions and thus leave the profession. The future EU budget should help to deliver on EU post-2020 social and non-discrimination objectives, equal treatment for all workers independent of their employment contract, while a renewed political impulse is needed to support journalism as a public vital good," it adds.

The ECJ recommends promoting laws that encourage independent media and thwart the concentration of media ownership, supporting initiatives on monitoring media pluralism and checks to ensure that new EU legislation is consistent with the principles of media freedom and pluralism, and supporting initiatives that enhance gender equality and diversity in the newsroom.

"Media pluralism and democracy require that all voices are heard in the media," the ECJ stressed.

To ensure financial sustainability and the future of journalism, the ECJ recommends supporting initiatives that explore new ways of funding journalistic work, including non-profit financial models, and develop new socially sustainable economic models aimed at financing and supporting professional independent and investigative (cross-border) journalism.

With regard to investigative journalism, the organisation recalls that its role is to "hold institutions and individuals accountable to the public." It recommends abolishing criminal defamation laws, ensuring open access to EU documents and public data for citizens and journalists, and supporting proposals for the protection of journalists who are regularly subjected to lawsuits intended to censor their work or intimidate them.

The ECJ recommends ensuring equal rights and equal treatment for all forms of employment including free-lancers and journalists working in digital media/start-ups through fair working contracts with sufficient social protection.

As for authors' rights, the ECJ recommends ensuring full recognition of journalists as authors and fair and proportionate distribution of their revenues generated in the digital world deriving from such rights.

Warning that public service media is increasingly under attack in Europe, the organisation calls for a sustainable funding model for an independent public service media that serves the public interest, for the protection of public service media against political interference in their daily management and editorial work, and for supporting the need for public service media "to be able to adapt, innovate and develop, with emphasis on the online remit and the need to reach all (and in particular young) audiences."

To protect journalists' right to work freely without the fear of physical violence or imprisonment, the ECJ recommends implementing Council of Europe recommendations on protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors at the national level, monitoring the ongoing investigations about murders and physical attacks against journalists, and engaging against the increasing (online) threats and harassment against journalists and in particular female journalists.

The EFJ is the largest organisation of journalists in Europe, representing over 320,000 journalists in 70 journalists’ trade unions and professional associations across 45 countries.

More news about journalism 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 14, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Saturday presented his HDZ party's candidates for the European Parliament elections, telling reporters Croatia was anchored in the European Union by the nation-building, patriotic, Christian democratic and popular values shared by the HDZ.

He said the HDZ would try to win the EP vote to boost the Croatian economy even more, adding that the candidates on the slate were a combination of experience, knowledge and youth.

The upcoming elections are elections between those who can maintain the course of Croatia's development and those who would go backward and isolate Croatia. "These elections will show which political course will prevail and which policies enjoy support."

Plenković said his cabinet was doing its best so that minorities felt good in Croatia.

He said the international positioning of Croatia as done by the government and HDZ MEPs was good. "This positioning is part of our strategy, our policy." He added that Croatia did an excellent job in chairing the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.

He recalled that Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić was shortlisted for the CoE secretary-general's position and that HDZ MEP Ivana Maletić "will be elected to the European Court of Auditors, while the HDZ will host in Zagreb in November a big European People's Party congress which 2,000 people will attend."

"Croatia's chairing of the European Union will be the crown of our efforts," Plenković said, adding that it would occur on the 30th anniversary of Croatia's independence.

He recalled that, under his cabinet, Croatia had exited the EU's excessive deficit procedure as well as overcome macroeconomic imbalances and that its investment rating had been restored. "These are the concrete things we have been doing, plus the 14 billion kuna more we received than we paid into the EU budget."

The head of the slate, Karlo Ressler, said the HDZ wanted, with its optimism, to change the climate of hopelessness.

More elections news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 10, 2019 - A total of 33 slates – 31 compiled by political parties and two by groups of independent candidates – were submitted to Croatia's State Election Commission (DIP) for the forthcoming elections for the European Parliament, as against 25 slates registered for the EP elections in Croatia five years ago.

Thus, a total of 396 candidates are running now for the 12 seats reserved for Croatia in the new European legislature.

Elections for the European Parliament will be held in all member states of the European Union between 23 and 26 May 2019, as decided by the Council of the European Union.

Croatia is holding these elections on 26 May.

Every five years EU citizens choose who represents them in the European Parliament. The EP is elected by direct universal suffrage and elections must be based on proportional representation and use either the list system or the single transferable vote system. In some countries including Croatia, the order on the list may be changed using the transferable (preferential) vote system.

Slates may be submitted by all political parties registered in Croatia that can run in the election with their own slates or in coalitions. To participate in the election, independent candidates must collect at least 5,000 signatures of voters, and submit them to the State Election Commission within 14 days after the president calls the elections.

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

ZAGREB, April 9, 2019 – Živi Zid submitted its candidate slate for the European Parliament elections, headed by party secretary Tihomir Lukanić, to the State Election Commission (DIP) on Tuesday.

Lukanić said Živi Zid was ready in cooperation with same-minded political parties to redefine and redesign Europe.

"We want to bring optimism to this country and people and pull them out of the jaws of crony organisations which have been suffocating us and displacing us around the world for the past 30 years," Lukanić told the press.

Živi Zid President Ivan Vilibor Sinčić last month in Rome met the leaders of kindred European parties - Luigi di Maio from Italy's 5 Star Movement, Pawel Kukiz from the Polish party Kukiz 15 and Evangellos Tsiompanidis from Greece's AKKEL in an attempt to form a new group in the European Parliament.

Apart from Lukanić, the Živi Zid slate also includes Dolores Schauer, Dominik Vuletić, Goranka Dorotić, Branimir Bunjac, Nikolina Budimir, Ivana Delaš, Dinko Štimac, Igor Markešić, Maja Očko Šunjić, Zvonko Šegvić and Sinčić.

The Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) also submitted its slate for the European Parliament elections, headed by party president Milorad Pupovac, to the State Election Commission (DIP) on Tuesday.

Pupovac told the press their ambition was a Europe free of dangerous nationalism.

"We have submitted a surprise slate, a slate that wants to enter the European Parliament and represent what we represented when we supported Croatia's accession to the European Union and EU enlargement," Pupovac told the press, presenting the slate of his party, which is running in European elections for the first time on its own.

Apart from Pupovac, the SDSS slate also includes Dejan Jović, Dragana Jeckov, Jugoslav Vesić, Boris Milošević, Anja Šimpraga, Dejan Mihajlović, Mirjana Oluić, Nikola Ivanović, Tatjana Vukobratović-Spasojević, Aleksandra Ratković and Srđan Jeremić.

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

ZAGREB, April 8, 2019 - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Monday submitted its slate for the European Parliament elections to the State Election Commission (DIP), and on that occasion the no. 1 candidate on that slate, Tonino Picula, who is also a Croatian member of the current EP, said that the European Union did not pose a threat to Croatia.

"We see the EU as a space of opportunities for Croatia which has not used them to a sufficient extent in the first six years of its membership," Picula told the press after the slate was submitted.

He said that the EU was not a threat to Croatia and it could only turn into a menace if the EU project is taken over by politicians such as Antonio Tajani or Viktor Orban.

The strongest opposition party is hopeful of winning three of the 12 seats allotted for Croatia in the next EP.

The second candidate on the SDP list is another MEP, Biljana Borzan. The other ten candidates are Predrag Fred Matić, Romana Jerković, Joško Klisović, Ivana Posavec Krivec, Gordan Maras, Barbara Antolić Vupora, Mladen Novak, Sanja Radolović, Mirela Holy and Ranko Ostojić.

More elections news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 8, 2019 - The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) submitted its slate for the European Parliament elections to the State Election Commission (DIP) on Monday morning, and on that occasion, the party leader and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that this slate was strong and provided guarantees for the protection of Croatian national interests.

"The HDZ has chosen a very strong and quality list of candidates that includes two current Croatian MEPs, three deputies in the national parliament, two very active and successful county prefects, of Šibenik and Slavonski Brod Counties, and another four candidates that are excellent in their careers and skilful in pursuing European policies," Plenković said after the slate was submitted.

Those who are elected will be very good in articulating and protecting Croatia's national interests, all of them know very well how the EU and the EP function, Plenković said.

"The slate is comprehensive," he said, dismissing speculations that it was made up on the party chief's orders. He recalled that the candidates had been nominated by county and local branches and that the slate was endorsed unanimously in a democratic process.

Plenković expressed his conviction that the HDZ will win the EP elections in Croatia, set for 26 May.

The HDZ slate for the EP elections is headed by Karlo Ressler, a 30-year-old party official who coordinated the preparation of the HDZ platform for the upcoming European elections and whom the HDZ Youth unanimously nominated for the list which was presented to the public on Friday evening.

The second place of the 12-candidate slate is occupied by a Croatian MEP, Dubravka Šuica, and she is followed by MP Tomislav Sokol, while one more HDZ MEP, Željana Zovko, ranks fourth, and she is followed by two members of the national parliament, Sunčana Glavak and Marijana Balić.

The slate also includes the heads of Šibenik-Knin and Brod-Posavina Counties - Goran Pauk and Danijel Marušić, respectively - Transport Ministry state secretary Nikolina Brnjac, Osijek-Baranja County Development Agency head Stjepan Ribić, Split-Dalmatia County Port Authority head Domagoj Maroević, and assistant HDZ secretary-general Stjepan Adanić.

More election news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 7, 2019 - The candidate slate of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), which the party submitted to the State Election Commission on Sunday, is headed by Matija Posavec who said the HNS expected to win one seat in the European elections.

Posavec said that during the campaign, the HNS would focus on how to use European institutions in the best possible way.

Representatives of the Green party also submitted their slate to the State Election Commission Sunday. Party president Nenad Matić said they were running in the election under the slogan "Let's recycle waste, not the past."

The president of the regional HDSSB party, Branimir Glavaš, said Sunday the HDSSB executive committee decided that the party would not run for a seat in the European Parliament, adding that its members should vote following their conscience.

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

ZAGREB, April 6, 2019 - The non-parliamentary party called START, which was recently established by lawyer Dalija Orešković, a former head of the Conflict of Interest Commission, on Saturday presented its 12-member slate for the forthcoming elections for the European Parliament.

Apart from members of this party, also two independent parliamentary deputies are nominated as START candidates for future MEPs: Bojan Glavašević and Tomislav Žagar, who used to be officials of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The slate also includes lawyer Nicole Kwiatkowski, who is perceived in the public as an attorney promoting the rights of holders of loans that used to be denominated in the Swiss franc.

The remaining nine candidates are the party leader Orešković as well as Lejla Sehić Relić, Duje Prkut, Branka Lukačević-Gregić, Marina Pavković, Pero Mrnarević, Tonći Talaja, Igor Vlajnić and Nebojša Biškup.

Dalija Orešković told a press conference that this was a victorious option that would like to bring together the left centre.

The slate will advocate values of anti-corruption, anti-Fascism and of the future-oriented Europe, she said expressing hope that the slate will win one of the 12 seats allotted for Croatia in the EP.

Glavašević said the programme of this slate revolves around anti-corruption as well as safety and security of people, individuals, borders, and the market.

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