ZAGREB, 6 Aug 2021 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Friday that the parliament would pass laws aimed at enabling the demographic revival of rural areas, including the Dalmatian hinterland.

Jandroković made the statement during a visit to Split, where he met with Split-Dalmatia County head Blaženko Boban to discuss ways to stop emigration from the Dalmatian hinterland.

He noted that the state had sizable EU funds at its disposal, underlining the importance of preparing good projects to ensure that people, notably young ones, stayed in the Dalmatian Zagora region and started a family there.

Jandroković expressed confidence the plan would be achieved through joint efforts by local government units, county authorities and the central government, while the parliament would pass laws geared towards securing better living standards in the region.

"What is encouraging is the ample funding that we will obtain through the multiannual financial plan and the recovery and resilience plan, and we are talking about dozens of millions of euros, to be used smartly to create conditions to make Croatia attractive to live in," said Jandroković.

He also underlined the importance of infrastructure projects for people to stay in the Dalmatian hinterland, adding that he and county head Boban were agreed that aid to the Dalmatian hinterland should be provided in a similar way it was being provided for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem.

Many people who left the country have started returning due to the pandemic, Jandroković said, adding that a large number of non-Croats were also arriving in Croatia, which needs labour.

"It would be ideal if a part of those who are now coming to work in Croatia were Croats, but cooperation is necessary and Croatian policy-makers must create conditions for return," he said, expressing a wish for a large number of members of the Croat expatriate communities to return.

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ZAGREB, 6 Aug 2021 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Friday that Serbia was traditionally sending historically inaccurate messages on the occasion of the anniversary of Croatian military and police Operation Storm.

These messages are an attempt to change the perception of what we know to be a historic truth, and the truth is that Serbia was the aggressor against Croatia and that the sacrifices Croatia had made were enormous, Jandroković said in Split.

"Serbia must face history and its own responsibility," the parliament speaker said, adding that "attempts to revise history will not fall on fertile ground."

"We know that Croatia was attacked, that we led a just war and that we won the war," he added.

Jandrokovic went on to say that "what is happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina must be openly addressed," namely "attempts to push the Croat people out of the position of a constituent and equal people."

He underscored that it was Croatia's "constitutional and moral obligation to help Croats in Bosnia."

August 5 is probably the most controversial topic in relations between Serbia and Croatia - the Serbs mourn those killed and expelled in the 1995 Operation Storm while Croatians celebrate the victory which was the final blow to the four-year rebel Serbs' rule of some 25 percent of Croatia's territory.

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June 25th, 2021 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković greeted Croatian citizens in the country and abroad on Independence Day, calling on lawmakers to turn to topics of the future and challenges of the modern era. 

"By marking Independence Day, we remember 25 June 1991 when the Croatian Parliament adopted two historic decisions: the Constitutional decision on Croatia's sovereignty and independence, and the Declaration of Croatia's sovereignty and independence. After that, all foreign representatives accredited in Zagreb were asked to recognize the Croatian state. These decisions represented the constitutional basis for independence on which the sovereign Croatian state emerged," Jandroković recalled in his address to Parliament.

With that act, Croatia launched disassociation with the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) and other Yugoslav republics and called for international recognition.

He added that as progress was not being made in agreement on disassociation with the former republics, the then president Franjo Tuđman called for a referendum held on 19 May 1991.

More than 93% of Croatians voted for a sovereign and independent country at that referendum. He said that consequently, on 25 June 1991, the Croatian Sabor adopted those two historic decisions.

He added that after the unsuccessful attempts to resolve the crisis peacefully and with the international community's mediation when a moratorium on the Constitutional decision expired, Yugoslav Air Force planes bombed Government House. Obviously, it would not be possible for Croatia to achieve its independence peacefully and that it would have to fight for freedom in the Homeland War, he underscored.

Our obligation to keep the values of the Homeland War

The Homeland War and its values are the foundation of contemporary Croatia. He added our obligation to keep those values and leave them as a legacy for future generations.

In the past 30 years, we have achieved great strategic objectives defined when creating the modern Croatian state. They include NATO and the European Union membership, which have brought new prospects and opportunities, he added.

"We are facing new challenges. By building the Pelješac Bridge, we will connect Croatian territory. In addition, we will continue preparations to join the Schengen Area and euro area, complete the procurement of multi-purpose Rafale fighter jets and accelerate the reforms of the judiciary, state administration, health, and social welfare, which will strengthen our security, protect our borders and ensure economic progress," Jandroković said.

In light of a fast-changing world, we can build Croatia only by joint action and mutual respect, keeping in mind the improvement of living standards for Croatian people.

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ZAGREB, 8 June, 2021 - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Tuesday that the number of MPs allowed to be present in the Parliament chamber at the same time would be increased from 41 to 71 following an improvement in the epidemiological situation.

A total of 77 persons may be present in the Parliament chamber at the same time. Given that government representatives and administrative staff are always present, we have agreed that 71 MPs can sit in the Parliament chamber at the same time, while others will be sitting in other rooms," Jandroković told the press after a meeting of the Parliament Presidency.

The Croatian Parliament has 151 seats.

He noted that wearing face masks would continue to be mandatory. MPs will be allowed to take off their mask when speaking from their seat or addressing the chamber from the lectern from behind a plexiglass shield.

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ZAGREB, 13 May, 2021 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Thursday that the third public call for applications by aspirants for the position of Supreme Court President would be published and that there was enough time left to select the Supreme Court head.

As for today's press release of the government in which it warns that President Zoran Milanović's favourite for the chief justice, Zlata Đurđević, was not in favour of the model that exists in most EU countries, where judges are appointed by the executive authorities, but rather juxtaposes the election of judges by an independent body with the model in which judges are elected in the parliament, Jandroković said that the government had offered a well-argued discussion.

The government's press release indicates that the programme of Milanović's candidate shows that she is in favour of reinstatating political influence in the process of the election of judges, said Jandroković.

Asked by the press whether he had read Đurđević's programme, Jandroković said that he had read the segments important for politics, and that "it is more that evident that she is in favour of the political election of judges."

Jandroković recalled that it was not correct to claim that the problems in the judiciary had started in the 1990s, adding that the problem had deeper roots dating back to the period of the former Yugoslavia and the Communist system.

It is not easy to elevate the judiciary to a level at which it is absolutely unbiased and all judges behave professionally, however, efforts have been made for years in this regard, he added.

Jandroković said that when it came to President Milanović and his invective, he had endured them calmly for months.

All that time I have endured defamation, Jandroković said, adding that the tit for tat response ensued after "the bully" (Milanović) kept insulting him.

On Wednesday, Jandroković called Milanović  "a clown with an inferiority complex." 

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ZAGREB, 13 May, 2021 - President Zoran Milanović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday issued separate messages offering their best wishes to Muslims on the occasion of the holiday of Ramadan Bayram.

Wishing all the best to the head of the Islamic Community in Croatia, Mufti Aziz Hasanović and the Muslim community, PM Plenković wished them an abundance of peace, hope and family unity.

Stressing the traditionally good relations between the government and the Islamic Community, Plenković expressed confidence that "our continual dialogue, mutual respect and understanding will contribute to an even better cooperation to the benefit of our society and community."

In his message to Muslims, President Milanović said that he wished the great holiday of sacrifice and self-restraint to serve as an encouragement in the promotion of mutual understanding, dialogue and tolerance to the benefit of Croatia.

"My sincere congratulations to fellow citizens of Muslim faith on the occasion of Ramadan Bayram. May this great holiday of sacrifice and self-restraint bring you peaceful and joyous moments of piety and family unity and serve as encouragement in the promotion of mutual understanding, dialogue and tolerance to the benefit of our homeland," Milanović said in his message.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, too, today offered his best wishes to Muslims on the occasion of Ramadan Bayram.

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ZAGREB, 11 May, 2021 - Successful Croatian stories and a plan to include citizens in Europe's development were presented on Tuesday at the Croatian parliament, during the first part of the "Conference on the Future of Europe - A Vision of Croatia," during which Speaker Gordan Jandroković entered a debate with a robot.

The Conference on the Future of Europe is a pan-European, democratic project during which citizens have an opportunity to decide on how the EU should develop.

This is a project in which "citizens are in the centre," European Commissioner for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica said.

Citizens can participate in panel discussions, debates and the plenary session, in which 108 seats are reserved for citizens.

An equal number is allocated to representatives of national parliaments and MEPs.

The plenary session will also include 54 Council representatives (two for each member state), three members of the European Commission, and representatives of the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Council, social partners and civil society.

"If we miss out on including citizens, we will leave room for populist ideas," said Šuica.

The conference provides a digital platform where citizens can exchange ideas, connect, make recommendations and launch initiatives.

Šuica warned that according to forecasts, by 2070 Europeans will account for only 4% of the global population and she believes that demography will be a point of interest for citizens.

Robot  argues with Jandroković

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković was the conference's host and during his opening address he was interrupted by Pepper the robot who warned him that he had violated the Standing Orders.

Pepper was made at the Faculty of Computing and Electrical Engineering in Zagreb.

Pepper and Jandroković then debated about parliamentary procedures. 

Jandroković explained that this is a demonstration of what the future holds.

"If we are not smart enough, robots will manage us and not the other way around," he said.

Successful Croatian stories 

Several successful Croatian stories were then presented to the parliament, including a project by the Sisak-Moslavina County Development Agency (SIMORA) promoting the town of Novska as the centre of the gaming industry in Croatia.

SIMORA director Mario Čelan said that the gaming industry, particularly now during the pandemic, had surpassed the film and music industry with regard to total revenue generated.

He added that the project had already launched 49 start-ups and that a new, four-year study programme for gaming technicians had been developed as well as that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan envisaged a gaming industry campus.

This has motivated young people to settle in Novska and the town now has the largest number of companies in its history, he said.

Dragan Schwarz spoke about Radiochirurgia, a special hospital for oncology patients in Zagreb.

More than 45,000 patients have been examined in the five years since the hospital's establishment and more than 4,000 operations were performed, said Schwarz.

"Our results put us at the very top of the global scene," he added.

Sven Lončarić spoke about the Artificial Intelligence Centre (CAI) of the Zagreb Faculty of Computing and Electrical Engineering (FER), which consists of 19 research laboratories, with FER currently implementing around 260 projects financed from national and international sources.  

Boranka campaign, Toljanić family awarded with Croatian Sabor medal

Scouts Croatia and the Toljanić family from the island of Krk were awarded with the Croatian Sabor medal.

The Boranka project, implemented by the scouts' alliance, has been awarded with the European Citizen's Prize by the European Parliament in 2020.

Boranka is the largest reforestation project in all of Europe. To date more than 7,000 volunteers have planted more than 85,000 new trees in fire-devastated areas of Dalmatia.

The Toljanić family was named European Family of the Year in 2020. The family has 12 children and has developed a successful winery and hospitality business.

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ZAGREB, 22 April, 2021 - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Thursday condemned the crimes committed by the 1941-1945 Ustasha regime and called for legally sanctioning the use of the Ustasha insignia and also for regulating the treatment of Communist symbols, including the five-pointed Red Star.

"We must make a clear distinction between the insignia of the Ustasha regime and the heritage of the (1991-1995) Homeland War and regulate the treatment of symbols of the Communist regime," said Jandroković after he laid a wreath in Jasenovac on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the breakout of inmates from the Ustasha-run concentration camp. 

Jandroković called for consistency in regulating the treatment of the five-pointed Red Star which was displayed by people who committed horrendous atrocities in Bleiburg in the wake of the Second World War, on the Croatian island of Goli Otok during the Yugoslav Communist rule as well as in the Croatian towns of Vukovar and Škabrnja in 1991.

Jandroković said that he would like to see all those who participate in discussions about such insignia to be objective and to have understanding for the victims on all the sides.

"Croatia's history has been fraught with conflicts. Therefore, in all these years, no appropriate legislative solutions were found," he underscored, adding that Croatia's society is now mature enough to find, through democratic discussions, solutions that will protect each victim and deplore every criminal and totalitarian regime.

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ZAGREB, 8 April, 2021 - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Thursday congratulated the Roma national minority in Croatia on the 50th anniversary of International Romani Day.

"The Republic of Croatia has from its beginning been committed to the full protection of members of national minorities, which has also been strengthened by the Constitutional Act on the Rights of National Minorities. Since then we have been working intensively with members of the Roma community on social integration and affirmation of Roma in the Croatian society," Jandroković said in the message.

He underscored that the Roma are today active participants in political life and have their representative in the Croatian parliament.

Also, the Croatian parliament was part of the initiative to establish the World Day of Romani Language on 5 November, which further contributes to preserving Romani culture, the parliament speaker recalled.

"Our common task is to continue helping, in a systematic and concrete way, members of the Roma minority in Croatia to become more strongly involved in society, and children and young people in the education system," the message said.

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ZAGREB, 26 March (Hina) - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Friday he expected all the accusations levelled by convicted former Dinamo football club boss Zdravko Mamić against Supreme Court President Đuro Sessa and other judges to be investigated by the competent authorities.

"As for the accusations, I have no knowledge of them, but I expect the competent authorities to get to the bottom of them," Jandroković told a press conference after a meeting of the Parliament Presidency.

If the allegations of violation of the law, preferential treatment and bribery are proved, the people in question should be punished, he added.

Jandroković admitted that he was concerned that some of the judges confirmed what Mamić said. "That raises concerns and citizens must certainly be concerned about that segment of the judiciary."

Speaking of the possibility of Sisak-Moslavina County prefect Ivo Žinić running in the forthcoming local elections, Jandroković said that the HDZ's candidate there was Ivan Celjak. "When an HDZ member goes against the HDZ, he can no longer be an HDZ member," he said.

The Croatian Parliament wrapped up its session on Friday. MPs will be on a recess until 7 April when they return to the parliamentary benches. Parliament will then be sitting until 15 July, with a break between 7 and 19 May for local elections.

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