ZAGREB, September 26, 2019 - By putting forward a bill on the processing of biometric data to strengthen security in Croatia and the Schengen area, the Croatian government wants to secure conditions for interoperability, namely for the linking and processing of a person's physical traits which enables their uniform identification between the information systems of Croatia and other EU countries.

"Currently the most topical EU initiative in the field of security is the strengthening of data exchange by linking information systems and databases containing biometric data," Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said while explaining provisions of the bill that was sent to the parliament from the government's session on Thursday.

Božinović recalled that in June this year two regulations on interoperability were adopted at EU level, providing a legal framework for the linking of the existing big European systems (Schengen Information System - SIS; Visa Information System - VIS, European Asylum Dactyloscopy Database - EURODAC) and the systems to be established - the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS TCN), the Entry/Exit System (EES), and the pre-travel authorisation system for visa exempt travellers (ETIAS).

"Croatia has decided that the issue of interoperability will be one of the priorities of its EU presidency in 2020 and we among leading member-countries in terms of the progress made so far in that area," said Božinović.

Biometric data are physical traits of a person that enable their uniform identification, the minister said, stressing that interoperability will make it possible to check personal data through all available information systems and databases automatically, whenever a person that is subject to a procedure "puts their finger on a fingerprint scanner".

This will additionally contribute to security in Croatia and the Schengen area because it will secure a solution to multiple identities with the aim of more accurately identifying persons and preventing identity-related fraud, the minister said, adding that the European Commission had already given Croatia 13.2 million euro to establish new and upgrade existing information systems and implement the interoperability regulations.

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

ZAGREB, September 25, 2019 - The Ministry of the Interior on Tuesday denied an article by the H-Alter news website saying that Croatian police were "punishing migrants" by burning their feet with a hot iron rod.

"In order for an allegation to be officially verifiable at least some evidence should be made available, but none is presented in the article," the ministry said in a statement.

It said that the person who spoke with the author of the article did not know which police station he was taken to, could not remember details of the appearance of the police station, and the article did not specify the time when the incident allegedly happened.

"This kind of reporting can only be tendentious and that's why we resolutely dismiss the allegations from the article, which provides no evidence to support the claims made in it," the statement said, adding that the primary task of Croatian police is to guard the country's borders and protect its citizens and their property.

The ministry stressed that the Croatian police abide by all relevant European and national regulations concerning human rights protection.

"We emphasise once again that the Ministry of the Interior has zero tolerance to any form of violence, including in the treatment of migrants. So far it has been shown that accusations of alleged violence used by the Croatian police, made by migrants who were prevented from crossing the state border illegally, have no basis in reality nor have they ever been corroborated by any evidence," the statement said.

More news about migrant crisis can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, September 24, 2019 - Croatia has made huge progress in the homeland security system, but needs to develop it further and remove its shortcomings, the Homeland Security Coordinating Committee said at a meeting in Zagreb on Tuesday.

"We have achieved huge progress, but the system must develop in conceptual, legal, organisational, operational, educational and technological terms," said the Committee chair, Defence Minister Damir Krstičević.

"It is only through the homeland security system that we can cope with all threats and risks to contemporary society," Krstičević said, calling on all stakeholders to continue addressing the system's shortcomings and weaknesses to improve its coordination and functioning.

Interior Minister Davor Božinović spoke of illegal migration, saying that the state border was secure despite challenges. Croatia has a key role in preventing secondary movements of seekers of international protection, which have brought into question the European asylum system and resulted in introducing controls on the internal borders of the Schengen area, he added.

The assistant chief of the Border Directorate, Gilio Toić Sintić, said that the greatest migratory pressure was coming from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that there was also increasing pressure on the border between Greece and North Macedonia. "The police departments in Karlovac, Sisak-Moslavina and Lika-Senj counties are under the biggest pressure," he said, adding that there had been as many as 211 percent more attempts to illegally cross the Croatian border in the first eight months of this year than in the same period of 2018.

The national chief of police, Nikola Milina, said: "There are a lot of challenges ahead of us so it is necessary increase the capacity, interoperability and exchange of information between all components of homeland security because the pressure on the state borders will continue to increase."

The Committee also discussed this year's fire season, concluding that all tasks had been successfully carried out because all firefighting units were well prepared, organised and coordinated.

More political news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, September 20, 2019 - The Croatian parliament on Friday ratified the Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism which aims at facilitating mutual cooperation between member states and ensuring the efficient prevention and combatting of terrorism.

The protocol makes a number of acts, including taking part in an association or group for the purpose of terrorism, receiving terrorist training, travelling abroad for the purposes of terrorism and financing or organising travel for this purpose, a criminal offence.

By ratifying the protocol each party obliges to undertake the necessary steps for the timely exchange of all available and relevant information regarding persons travelling abroad for the purposes of terrorism.

With this protocol Croatia joins in international cooperation to prevent and sanction terrorism which today is a problem of global extent and is a direct threat to the freedom and lives of individuals.

Parliament adopted a report submitted by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković regarding meetings of the European Council over the past few months with 77 votes in favour.

The prime minister considers that the practice of informing parliament of these meetings is important for lawmakers and the public in general particularly considering that Croatia will be chairing the European Union in the first half of next year.

Plenković welcomed the fact that the new President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen chose Croatia as the third country to visit after she was elected to that position.

More political news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, September 17, 2019 - Interior Minister Davor Božinović on Monday closed the headquarters for the implementation of security measures during the 2019 tourism season that was opened in Zadar at the start of the summer, saying that this year the number of tourist arrivals was up five percent compared to last year and that foreign tourists chose Croatia as their destination because of the country's security.

Božinović presented the results of the "Safe 2019 Tourism Season" project.

During the tourist season in Croatia, there are four to five tourists to one Croatian, and despite this increase, the police and other services managed to do a good job, Božinović said.

"The fact that when something occurs it makes it into the media and I do not have anything against that, that needs to be talked about, however that does not indicate a negative trend. The trend is positive, in the end we can see that the number of arrivals once again increased by 5%, which means that foreign tourists choose Croatia, and Croatia's security is certainly one of the elements that influences their decision when choosing a destination," said Božinović.

Foreign police come to Croatia during the season to help local police offices and this year there were 256 of them as part of the security project.

Zadar County Prefect Božidar Longin believes that safety is Zadar's brand.

The security headquarters during the tourist season was first established in June 2018 in an effort to coordinate the work of police departments in an effort to better implement security measures during the season.

More tourism news can be found in the Travel section.

ZAGREB, September 10, 2019 - Opening a conference at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said that terrorism was one of the greatest security threats and that there were not many indications that the situation would change any time soon.

All the more so because terrorist groups and their ideologists have demonstrated an exceptional ability in embracing new trends on social networks and technology, he added.

"Empowered by the internet and social media, terrorist groups have managed to attract new followers and encourage individual terrorist acts in seemingly distant locations. Recently both right-wing and left-wing extremists have used similar digital platforms," Božinović said in his address at the conference called "Terrorism 2020: Understand the Present, Prepare for the Future."

Božinović signed a cooperation agreement with ICT's executive director Boaz Ganor which will enable Croatian police officers to participate in innovative training programmes in the field of homeland security and in combating terrorism.

In a statement to Hina, Ganor said he was very proud that he had signed the agreement with the Croatian Ministry of the Interior.

We all here believe that this is a growing global phenomenon that we can oppose only through international cooperation, said Ganor.

Božinović told Hina that he was honoured with the fact that he was able to open the conference that has gathered more than 1,000 experts from 60 countries. "I am certain that this agreement reflects our common values, above all, democracy and our readiness to defend them from contemporary challenges with terrorism being very high on the agenda," said Božinović.

During his visit to Israel, Božinović will be accompanied by Croatia's Ambassador Vesela Mrđen Korać during a meeting with Minister of Public Security, Strategic Affairs and Information Gilard Erdan and Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi.

Božinović said that the EU is particularly concerned lately because of the influence of terrorist groups in radicalising citizens who even decide to go abroad to become terrorist fighters.

"Now, following ISIL's failure on the battlefield, focus is being shifted to returning fighters. Their number varies in European countries," Božinović said, adding that an estimated 5,000 fighters have returned to the EU from Syria and Iraq.

Europe is struggling with ethno-nationalist and separatist terrorist groups but also with right-wing extremists who have exploited public concern over the perception of excessive migration trends in Europe, said Božinović.

That, however, has strengthened solidarity and improved cooperation between countries, he added.

Our intelligence agencies are exchanging information and working together like never before. In the meantime, we are witnessing more and more foiled terrorist plots, the minister said.

Božinović said that joint preventative operations include new directives and legislation, distribution of funds and more resources but also improved supervision of external borders, information exchange and cooperation between the private and public sectors. In particular, efforts to implement harsher laws throughout the EU which now cover a broad spectrum of terrorist acts.

As far as Southeast Europe is concerned, Božinović said that the region is particularly vulnerable even though there have not been any serious terrorist attacks there.

This is mostly due to ethnic tensions and unresolved political problems following the armed conflicts in the 1990s, migration routes across the Balkans to Western Europe, terrorists returning but also "external actors" who are trying to prevent countries in the region from joining the EU and NATO.

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

ZAGREB, August 24, 2019 - The Croatian police are conducting extensive investigations into the 21 August incidents in cafes in the village of Đevrske and in the village of Uzdolje near Knin, and considering the Đevirske case, misdemeanour charges have been filed against five people and one person is charged with a criminal offence, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Saturday, expressing hope that the Uzdolje investigation will also result in the detection of the perpetrators.

The police are investigating the incidents which happened this past Wednesday when guests, including a 9-year-boy, and the owner of Uzdolje cafe were beaten, while in the Đevrske cafe they were exposed to verbal attacks while they were watching a TV broadcast of the football match of the Belgrade-based Crvena Zvezda club.

"The assaults should be condemned just as any violence should be condemned. The state institutions, notably those whose responsibility is to ensure peace and order are supposed to act promptly and efficiently. The police have shown that they act efficiently and they will be efficient in the future, too," the minister said after a commemorative ceremony in the village of Žuta Lokva where the tribute was paid to the four Croatian policemen who were killed in that Lika village at the start of the Croatian Homeland War in 1991. The four policemen, who were patrolling road traffic, were killed and one traffic officer was wounded in an artillery attack launched by local Serb paramilitary and rebel forces on 24 August 1991.

The minister confirmed that a suspect was arrested on Saturday morning in connection with the case in Viskovo, Rijeka, where a local inhabitant, 70, told media that he had been beaten and injured in an incident based on his ethnicity. The incident happened two days ago.

More news about the Knin incidents can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, August 16, 2019 - Croatian police officers were commended for organising and implementing the Land Border Surveillance Officer Frontex training programme taking place in Sankt Augustin, Germany, on August 11-18 and involving EU member-countries currently faced with the problem of migrant crisis, the Croatian Police Directorate said on Friday.

The programme is designed to prepare police forces of EU member-countries for participation in international operations which are aimed at strengthening internal border control within the Schengen area and the protection of the EU's external borders.

This is the third time the Croatian Police Academy, a partner to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), participated in training in Germany, at whose request the training programme was organised.

The programme was based on workshops on police conduct at border crossings, the treatment of asylum seekers and migrants in need of medical help, and the treatment of illegal migrants caught in the EU.

It was attended by 18 border police officers from Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Lithuania and Croatia.

More news about the police can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 23, 2019 - Interior Minister Davor Božinović on Tuesday commented on information that after Croatia takes over the chairmanship of the Council of the EU next year, it could start to receive migrants directly from ships in the Mediterranean, saying that there has been no agreement in that regard and that talks are yet to be held on that matter.

The Večernji List daily on Tuesday reported that Croatia has not received any migrants from ships in the Mediterranean and that it will most likely have to consider the fact that other member states that chaired the EU, like Bulgaria, Romania and Finland, took in migrants directly from ships in the Mediterranean. This is a symbolic gesture of taking in one or two migrants and not from every ship.

"You have information that no one else in the EU has, in particular those people who talked. No agreement exists, talks exist," Božinović said responding to reporters.

He recalled that from the first day, Croatia had been expressing its willingness to respect Europe's principle of solidarity, which he said had provided for a billion kuna investment in protecting Croatia's border. He mentioned that negotiations were held on an additional 20 million euro to technically equip Croatia's border.

Božinović believes that the EU will find a balanced solution to the migrant issue, underlining that no one was putting pressure on Croatia nor could they.

He also added that Croatia had not committed to anything and if it contributed in that regard, it would be a symbolic gesture.

Božinović believes that Croatia is prepared to enter the Schengen Area and said communication with the European Commission is in line with that assessment. "Of the eight chapters that we had to comply with in the evaluation, seven have already been closed, the eighth is nearing completion, and Schengen evaluators visited this section of the Croatian border," he said.

Božinović claimed that "there is a deep respect and gratitude in the European Commission and EU toward the Croatian police for everything they are doing."

Asked whether he was worried about claims of inhumane conduct by Croatia's police toward migrants, made by an unnamed police officer in an anonymous letter to Human Rights Ombudswoman Lora Vidović, Božinović said that an investigation was immediately started to examine the claims, but added that he was concerned that the letter was leaked to the public.

He underscored that the ministry conducted between 300 and 500 disciplinary procedures annually which result in various penalties against police officers, ranging from the mildest to some officers being suspended.

Commenting on the situation in Vukovar following a Constitutional Court decision that the rights of the Serb minority in that city have to be improved and the reaction by the city authorities, Božinović claimed that the government had shown its openness to resolve all issues that might burden relations in Croatia. "We are doing that with all interested parties through dialogue," he said.

"The messages coming from Vukovar over the past few days have been encouraging but it is first and foremost necessary to hear the people who live there and their representatives in the City Assembly who know best at what pace they can achieve or improve the standard that we all are aspire to," Božinović underscored.

The government will continue, as it has until now, to respect the Constitutional Court's decisions and a solution will be reached through dialogue, for which many sides have shown interest and readiness, said Božinović.

More news about the migrant crisis can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 19, 2019 - Human Rights House in Zagreb on Friday said that it was inappropriate to nominate the incumbent Interior Minister Davor Božinović as the deputy prime minister for the coordination of human rights, calling on MPs to reject his nomination.

"Appointing Minister Božinović with this burden is a step backwards and certainly cannot give a 'new boost and energy' to the government's activities in the field of human rights, which has been neglected for years and without fundamental public policies for the protection and promotion of human rights such as a national human rights programme," the NGO said in a press release.

It is absurd the minister whose "ministry is faced with continual and serious accusations by international and local organisations and institutions of systematic human rights violations and illegal expulsions of refugees and migrants" should be responsible for the coordination of government activities in the field of human rights.

The NGO accused Minister Božinović of "seriously jeopardising the rule of law in Croatia," because he "systematically prevented and thwarted the supervision of police conduct by the ombudsman's office, an independent institution authorised by parliament for the protection of human rights."

The NGO called on lawmakers to show their commitment to the respect of human rights and Croatian laws by rejecting Minister Božinović's nomination and urged Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to select someone that would make a significant step forward in that field.

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