14 February, 2022 - The Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, met with Mayor Tomislav Tomašević on Monday to discuss further cooperation between the Archdiocese and the City in matters of common interest, notably in social and charitable work.

The focus was on projects for the common good, including care for the citizens hardest hit by the consequences of the March 2020 earthquake, the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased cost of living, the Archdiocese Press Office said.

Also discussed were challenges in the post-earthquake reconstruction process, and providing premises for the assembly of believers in parishes where there are no churches.

The archbishop and the mayor expressed openness to working together in resolving all issues for the common good of all citizens.

ZAGREB, 28 Jan 2022 - Deputy Mayor Danijela Dolenec on Thursday evening commented on Economy Minister Tomislav Ćorić's accusing the City of Zagreb and Mayor Tomislav Tomašević of being responsible for markedly higher corporate gas bills in Zagreb, noting that a solution would have to be sought in cooperation with the state.

Ćorić said earlier in the day that Tomašević and his team were responsible for the markedly higher corporate gas bills in Zagreb, and not HDZ personnel, because they failed to procure it at better prices.

Tomašević said the former director of the City Gasworks' Supply division, Igor Pirija, who ran the division until last October, was responsible and that he was HDZ personnel, claiming that he did not buy gas at cheaper prices on time and that Zagreb businesses were in trouble because of him.

"The former management of the City Gasworks' Supply division made a number of bad business decisions that resulted in losses for that company and higher bills for corporate users. In the spring (of 2021) it signed contracts under which already then it sold gas at prices that were below market prices while buying it at variable prices. It created a huge risk and we see the consequences now," the deputy mayor said.

She put this in the context of the global energy crisis, saying that not only Zagreb but other local government units as well were having problems with gas prices and that a solution would have to be sought in cooperation with the state.

Talks are underway and the public will be informed of the results, she said.

Dolenec also noted that one should establish if the unfavourable contracts on gas prices were only bad business moves by the former management of the City Gasworks' Supply division or were harmful contracts for which one should be held criminally liable.

She also said that the city would cover the difference in the gas bill of the soup kitchen in Zagreb's Sveti Duh neighbourhood, which from the earlier monthly amount of HRK 6,000 has risen to 25,000.

"The St Anthony of Padua soup kitchen... provides around 400 meals a day. The city has financed soup kitchens since 2004, and in the budget for this year HRK 700,000 has been earmarked for soup kitchens," Dolenec said, noting that the city would make sure the operation of the soup kitchen was not jeopardised.

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ZAGREB, 21 Jan 2022 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević has hosted the traditional New Year reception for foreign diplomats accredited in Croatia, acquainting them with the policies of his administration, the city administration said in a statement on Thursday evening. 

Thanking them for their constructive cooperation, the mayor acquainted members of the diplomatic corps with "the implementation of policies of change for a better Zagreb, for which he received support from the citizens" at the local election in May 2021, the statement said.

"One of the most important priorities is to stabilize the city's finances, as we have shown in the new budget for 2022. Reducing the debt, increasing the liquidity and efficiency of the city administration, while making sure that social rights, education, and health services remain intact, were the main guidelines in the preparation of the budget," Tomašević said.

He stressed the importance of the green transition and strengthening the capacity of the city-owned multi-utility conglomerate Zagrebački Holding, notably the waste disposal services.

He also noted a considerable increase in the number of applications for the reconstruction of public buildings damaged in the March 2020 earthquake, adding that he expected the government to support the city's efforts in that regard more effectively.

"Thank you everyone for supporting us in the process of rebuilding our city. In this respect, we are more than open to cooperation and the exchange of good experiences of your countries so that we can make Zagreb a better place for everyone," Tomašević said.

Speaking on behalf of the diplomatic corps, consular missions, and international organizations with offices in Zagreb, Apostolic Nuncio Giorgio Lingua wished the city administration success in their work for the benefit of Zagreb and all the people who live and work in it or visit it. "It would be our pleasure to expand our cooperation to help in the development of the city for the prosperity and wealth of all its citizens."

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ZAGREB, 7 Dec, 2021 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said on Tuesday that an amendment put forward by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the city budget proposal for 2022 would be accepted to increase kindergarten capacity in the capital city amid plans to phase out allowances for stay-at-home parents.

The SDP is a junior partner in the city assembly to Tomašević's We Can! party.

"We plan an amount of HRK 52 million, which is twice as much money as the average in the past five years. An additional HRK 15 million will be set aside to rent facilities to serve as temporary kindergartens," he said.

The mayor said that an amendment regarding the stay-at-home parent scheme, put forward by the opposition HDZ party, would not be accepted.

"They asked that we take around HRK 200 million in subsidies from the ZET (city public transport company) to compensate for the decrease in allowances for stay-at-home parents. That would make ZET a lossmaker and prevent it from applying for EU funds," he explained.

Tomašević said that the opposition Bridge party was late with submitting an amendment regarding teaching assistants, which was why it could not be accepted but added that an even higher increase in the hourly wage for those assistants would be accepted, to make it amount to HRK 30. The mayor said he hoped next year money for that purpose would be obtained from EU funds.

The city administration will propose the City Assembly a budget in the amount of HRK 15.12 billion, which is 1.1 billion more than the revised budget for 2021.

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ZAGREB, 7 Dec, 2021 - The Serb National Council (SNV) said on Tuesday that Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević would pay his respects to Aleksandra Zec and her family as the first representative of the City of Zagreb to do so in the past 30 years.

The commemoration is being organised by the Antifascist League of Croatia and the SNV on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the murder of members of an ethnic Serb minority family, Aleksandra, Marija and Mihajlo Zec. 

Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milošević, and SNV president Milorad Pupovac will also attend the commemoration.

"This crime is one of the most shameful chapters in recent Croatian history. The perpetrators were all members of special police forces who were acquitted due to procedural errors. Croatian institutions protected them and sent an intimidating message to Croatian citizens and shamed Croatia and the City of Zagreb," a press release said.

Two surviving family members Dušan and Gordana Zec were paid one-off compensation in 2004 and that is the only support they received from the state.

Members of a special police unit under Tomislav Merčep came to the home of the Zec family in Zagreb's Tresnjevka district shortly after 11 pm on 7 December 1991 and shot dead 38-year-old Mihajlo Zec as he tried to escape. Marija and Aleksandra (12), who witnessed the murder, were then taken in a van to the Adolfovac mountain lodge on Mount Medvednica, overlooking Zagreb, where they were killed and the mountain lodge was burned down. The perpetrators were Munib Suljić, Siniša Rimac, Igor Mikola, Nebojša Hodak and Snježana Živanović, according to the press release.

One of the murderers, Siniša Rimac, later become the then Defence Minister Gojko Šušak's bodyguard and was even decorated by President Franjo Tuđman.

Aleksandra, Marija i Mihajlo Zec are buried in Gornja Dragotinja (near Prijedor, northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mihajlo's native town.

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ZAGREB, 29 Nov 2021 - The Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, has strongly condemned a racist attack on employees of the Rimac Automobili company, which occurred in central Zagreb on Friday night, saying that there should be no place for violence in the city.

"I strongly condemn the racist attack on employees of Rimac Automobili. There must be no place for violence in our city, especially not for violence motivated by hatred of those who are different on any grounds," Tomašević wrote on his Facebook on Sunday evening.

"An attack on people of different color is an attack on all of us. That's why I expect the police to identify the attackers and punish them for this hate crime. Despite the hateful individuals, Zagreb will remain an open and hospitable city," the mayor said.

The owner of Rimac Automobili, Mate Rimac, said on Saturday that a group of young men had assaulted his colleagues near the Croatian National Theatre on Friday night. He said that the attackers first verbally abused his employees and then physically attacked them, as a result of which one of them suffered a broken nose and another a mild concussion.

The police are investigating the incident.

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ZAGREB, 23 Nov 2021 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević announced on Tuesday that next year the city authorities plan to absorb HRK 13.5 billion from EU funds which is 40% more compared to 2020, and added that with the introduction of new locations the number of vaccinated Zagreb citizens has doubled.

"Our policy is to absorb as much money from funds to alleviate the city budget," Tomašević told a regular press conference, adding that thanks to that money huge changes would be visible next year already.

He announced that projects by the Croatian Natural History and Ethnographic museums would be financed from EU funds.

Tomašević said that thanks to eight new vaccination locations, in less than two weeks the number of Zagreb citizens who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 has doubled, particularly those receiving the first dose. The number of daily vaccinations has increased to 3,800.

More than 20,000 citizens have been vaccinated at these locations, 13,000 have received the first dose while 19,500 citizens have been vaccinated at the location at the Zagreb Fair grounds, 13,000 of whom have received the first dose.

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October 9, 2021 - The Zagreb cat shelter project is among the necessary strategic documents of the City and is included in the list of initial projects from 2021 - 2027.

The Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, announced the construction of a shelter for cats during a tour of the Zagreb Shelter for neglected animals. There, the City of Zagreb, in cooperation with the Zagreb Zoo and the Animal Friends Association, organized the 19th International Animal Protection Day celebration,  reports Jutarnji List.

"We plan to increase the capacity for accommodating cats in Dumovec. In order to prevent dogs from leaving, we continue to control microchipping, "said Tomasevic.

The cat shelter project is among the necessary strategic documents of the City of Zagreb and is included in the list of initial projects for the financial perspective from 2021 - 2027.

With this project, the City of Zagreb would get an appropriate shelter for the accommodation of injured and sick and other neglected cats.

"At the Zagreb Shelter for neglected animals, we currently have a hundred animals - 70 dogs and 30 cats. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, we have received a smaller number of dogs in the Shelter, but we still find abandoned pets on the streets of Zagreb. Most of them do not have a microchip," said Damir Skok, director of the Zagreb Zoo, which includes the Shelter in Dumovec.

The employees of the Shelter are happy that some participants left with a new pet during the International Animal Protection Day celebration. The mayor also invited the people of Zagreb to adopt dogs and cats.

"Buying dogs is not necessary. There are many dogs that need to be adopted. Trust me, every dog you adopt will be loyal to you for the rest of your life. That dog becomes a member of the family," said Tomasevic.

During the International Animal Protection Day celebration, citizens were able to visit the Shelter, see how work is done on the education and socialization of dogs, and meet associations that work with animal protection. An educational and entertaining program was also prepared for children. Animal Friends organized a Vega picnic. Citizens were also encouraged to adopt by dm, who gives a gift voucher worth 50 kuna to anyone who adopts a dog or cat by the end of the year to buy food and other products from the pet range.

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ZAGREB, 28 Sept, 2021 - The Croatian Chamber of Agriculture (HPK) on Tuesday requested a meeting with Mayor Tomislav Tomašević after the announcements that fairs and food festivals could be relocated from the centre of Zagreb caused concern among HPK members.

The HPK president Mladen Jakopović said in a press release that in recent years Zagreb residents have had an opportunity to buy home-made products and locally grown agricultural produce at various events organised in the main square Trg Bana Jelačića.

Lately, we have received information from the organisers of such events and from producers that the new city administration seems inclined to relocate those events to less attractive venues.

That's why the HPK would like to meet with Mayor Tomašević and his aides to discuss the matter and present their position on the short supply chains and the protection of domestic production, Jakopović said.

The HPK is willing to provide the City of Zagreb with all the necessary support to improve, in cooperation with farmers, the availability of locally grown agricultural products to all citizens of Zagreb, in compliance with the EU criteria and the criteria for the protection of urban space.

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ZAGREB, 14 Sept, 2021 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević said on Tuesday that the city administration had appointed a new supervisory board of the city-owned ZET public transportation company, which will advertise vacancies for the new management in the coming days.

he new members of the ZET Supervisory Board are Marko Slavulj, Marko Borski and Sanja Stojić.

Tomašević said that ZET cost the city HRK 1.1 billion annually and that the city's contribution was HRK 790 million. He added that an additional HRK 80 million should be secured through a budget revision.

The number of passengers in public transport has been falling and the number of vehicles on roads has been growing. That is not a good trend and should be reversed and that is what we expect of the new ZET management, the mayor said.

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