News

Zagreb - The government the final electronic media bill to Parliament on Thursday, under which providers of electronic publications are also held responsible for the content of user comments. The bill was amended in cooperation with the Croatian Journalists' Association and the Association of Newspaper Publishers at the Croatian Employers' Association and was submitted to Parliament for discussion under the fast-track procedure.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Tuesday extended Kurban Bayram greetings to the head of the Islamic Community in Croatia, Mufti Aziz Hasanović, and all Islamic believers.

Zagreb - By a majority vote (with 75 votes in favour, two abstentions, and 43 votes against), the Parliament adopted the Waste Management Act. When it enters into force, eight days after its publication in the Official Gazette, it will ban the sale of single-use plastic products, including plastic cotton buds, straws, cutlery.

Zagreb - The Opposition-sponsored motion for a commission of inquiry into alleged irregularities in the post-war reconstruction was rejected by the Parliament on Thursday, the last day before its summer recess.

Zagreb - The law on the civilian Homeland War victims was passed on Thursday by 107 to 16 votes, with five members of the Croatian Parliament abstaining from the vote.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday extended the eligibility to work part-time and receive a full pension to family pension beneficiaries.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Committee on the Constitution, Rules of Procedure, and Political System has unanimously decided on the distribution of funds for the work of political parties and independent MPs from 1 July to 31 December, allocating HRK 31 million for this purpose.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said at Dubrovnik Forum on Saturday that the pandemic would "change lives permanently" and there would be no going back to the way of life before the pandemic, while cooperation, solidarity, and unity were needed more than ever.

Zagreb - Health Minister Vili Beroš told the national parliament on Wednesday that he was satisfied with how the government and competent authorities had dealt with the coronavirus epidemic from mid-January to the end of May 2020.

Zagreb - Draft amendments to pension insurance legislation, whereby recipients of family pensions will be allowed to work part-time and continue receiving a full family pension, will be on parliament's agenda this week.

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

Zagreb - The COVID-19 epidemic has affected especially hard the lives of persons with disabilities and children with developmental difficulties and their families, the Ombudswoman for persons with disabilities, Anka Slonjšak, said in parliament on Friday, presenting a report on her work in 2020.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Tuesday congratulated all Croatian citizens on Antifascist Struggle Day, saying the values of antifascism were built into the foundations of independent and sovereign Croatia.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday amended the state budget for this year, under which revenues would increase by HRK 3 billion to 150.3 billion and expenditures by HRK 9.4 billion to 167.4 billion, while the general government deficit would grow from the initially planned 2.9% to 3.8% of GDP.

Zagreb - The new law on the electricity market "absolutely" stimulates solar power for households, state secretary in the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Energy Ivo Milatić said on Wednesday, presenting the bill in Parliament.

Zagreb - Finance Minister Zdravko Marić reiterated on Wednesday that the budget revision was not primarily related to COVID-19 but to the problems in healthcare and settling debts to drug wholesalers after all the legal possibilities of resolving that through budget reallocation had been exhausted. Hence the major part of the proposed increase in expenditure will go to the health sector, with an additional HRK 2.8 billion secured for that, Marić said in Parliament.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Wednesday adopted several decisions on appointments and replacements, including for Hina's Steering Council. The parliament appointed and relieved four of the five members of Hina's Steering Council of their duties.

Zagreb - The parliament adopted with 112 votes in favour of the Ombudswoman's report on the right to a healthy life and climate change in Croatia in the period from 2013 to 2020 in the context of the global climate movement and the coronavirus pandemic. The parliament also adopted by a majority vote a report on the work of the State Audit Office in 2020, which shows that the office submitted 185 audit reports to the parliament in 2020. Of those reports,160 referred to financial audits and 25 to audits of efficiency in the management of public funds.

Zagreb - Parliamentary opposition parties have filed a joint motion for a vote of no confidence in Health Minister Vili Beroš over the accumulated problems in the healthcare sector.

Zagreb - Amendments to the Capital Market Act, which are aimed at further aligning Croatia's regulatory framework with the EU acquis, were supported on Wednesday by both the Opposition and the ruling majority in the Parliament, who expressed hopes for the revival of the capital market. 

Zagreb - The parliament's Judiciary Committee on Tuesday decided unanimously to call a new session to which it will invite all five candidates for the Supreme Court president and interview them, after which it will make a decision that is non-binding on the proposer, the President of the Republic.

Zagreb - Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter said in the Parliament on Thursday that the institution of Ombudswoman should be a bridge between all stakeholders involved in human rights protection and that it was important for the Parliament to regularly discuss its reports. 

Zagreb - Croatian lawmakers on Wednesday agreed on the need to strengthen the administrative and absorption capacity for the use of EU funds and to further simplify and standardise the rules.

Zagreb - 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 - Croatia's Vision," during which Speaker Gordan Jandroković entered a debate with a robot.

Zagreb - Digital and green transformation is Croatia's and Europe's future, participants in the second part of the "Conference on the Future of Europe - A Vision of Croatia", held at the Croatian Parliament on Tuesday.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday participated at a conference of EU parliament speakers, a regular meeting to discuss current issues regarding the role of the parliament, and to coordinate parliamentary activities in the EU. 

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday amended the Animal Husbandry Act regulating conditions for the breeding and protection of the Carniolan honey bee, a species native to Croatia and favoured among bee-keepers for its extraordinary production traits. 

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday adopted a law whereby as of 3 June physical entities are obliged to declare cash of €10,000 or more which they carry to and from the European Union.

Zagreb - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) parliamentary caucuses on Wednesday discussed the government-sponsored proposal whereby physical entities are obliged to declare cash of €10,000 or more which they carry to and from the European Union.

Zagreb - Members of Parliament on Thursday endorsed an initiative to increase the use of renewable energy sources in transport in the period until 2030 but also warned that Croatia mostly depends on imports for biofuels.

Zagreb - As a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic and earthquakes real GDP in the first half of 2020 contracted by 7.8% year-on-year, due to a drop in personal consumption, investments and exports, while government spending rose mildly, Croatian National Bank Governor Boris Vujčić said in Parliament on Thursday.

Zagreb - The Homeland Movement (DP) on Friday strongly criticised the State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures (DKOM), saying its head Maja Kuhar "built her career during the term of the (Zoran) Milanović government" and calling Croatia one of the most corrupt countries globally.

Zagreb - Lawmakers on Thursday commended a bill that will introduce electrochemical protection at all external ATMs over the next three years and in practice that means that in case of burglary, banknotes will be made unusable by an electrochemical device.

Zagreb - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković presented the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to Parliament on Wednesday, saying that it should help Croatia overcome the present crisis.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday adopted amendments to the Local Elections Act which introduce stricter criteria for the nomination of candidates for municipal heads, mayors, county heads and their deputies.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković congratulated the Roma national minority in Croatia on the 50th anniversary of International Romani Day.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday extended his best wishes to all Christian believers who celebrate Easter. In his message, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković called for solidarity and unity in the present challenging circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic and last year's earthquakes.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday issued message offering their best wishes to the Jewish faithful on the occasion of Passover.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday voted for the postponement of the population census, which was originally set for the spring but will now be conducted in the autumn.

Zagreb - Chairman of the Committee on the Economy Žarko Tušek and Committee Member Danica Baričević hosted an inter-parliamentary videoconference on the economic aspects of European integration. The conference was attended by the parliaments of Hungary, Austria, and Bosnia, and Herzegovina.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday supported by a majority vote amendments to the Act on Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation enhancing the transparency of those processes, with public participation, and banning large-scale hydraulic fracturing.

Zagreb - Lawyer Tena Šimonović Einwalter is the new Public Ombudswoman, the Croatian parliament decided on Friday by secret ballot.

Zagreb - Marijana Petir, Chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee of the Croatian Parliament, and Committee Members Stipan Šašlin and Ljubomir Kolarek participated in the inter-parliamentary videoconference of committees responsible for agriculture organized by the Hungarian National Assembly within the Twinning Project “Empowerment and further support to the Parliaments of Bosnia and Herzegovina in EU integration tasks”.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Wednesday discussed a proposal by the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders, and Political System to nominate attorney and judge Sandra Hančić and Deputy Public Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter for the post of Public Ombudsman.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Monday that although a lot had been done in including women in public, professional and political life, further efforts should be made to reach the highest standards in gender equality.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday elected by secret ballot seven members of the Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) Programming Council. They are Nikola Baketa (99 votes), Vlaho Bogišić (101), Đemal Bratić (89), Ivica Lučić (89), Zorislav Lukić (83), Robert Markt (85) and Ozana Ramljak (92).

Zagreb/Lisbon - The delegation of the Croatian Parliament, consisting of the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Gari Cappelli, Chair of the Defence Committee Franko Vidović, Chair of the Domestic Policy and National Security Committee Nikša Vukas as well as the Head of the Delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Ante Bačić, participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Videoconference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union, hosted by the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic.

Zagreb - About 75 kilograms of food is thrown out each year in Croatia per head, lawmakers underlined on Thursday during a debate on an agriculture bill which among other things regulates the prevention of waste food.

Zagreb - During Thursday's debate on amendments to the Agriculture Act, the parliamentary opposition said Croatia's agriculture was collapsing due to poor policies, while Minister Marija Vučković dismissed such claims and said that agricultural production was growing.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday sent condolences to the family of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, who passed away from heart attack, underscoring that Bandić's distinctive style in managing the city and many projects have left a mark for several generations of local residents.