News

Zagreb - A meeting of the members of the European Affairs Committee, Committee on the Economy, Environment and Nature Conservation Committee and Committee on Regional Development and European Union Funds with Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and delegations of the government and the Office of the President on Friday laid wreaths at the Jewish section of Zagreb's central Mirogoj ceremony to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić on Friday commented on an exhibition on the World War II concentration camp Jasenovac, staged by Serbia at the U.N. headquarters in New York, saying that it "manipulates the victims for daily political and propaganda purposes" and that exhibitions of that kind should not be organised the way Serbia had done it.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament started its session on Friday by observing a minute of silence on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, with Speaker Gordan Jandroković saying that the victims should remain forever in the collective conscience of human kind so that such crimes could never happen again.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković received newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Croatia W. Robert Kohorst on Wednesday.

Zagreb – The parliament speaker's envoy and Deputy Speaker Milijan Brkić headed on Monday the Sabor´s delegation at a ceremony in Zadar commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Operation Maslenica.

Sofia - Bojan Glavašević, deputy chairperson of the European Affairs Committee, and Marijana Balić, Committee member, participated in the meeting.

Zagreb - Migration, Europe's future and digital development were the main topics on the EU's agenda in 2017, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in parliament on Wednesday while presenting a report on meetings of the European Council in 2017, with emphasis on Croatia.

Zagreb - After a month- long recess, Croatian MP are set to return to Parliament on Wednesday, when the 7th session is scheduled to commence.

Zagreb – On the first day of the year, the Republic of Croatia took over the Presidency of the Central European Initiative (CEI). Thereby the Croatian Parliament assumed the Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Dimension of this organization that brings together 18 member states.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday issued a Christmas message with his best wishes for all Croatians in the country and abroad.

Zagreb - This is an exceptionally good initiative and the state should support it, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Thursday after receiving a delegation of the Opatija Initiative which has made its recommendations for a new bill on financing Croatian sports.

Zagreb - Members of the Croatian Scouts Alliance, which this year again organised the arrival of the Bethlehem Light in Croatia, handed the Light to Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday, and he handed it to the rector of the Zagreb Cathedral, Msgr. Josip Kuhtić.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker on Tuesday extended his best wishes to the Jewish faithful on the occasion of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights.

Zagreb - The constitutional law on national minorities' rights from 2002 has contributed to developing minority rights in Croatia, as it was important in preservation of minorities' cultural and ethnic identity, the chairman of the Croatian Council for National Minorities, Aleksandar Tolnauer said on Monday at a conference organised on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the law.

Zagreb - After commenting on amendments to the draft budget for 2018 for several hours on Thursday, members of the Croatian parliament adopted the key financial document for next year as well as financial projections for 2019 and 2020, with 79 MPs voting for and 34 against.

Tallinn - Bojan Glavašević, Deputy Chairman of the European Affairs Committee, took part in the meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC).

Zagreb - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković presented a draft state budget for 2018 to parliament on Wednesday, saying that next year his government would focus on the needs of the people and on the necessary reforms in order to raise productivity and living standards.

Brussels - Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and Member of the Gender Equality Committee Ivan Vilibor Sinčić, Irena Petrijevčanin Vuksanović and Silvano Hrelja participated on Tuesday at the Inter-parliamentary meeting around the theme: "The Istanbul Convention: combating violence against women at national and EU level".

Brussels – Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee Miro Kovač and Member of the Committee Romana Jerković took part in the interparliamentary meeting on the “Implementation of the European Consensus on Development and the Sustainable Development Goals”, organized by the European Parliament's Committee on Development, and in the interparliamentary meeting on the “European integration process of the Western Balkans”, organized by the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Zagreb - Today we are marking one of the most difficult days in Croatia's history which is also the day when we made stronger connections between us and when we grew stronger, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said in the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar on Saturday.

Zagreb - The 26th anniversary of the massacre in Škabrnja, in which 86 civilians and defenders were killed in 1991, today was marked in the town of Škabrnja with a remembrance procession which brought together more than 15,000 people from all parts of Croatia.

Zagreb - With 79 votes for, the Croatian parliament on Friday revised the 2017 state budget in which revenues amount to HRK 122.5 billion, while expenditures have been slashed by HRK 1.6 billion to HRK 126.8 billion. During the vote, one MP abstained, while 45 voted against.

Zagreb - The Parliamentary Finance Committee on Wednesday upheld the 2018 draft budget and budget planning for 2019 and 2020, with one abstention by Social Democratic Party (SDP) MP Branko Grčić. Finance Ministry State Secretary, Željko Tufekčić underscored that the 2018 budget was a continuation of fiscal consolidation and improving fiscal indicators.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Committee on Human and Minority Rights on Friday unanimously endorsed the annual report on funds spent on minority cultural programmes in 2016, submitted by the government's Council for Ethnic Minorities, according to which a total of HRK 31.9 million was allocated for those programmes.

Zagreb - The ceremony marking International Romani Language Day was held at the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) in the presence of Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, Minister for Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy Nada Murganić, presidential envoy Renata Margaretić Urlić, Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, member of Parliament for the Roma minority Veljko Kajtazi, and representatives of Roma organisations.

Zagreb - Croatia's Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Friday visited the University of Waterloo and met Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanović and representatives of the Croat community in that Canadian city in southeastern Ontario, which was the last stop of his visit to Canada.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković was received in Ottawa on Thursday by Governor General of Canada Julie Payette, who represents Queen Elizabeth II, and they said the bilateral relations between the two countries were excellent.

Zagreb - The Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, and the Speaker of the Canadian Parliament's House of Commons, Geoff Regan, underscored excellent relations between the two countries at their meeting in Ottawa.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Gender Equality Committee on Thursday discussed the prevention of violence against the LGBT community in Croatia, stating the need to prevent homophobia and violence.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met with government and opposition officials in Ottawa who informed him of Canada's interest in boosting economic cooperation with Croatia, particularly in the tourism, shipbuilding and IT sectors.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met with Canadian Senate Speaker George Furey in Ottawa on Tuesday and they confirmed the high level of the partner and friendly relations between the two countries.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and his Hungarian counterpart Laszlo Kover in Budapest on Tuesday said that Hungary and Croatia are two friendly, deeply connected countries whose relations should not be reduced to outstanding issues such as the one involving the oil companies INA and MOL.

Zagreb - The treatment of the Croatian minority in Hungary and the treatment of the Hungarian minority in Croatia can serve as an example to other countries, the visiting Croatian parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said in Budapest on Monday evening.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Friday congratulated all MPs, Croats and all Croatian citizens on Independence Day, October 8, saying the "independent and sovereign Croatia was founded on the Homeland War, which was liberating and legitimate in the defence of the Croatian people and state from Great Serbia's military aggression."

Zagreb - The Autumn in Lika fair opened in the city of Gospic on Friday, featuring 270 exhibitors from around Croatia who will present food products, handicrafts, souvenirs and other products made by family farms, trades and SMEs.

Zagreb - The Republic of Croatia and the People's Republic of China marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations and the 68th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China by a spectacular 15-minute Chinese fireworks, held in the Roman Arena in the northern Adriatic city of Pula on Friday.

Zagreb - The Croatian Transplant Association and the head of the Jesuit Refugee Service for Southeast Europe, Fr. Tvrtko Barun, have won this year's European Citizen's Prize, awarded each year by the European Parliament to prominent individuals, associations and organisations for their exceptional achievements and commitment to promoting European cooperation and common values. The award was presented at a ceremony in the Croatian Parliament on Monday.

Zagreb - A delegation of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) on Wednesday met with the Croatian Parliament Committees for Agriculture, Fishing and Rural Development and for European Affairs as well as with Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić, and one of the topics discussed was the future of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The talks also focused on the problem of unfair trade practice in food retail chains.

Zagreb - The Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Željko Reiner, met in Zagreb on Friday with a South Korean delegation led by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Park Joo-sun, discussing possibilities of boosting economic cooperation and trade.

Zagreb - On the occasion of Kurban Bayram, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković extended his best wishes to the president of the Muslim community, Mufti Aziz Hasanović, and all Muslim believers in Croatia.

Zagreb - The 20th annual Boat Marathon on the Neretva river ended in Metković, southernmost Croatia on Saturday evening, an amateur sporting event in which rowers in traditional vessels row down a 22.5-kilometre-long stretch from Metković to the Bay of Ploče. The event ended with the award ceremony, also attended by Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Mate Granić as envoy of President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the sponsor of the race.

Zagreb - Alen Poljak, a 28-year-old man who participated in the Alka for the first time, on Sunday won the final event of the 302nd edition of this lancing three-day tournament in the town of Sinj in the Dalmatian hinterland. At the start of the race, the Alka Duke Ante Vučić thanked all in attendance, including President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and other distinguished guests, for their support to this traditional annual event.

Zagreb - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković called for unity in the speeches they delivered at the central ceremony celebrating Victory Day in Knin on Saturday when Croatian observed the 22nd anniversary of Operation Storm.

Zagreb - High-level state delegations laid wreaths at Zagreb's Mirogoj Cemetery on Friday, marking Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, Croatian War Veterans' Day and the 22nd anniversary of Operation Storm. The Croatian Parliament delegation was led by Speaker Gordan Jandroković.

Zagreb - International Roma Genocide Remembrance Day, or Samudaripen, was commemorated on Wednesday in Uštica near Jasenovac, where an estimated 16,000 Roma were killed in a concentration camp during World War II.

Zagreb - Republic of Croatia on 1 July 2016 assumed a one-year rotating Chairmanship of the South- East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) from Bulgaria. On that occasion five basic principles of the Croatian Chairmanship were presented: solidarity, support to candidate countries and potential candidates for membership to the EU, connection, strengthening political dialogue via parliamentary cooperation and energy synergy.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament adopted by majority vote on Friday a new National Security Strategy which defines the state's national security vision and security concept as well as its national interests.

Zagreb - Đuro Sessa is the new president of the Supreme Court, the Croatian parliament decided by majority vote on Friday.

Zagreb - Representatives of compulsory pension fund management companies Erste, PBZ Croatia Osiguranje, Raiffeisen and Allianz presented their financial results for 2016 in the Croatian Parliament on Wednesday.