News

Zagreb - Statehood Day was celebrated on Saturday with a special session of the Croatian Parliament at which President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner and Prime Minister Tihomir Oresković said that over the past quarter of a century Croatia had achieved a lot, calling for consensus on fundamental national interests and determination to realise that.

Zagreb - The central ceremony marking Anti-Fascist Struggle Day, which was marked on Sunday in Brezovica Forest, near Sisak, where the first armed antifascist unit - The Sisak Partisan Unit - was formed on 22 June 1941, was attended by numerous state delegations and representatives of the diplomatic corps in Croatia.

Zagreb – The Croatian Parliament passed on Monday, June 20 a decision on its dissolution to take effect on July 15. The decision was supported by 137 MPs voting in favour, 2 votes against, and 1 abstained.

Zagreb – The Croatian Parliament Day was marked on Monday in Croatian Sabor in memory of 30 May 1990 and the constitution of the first democratic multi-party parliament.

Zagreb - Defenders from the 1991-95 Homeland War and members of the Croatian Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior lined up before state officials at a stadium in Zagreb on Saturday, at the beginning of ceremonies commemorating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Armed Forces, Armed Forces Day and Army Day.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner, who is attending the conference of EU parliamentary speakers in Luxembourg, on Tuesday spoke about the role of national parliaments and interparliamentary cooperation in the EU.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner has said on the margins of a forum of Croatian and Polish regions, which took place in Dubrovnik on Thursday, that there is great potential to increase Croatia's exports into Poland.

Zagreb - Croatia supports Albania on its path towards European Union membership and it is ready to share its experience from its own accession negotiations and provide all the necessary political and technical support, Croatian Parliament Speaker Zeljko Reiner said at a meeting with Albanian President Bujar Nishani during his official visit to Zagreb on Tuesday

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner on Tuesday sent a message to media workers and journalists' associations on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, observed on May 3, expressing strong support to freedom and independence of the media, which, he said, has a big impact on society, from which great responsibility for every word expressed or written also stems.

Zagreb - A special session of the Croatian Parliament, marking the 100th anniversary of the institutionalised Islam in Croatia, was held on Wednesday with top state officials attending the event.aism and Islam. (Hina)

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner said after an official commemoration at Jasenovac on Friday that he was glad to see that today's commemorative event had been held in a dignified manner free of any political connotations.

Split - Participants in the 14th conference of parliament speakers of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative in Split on Saturday did not discuss only a European response to the migrant crisis, but also the added value of parliamentary cooperation within the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), calling for stepping up activities which would improve their visibility and responsibility.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner on Thursday met with Albanian Defence Minister Mimi Kodheli, who was on an official visit to Croatia.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner and India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Vijay Kumar Singh, met on Thursday in Zagreb and discussed strengthening relations between Croatia and India.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner has met with a delegation of the World Jewish Restitution Organisation, led by US Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Nicholas Dean, and at the talks Reiner underscored that there was no anti-Semitism in Croatia, according to a press release issued by the Sabor.

Zagreb - At a ceremony marking International Roma Day on Friday, representatives of the Roma community in Croatia spoke of a difficult position of the Roma in the country and urged the government to take the necessary steps to improve it.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner and a visiting delegation of members of the Indonesian Parliament on Monday discussed cooperation in the military industry and the role of Croatian ports as possible points of entry to the European market for Indonesian products, the Croatian Parliament said in a statement.

Zagreb - The arbitration procedure for the Croatian-Slovenian border dispute is history for Croatia, which sees a solution in bilateral negotiations in line with international law, Croatian Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner said on Wednesday after meeting with his Slovenian counterpart Milan Brglez.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Human and National Minority Rights Committee on Monday endorsed the 2016 draft budget with four abstentions. The minority MPs said they would submit several amendments to the draft budget.

Zagreb – Croatian-Albanian relations are friendly and are marked by a high level of understanding and cooperation in all areas and the focus of their cooperation is on the Adriatic-Ionian motorway and gas pipeline, Croatian Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner said on Thursday at a meeting with Albanian Ambassador Ilir Melo.

Zagreb - Vesna Pusić of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) and Milanka Opačić of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) are the new deputy speakers of the Croatian parliament, elected from the ranks of the opposition, deputies decided on Wednesday with a majority vote and without a debate.

Zagreb - Croatia and Germany wish to strengthen their economic relations and an initiative has been launched for cooperation between the German, Austrian and Swiss chambers of commerce with the Croatian Employers' Association, Croatian Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner and German Ambassador to Croatia Erberhard Schultze said on Monday.

Zagreb - Israel's Ambassador to Croatia Zida Kalay Kleitman on Wednesday, on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, presented four Croatians with Righteous Among the Nations medals on behalf of the Yad Vashem memorial centre in Jerusalem.

Zagreb - Croatia celebrates the 24th anniversary of international recognition on Friday, remembering January 15, 1992 when the countries of the then European Community (EC) jointly recognised it as an independent state and Germany, which played a key role in that process together with the Holy See, established diplomatic relations with Croatia.

Zagreb - The eighth, 151-member Croatian Parliament was inaugurated on Monday following the November 8 election, and Željko Reiner of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was appointed Speaker of Parliament.

Zagreb - The Croatian Helsinki Committee on Human Rights (HHO) presented awards for the promotion of human rights and freedoms at a ceremony in Zagreb on Tuesday. The Miko Tripalo Award, which is given to office holders and politicians for their outstanding contribution to the protection and promotion of human rights, was presented to the incumbent Speaker of Parliament, Josip Leko.

Zagreb - Only one candidate for the position of Parliament Speaker was proposed at the parliament's inaugural session on Thursday - 55 deputies of the Social Democratic Party-led Croatia Is Growing coalition proposed that Robert Podolnjak, a deputy of the Bridge reformist party, be appointed to that position - but the Croatian Democratic Union voted against and Podolnjak turned down the nomination.

Beijing - Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko met in Beijing on Friday with his Chinese counterpart, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhang Dejiang, who told him that China would encourage Chinese companies to invest in Croatia.

Zagreb - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović called the inaugural session of the eighth parliament for December 3 and a second round of consultations for appointing a prime minister-designate for December 7.

Zagreb - Some 3.8 million Croatian voters in the country and abroad will go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new, 8th legislature consisting of 151 deputies. Of them, 140 are elected in ten constituencies in Croatia itself, three are elected as deputies of ethnic Croats abroad and expatriates, and eight deputies representing ethnic minorities.

Dubrovnik - The "Comprehensive regionaln defence ministerial – CRM" is hosted in 2015 by the Republic of Croatia and it take place in Dubrovnik on 21-22 October.

Zagreb - A two-day inter-parliamentary conference called "Public Service Media and the Parliaments in the Enlargement Countries" ended in the Croatian parliament on Friday with the adoption of recommendations for the work of parliaments.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday unanimously adopted amendments to the Consumer Credit Act and the Credit Institutions Act based on which loans denominated in Swiss francs would be converted into euros.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Monday congratulated the Jewish community in Croatia on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. "May the holidays be filled with peace and may they bring you and your dearest ones an abundance of God's mercy and success, happiness and health in the year 5776," Leko said.

New York - Croatia's Parliament Speaker Josip Leko met with his counterparts from Indonesia, Iran and Albania for talks on bilateral cooperation, on the fringes of the 4th world conference of presidents of parliaments in New York.

Zagreb - At the government's request, Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Tuesday called an extraordinary parliamentary session for September 8-11. Parliament will discuss several important bills - bills of amendments to laws on welfare, excises, and the financing of local government, a consumer bankruptcy bill, and a bill on renewables and highly efficient co-generation.

New York - Croatia's Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Sunday met with representatives of the Croatian community in New Jersey before the start of the fourth world conference of parliament speakers in New York on Monday. Croatian expats showed great interest in Croatia's state of affairs, notably in the country's economic situation.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday unanimously obliged the Government to institute a procedure to exit the Arbitration Agreement on a border solution with Slovenia.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday amended the Sports Act at the proposal of the Social Democratic Party and the Croatian People's Party, under which persons sentenced for rioting at sporting events would no longer be able to sit on the management boards of sport clubs or associations.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Josip Leko said on Wednesday, at the end of the parliament's spring-summer sitting, that the parliament had fulfilled its constitutional duties.

Zagreb - After concluding its current session the Croatian parliament has released a comprehensive report on its work since being constituted in December 2011 to date which presents figures describing parliament's activities, working bodies and of Speaker Josip Leko.

Zagreb - Croatia hopes to open an embassy and tourism board in South Korea this year as well as sign an agreement on air traffic with that country, Parliament Speaker Josip Leko announced on Monday after talks with his South Korean counterpart Chung Ui-Hwa.

Zagreb - Croatia supports all Southeast European countries in their efforts to join NATO, Parliament Speaker Josip Leko said at a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Zagreb on Thursday.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament's Committee on the Constitution on Monday endorsed draft amendments to two laws which make it possible to dissolve town councils which refuse to adjust their statutes to legally guaranteed rights of ethnic minorities, however, committee members proposed that the amendments not be adopted under fast-track procedure but be discussed in two readings.

Zagreb - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Parliament Speaker Josip Leko and Prime Minister Zoran Milanović laid wreaths and lit candles at Zagreb's central Mirogoj Cemetery on Thursday, on the occasion of Statehood Day.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Tuesday forwarded a message with best wishes on the occasion of Croatia's Statehood Day, observed on 25 June in memory of 25 June 1991 when Croatia's lawmakers adopted the declaration on the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Croatia.

Brezovica - Addressing the commemoration, on the occasion of the Anti-Fascist Struggle Day in the Brezovica forest outside Sisak on Monday, Deputy Parliament Speaker Dragica Zgrebec said that hate speech and neo-fascist incidents in Croatia should be replaced by a language of reason.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Friday issued a message on the occasion of the Day of the Anti-Fascist Struggle, June 22, saying that marking that day contributed to building a society of peace, tolerance and democracy.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Tuesday received Romania's President Klaus Werner Iohannis who is on a two-day official visit to Croatia and during the talks they underscored the excellent relations between the two parliaments which are soon to be formalised.