News

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Wednesday congratulated all MPs elected to the European Parliament on Sunday, wishing them success in their work and to represent Croatian citizens' interests well.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Thursday received Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs Didier Reynders for talks on Croatia's upcoming accession to the European Union.

Zagreb - Belgium has completed the ratification of Croatia's European Union accession treaty which, after being signed by the foreign minister during the day, will be forwarded to King Albert II for signing, it was said in Zagreb on Thursday.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliamentary Committee on Information, Computerisation and the Media on Thursday supported a bill on Value Added Tax (VAT) with a majority vote which proposes that VAT be reduced to 5 per cent for daily newspapers.

Zagreb/Marseilles - Croatia is one of the positive Mediterranean stories as in only 15 years from the end of the war and peaceful reintegration of the Danube River Region, the country is on the threshold of te European Union, Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko said at a summit meeting of parliament presidents from Union for Mediterranean member-states, in Marseille on Sunday.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliamentary Committee on the Economy and a delegation of the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) on Wednesday held a joint meeting concerning Croatia's preparations to participate in the European Union internal market with its 500 million consumers which represents a great opportunity but also a challenge for Croatian businessmen and for Croatian citizens for whom this will also be an opportunity for better living conditions.

Ljubljana - Slovenia's parliament on Tuesday ratified Croatia's Treaty of Accession to the European Union, as the 23rd member in the 27-strong bloc to do so in good time for Croatia to join the EU on 1 July, as scheduled. The ratification of the document in Slovenia's 90-seat legislature required a two-third majority, and during today's sitting, all 82 deputies who attended the ratification voted in favour.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Friday extended his best wishes to all faithful in Croatia celebrating Easter according to the Gregorian calendar, the Office of the Parliament Speaker said in a statement.

Zagreb - Croatia has worked hard and it had an objective in mind so as to prepare for joining the European Union which is why it will deservedly become the 28th member of the bloc, Danish European Affairs Minister Nicolai Wammen said on Tuesday, welcoming the European Commission final monitoring report on Croatia.

Zagreb - European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle said in Zagreb on Tuesday that Croatia had met all commitments and requirements for EU membership and there was no need for further monitoring.

Zagreb - Germany is not considering the possibility of monitoring for Croatia after it joins the European Union, the Bundesrat commissioner for EU enlargement, Jürgen Martens, said in Zagreb on Wednesday.

Zagreb - Croatia and Turkey have intensive political cooperation which needs to be followed by more dynamic economic and trade cooperation and the parliaments of both countries can contribute in this regard, Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko and his guest, the Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey Cemil Cicek said on Tuesday.

Ulanbataar – Mongolia, the OSCE's newest participating State, has made admirable progress but should remain vigilant about sustaining its environmental resources, President Riccardo Migliori said today after a day of meetings in the capital Ulanbataar.

Zagreb - The chairman of the Croatian Parliament Committee on Home Affairs and National Security, Miroslav Tudjman, and the chairman of the Committee on Defence, Tomislav Ivic, met on Thursday with a visiting delegation of the Montenegrin Parliament Committee on Security and Defence.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Wednesday received representatives of the Bosnian Croat association "Prsten" who informed him of the association's activities.

Ljubljana - The matter of ratification of Croatia's Treaty of Accession to the European Union was one of the topics of hours-long consultations which Slovenian President Borut Pahor held with parliamentary parties' leaders on Thursday afternoon, and after the meeting Pahor said that they had reached consent on the ratification, which Slovenia makes conditional on a solution to the dispute over the now-defunct Ljubljanska Banka.

Zagreb - A member of the Croatian Parliament Delegation and vice president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Tonino Picula, will visit Erevan on 15-20 February at the helm of the OSCE PA mission for observing the presidential elections in Armenia, scheduled for 18 February.

Bruxelles - The European Commission wants to ensure that Croatia is prepared as well as possible for the absorption of EU funds and wants preparations to be speeded up so that no time is wasted, Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn said on Thursday.

Zagreb -The chair of the parliamentary European Integration Committee, Daniel Mondekar, on Thursday received the deputy chair of the CDU/CSU group in the German parliament, Andreas Schockenhoff, for talks on Croatia's accession to the European Union, the Croatian parliament said in a press release.

Zagreb - During the two-day seminar on best practices in the national and the European parliaments on subsidiarity and scrutiny procedures over the EU legislation and policies, Members of the Sabor as well as parliamentary staff had the opportunity to exchange views and learn on best practices concerning the national parliaments' role in the EU matters.

Paris - The French parliament on Thursday unanimously ratified Croatia's accession treaty with the European Union, being the first country this year to open Croatia's entry to the Union and the 21st EU country to confirm the treaty. Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko attended the ratification ceremony which welcomed Croatia to the EU.

Vukovar - Parliament Speaker Josip Leko at a commemoration on Tuesday in Vukovar marking the 15th anniversary of the completion of the peaceful reintegration of eastern Slavonia said "we wish to build democratic standards and better living standards and that is why it is vital to avoid any nationalist outbursts".

Zagreb - France will be the first country to ratify Croatia's Treaty of Accession with the European Union in 2013 and the debate and voting are on the agenda of the National Assembly on Thursday.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament will start its first session this year on 23 January, and the session will last four weeks, the Sabor's presidency decided on Monday.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Josip Leko on Friday issued a Christmas and New Year's message, saying that the way out of the years-long crisis in Croatia was in the messages of Christmas, which he said focused on man and his dignity, wishing Croatian citizens well-being in 2013.

Zagreb - Croatia respects directives issued by the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe (CoE) and over the past few years has adopted a series of laws and strategies to protect children. Their implementation however is not up to scratch, a member of the Croatian Parliament Delegation to the CoE Parliamentary Assembly, Igor Kolman, said at a conference on children's rights held in the Croatian Sabor on Tuesday.

Vukovar - Over 50,000 people on Sunday morning took part in a procession in remembrance of the victims of Vukovar, marching from the town hospital to the memorial cemetery in tribute to victims of the siege and the fall of this eastern Croatian town into the hands of the besieging Serb and Yugoslav People's Army forces in the autumn of 1991.

Zagreb - Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Josip Leko received in an official visit the President of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo Hashim Thąci who is visiting Croatia.

Initiative taken by four chairmen of foreign affairs committees of the parliaments in the region, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, is not a step towards establishing a regional parliament but a way of improving inter-parliamentary cooperation, said Milorad Pupovac at the press conference.

Zagreb - Democracy without truly and well informed citizens cannot function, said the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Josip Leko at the seminar organized in the Croatian Parliament "Role of national parliaments in ensuring the independence of Public Service Broadcasting in Council of Europe Member States".

Zagreb - Josip Leko (Social Democrat Party) has been elected a Speaker of the Parliament unanimously. He succeeded the late Boris Šprem. The election was widely applauded by all 123 deputies present in the Grand Hall. Josip Leko has been the Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament until today’s election.

Zagreb - After a long and exhausting struggle with a disease, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr. Boris Šprem passes away at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston early this morning (European time).

Strasbourg – A conference of speakers and presidents of the parliaments of the Member States of the Council of Europe started in Strasbourg on Thursday afternoon. The Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr Josip Leko is attending as well.

Zagreb – On the occasion of the forthcoming National Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on September 22, the Committee on the Family, Youth and Sport, headed by the Committee Chairwoman Ms Jadranka Kosor, hosted a round table conference on domestic violence.

Zagreb – The Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr Josip Leko has sent a message of goodwill to the Jewish community living in Croatia on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year's Day of the Jewish calendar.The Deputy Speaker said:

Zagreb – Deputy Speaker Mr Josip Leko received a delegation from the National Council for the Restoration of Jewish Property of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, headed by the Council’s President Mr Rafael Eitan.

Zagreb - A delegation from the Irish National Parliament Joint Committee on European Affairs headed by the Committee Chairman Mr Dominic Hannigan visited the Croatian Parliament where they were received by the acting Parliament Speaker and Deputy Speaker Mr Josip Leko and where they held two other meetings with Mr Daniel Mondekar, Chairman of the European Integration Committee, and with Mr Milorad Pupovac, Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee.

Sinj – The 297th Knight’s Tournament of Sinjska Alka was held under the auspices of the President of the Republic Mr Ivo Josipović who congratulated the winner Alen Filipović Grčić on his first ever Alka victory. The winner’s qualities you demonstrated at the tournament are precisely those our country needs to fight the economic crises, the President said and, by tradition, handed the victor a golden ring with Croatian national arms and a sabre.

Knin – At the ceremony marking the Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, the Day of Croatian Defenders and the 17th anniversary of the military operation “Storm” in Knin, top state officials, President of the Republic Mr Ivo Josipović, Prime Minister Mr Zoran Milanović and Deputy Speaker and acting Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr Josip Leko expressed their gratitude to all the defenders who ensured Croatia’s victory in the homeland war. Mr Paul Vandoren, Head of the Delegation of the EU to Croatia, attended the ceremony as well.

Zagreb – Marking the Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders, high-ranking state delegations and a delegation of the City of Zagreb laid wreaths and lit candles at the Mirogoj Cemetery in honour of all those who lost their lives in the Croatian Homeland War.

Zagreb – Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr Josip Leko received the visits of three ambassadors to Croatia: Romanian Ambassador Mr Cosmin Dinescu, Belgian Ambassador Ms Nancy Rossignol and Ukrainian Ambassador Mr Oleksandr Levchenko.

Zagreb – Today the session of the Croatian Parliament was adjourned until after September 15, pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution. On this occasion, Mr Josip Leko, Deputy Parliament Speaker and acting Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, held a media conference where he reported on the Sabor's work since the 7th Parliament convened on 22 December 2011 until 13 July 2012.

Zagreb – Mr David Lidington, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Minister of State responsible for Europe, visited the Croatian Parliament, where he was received by the Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee Mr Milorad Pupovac and the Chairman of the European Integration Committee Mr Daniel Mondekar.

Zagreb – The Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr Josip Leko offered his condolences to the speakers of both chambers of the Russian Parliament over the victims killed in the floods in the region of Krasnodarsk in the South of Russia.

Vienna – On Wednesday the National Council of Austria ratified Croatia’s Accession Treaty to the European Union. Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr Josip Leko attended the parliamentary debate and voting process.

Zagreb - Designated by the Speaker of the Parliament Mr Boris Šprem to perform the duties of the Speaker, Deputy Parliament Speaker Mr Josip Leko held a number of meetings on July 2 and 3. He received the ambassadors of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malaysia, Egypt, Montenegro and Finland.

Zagreb – On June 27, the Office of the Speaker of the Parliament announced the following decision: "Pursuant to the provisions of the article 33 subsection 2 of the Standing Orders of the Croatian Parliament, yesterday, on 26 June 2012, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr Boris Šprem took the Decision by which he designates the Deputy Speaker Mr Josip Leko to act in his stead for the duration of Mr Šprem’s inability to perform the duties of the Speaker.”

Zagreb – Top Croatian state leaders began the celebration of Statehood Day laying wreaths at the Mirogoj cemetery in the morning and finished the festivity at the concert held in the evening hours at the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb.

Zagreb - A delegation of Hessian parliamentarians and state officials headed by Deputy Minister-President of the Federal State of Hessen and Minister of Justice, for Integration and Europe Mr Jörg-Uwe Hahn visited the Croatian Parliament.

Budapest - Bilateral relations between Croatia and Hungary are traditionally good and fructuous and as such they set an example of good neighbourly relations, concluded the Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem and his Hungarian host Mr Laszlo Köver.