News

Zagreb - The 15th meeting of the Croatia-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) took place in the Croatian Parliament from 2 to 3 May. The meeting was co-chaired by Andrej Plenković, chairperson of the Croatian Parliament Delegation to the Croatia-EU JPC, and Gunnar Hökmark, head of the European Parliament Delegation.

Zagreb – Hrvoje Marušić, Director General for European Affairs from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, presented the Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union (MFF) 2014-2020 at the joint meeting of the European Integration Committee and the Finance and Central Budget Committee of the Croatian Parliament.

Brussels – Today the European Commission adopted the Monitoring Report on Croatia’s accession preparations for the EU membership. The Report stresses progress in the level of preparedness and highlights the areas where further efforts are necessary in order for Croatia to be fully ready for membership on 1 July 2013.

Strasbourg – Head and members of the Croatian Parliament Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe - Gvozden Srećko Flego, Igor Kolman, Frano Matušić and Ivan Račan – are taking part in the work of the second part of this year’s regular session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, taking place in Strasbourg from 23 to 27 April.

Jasenovac – The Croatian political leadership – President of the Republic Ivo Josipović, Prime Minister Zoran Milanović and Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem – gathered at the Jasenovac Memorial Site to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the inmates’ breakthrough from the concentration camp and to send the message that the crimes committed in Jasenovac must not be forgotten or denied and that fascist ideas will never again take hold in Croatia.

Zagreb – This week Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem received the visits of David Slinn, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Msgr. Mario Roberto Cassari, Papal Nuncio to the Republic of Croatia.

Zagreb - The delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, headed by Jozef Regec, Committee Chairman, visited Sabor this week.

Zagreb – A delegation of the Finish Parliament Audit Committee, headed by its Chairwoman Tuija Brax, visited Sabor this week. They held meetings with the chairpersons and members of the Finance and Central Budget Committee, European Integration Committee and the National Council for Monitoring Anti-Corruption Strategy Implementation.

Strasbourg – Observers from the Croatian Parliament will for the first time take part in the European Parliament plenary session starting today in Strasbourg.

Zagreb – Thomas Christiansen, Professor at Maastricht University and OPAL project coordinator, delivered a lecture on “The Role of National Parliaments in the European Union". The event organized by the European Integration Committee and the Institute for International Relations was held in the Croatian Parliament.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem has sent his best wishes to the believers in the Republic of Croatia marking Easter according the Julian calendar.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem received the Second President of the National Council of Austrian Parliament Fritz Neugebauer who is undertaking an official visit in Croatia.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem has sent his best wishes to the believers in the Republic of Croatia observing Easter according the Gregorian calendar.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem has sent his warm wishes to mark Passover to Ognjen Kraus, President of the Coordinating Committee of the Jewish Communities in the Republic of Croatia, to Kotel Da-Don, Chief Rabbi of The Bet Israel Jewish Community of Croatia and to all Jewish believers in Croatia.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem met with the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdžija, who is undertaking an official visit to the Republic of Croatia.

Skoplje – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem is paying an official visit to the Republic of Macedonia at the invitation of his Macedonian counterpart Trajko Veljanoski. Šprem and the Croatian parliamentary delegation were also received by the Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and the President of the Republic Gjorge Ivanov.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem held meetings with the Japanese, Portuguese and the Dutch ambassador to Croatia.

Zagreb – Today in the Croatian Parliament the Speaker Boris Šprem held a number of meetings. He met with the delegation of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Italian Parliament Chamber of Deputies, led by the Committee Chairman Stefano Stefani, with Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and he received two ambassadors.

Zagreb – Today the Croatian Parliament appointed twelve MPs as Observers in the European Parliament. Their term of office will last until Croatia becomes a full member of the European Union. Observers were appointed based on the MP clubs’ proposals, in proportion to the current structure of the Croatian Parliament.

Zagreb – A delegation of the Foreign Policy Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia headed by the Committee Chairman Jozef Horvat visited the Croatian Parliament. The delegation was received by the Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem and later held meetings with the Croatian Parliament Foreign Policy Committee and with the European Integration Committee.

Zagreb – In the presence of the Prime Minister Zoran Milanović, members of the government and diplomatic representatives in Croatia, the Croatian Parliament ratified the Treaty of Accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union by unanimous vote. This was the only item debated at today’s plenary sitting.

Zagreb – On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, Croatian President Ivo Josipović, in cooperation with the UN in Croatia, organized a round table conference on violence against women with the aim of creating the Network of Men Leaders, a network of men in leadership position who would serve as role models and put the important message across that violence against women needs to be stopped.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem received Italy's Ambassador to Croatia Ms Emanuela D'Alessandro. They talked about Šprem's recent visit to the presidents of both chambers of the Italian Parliament Renato Schifani and Gianfranco Fini. Šprem attended the Upper Chamber plenary session when Italian Senators ratified Croatia's EU Accession Treaty.

Rome – On Tuesday evening, in the presence of the Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem, the upper chamber of the Parliament of the Republic of Italy supported by a majority of votes the law ratifying the Treaty on the Accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The lower chamber of the Italian Parliament ratified the Treaty on February 15. Italy thus joined Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary.

Zagreb – The Estonian Parliament is going to ratify Croatia's Treaty on the Accession to the European Union in March or April, announced Ms Ene Ergma, Speaker of the Estonian Parliament during her official visit to Croatia at the invitation of her Croatian counterpart Mr Boris Šprem.

Zagreb – Most MP Clubs – all clubs of the ruling coalition, the Independent Democratic Serbian Party and the National Minorities MP Club – supported government's draft on the state budget for this year in today’s plenary discussion.

Sofia – In the presence of Mr. Boris Šprem, Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, all of the 181 Members of the National Assembly of Bulgaria present at the Friday plenary session voted in favour of the ratification of Croatia’s Treaty on the Accession to the European Union.

Zagreb – The Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr. Boris Šprem expressed his gratification with the fact that the Hungarian Parliament had ratified Croatia’s Accession Treaty to the European Union, referring to it as an indicator of very good relations between the two countries.

Zagreb - GONG, a renowned non-partisan NGO intended to encourage citizens’ active participation in political processes, organized a round table conference in the Croatian Parliament on the steps to be taken before Croatia’s actual Accession to the European Union on 1 July 2013. The general conclusion of the many participants, most notable among them Mr. Paul Vandoren, Head of EU Delegation to Croatia, Mr. Boris Šprem, Speaker of the Parliament, and Mr. Berto Šalaj, President of GONG Council, boils down to the fact that the better Croatia prepares for the EU membership in the following year and a half, the more it shall benefit from it.

Bratislava – The National Council of the Slovak Republic is the first parliament of EU Member States to have ratified Croatia’s Treaty of Accession to the European Union, Croatian News Agency (HINA) reported.

Zagreb – According to the 8 o’clock official near complete results of the State Election Commission, 1. 298 948 or 66.27 percent of voters backed Croatia’s membership in the European Union, 649 439 or 33.13 percent voted against, while 11 732 or 0.60 percent of voting slips were invalid. These are the results collected from 99.93 percent of the polling stations.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament's regular work is to begin on Wednesday, January 18. The first regular plenary session of the 7th Parliament will last until January 27. According to the provisions of the Croatian Constitution, Sabor sits in regular session from January 15 till July 15.