News

Helsinki - Croatia and Finland will preside over the European Union in times full of challenges and they are ready to fully cooperate and support one another, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and his Finnish counterpart Paula Risikko said at their meeting in Helsinki on Wednesday.

Dubrovnik – The International Parliamentary Conference “Building democratic security in the Mediterranean: common challenges, shared responsibility” was held on Tuesday as part of Croatia’s Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, organized by the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Croatian Parliament.

Dubrovnik - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, speaking in Dubrovnik on Tuesday, emphasised the importance of cooperation between northern and southern Mediterranean countries, adding that Croatia wanted to promote stability and peace in the Mediterranean.

Zagreb - Members of the European Affairs Committee, Finance and Central Budget Committee, Committee on the Economy, Labour, Retirement System and the Social Partnership Committee and the Committee on Regional Development and European Union Funds held a meeting with the Vice-President of the European Commission and the Commissioner for Euro and Social Dialogue, Valdis Dombrovskis.

Zagreb - An interparliamentary conference on the proposal of a new legal framework for the European Union's common agricultural policy for the next programme period will be held in the Croatian Parliament on November 22-23, the Chairman of the Croatian Parliament's Agriculture Committee, Tomislav Panenić, and Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić announced on Monday.

Pecs - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met with his Hungarian counterpart Laszlo Kövér in Pecs on Wednesday, expressing great satisfaction with the level of rights enjoyed by the Croatian minority in Hungary and the Hungarian minority in Croatia, and pointing out that the two countries were an example of how countries should care for their ethnic minorities.

Osijek - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and his Hungarian counterpart Laszlo Kövér laid a foundation stone in Osijek on Wednesday for a student dormitory of the Hungarian Education and Culture Centre. The HRK 8.5 million investment will be financed from the Croatian budget and the dorm is expected to be built in 300 days. It will house 50 students.

Vienna – Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mr. Miro Kovač, Chairman of the Defence Committee Mr. Igor Dragovan and Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mr. Joško Klisović participated at the two-day Conference for the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP/CSDP), organized within the scope of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday endorsed, with 78 votes in favour and 52 against, the annual report on government performance in 2017 which Prime Minister Andrej Plenković submitted this week.

Brussels – Member of the Croatian Parliament Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Ante Babić participated at the High-level Conference on the future of international election observation, co-organized by the European Parliament and the European Union External Action Service in the premises of the European Parliament in Brussels.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković sent a letter of congratulations on the occasion of Independence Day which Croatia celebrates on 8 October, and in his message he underscores that the 1991-1995 war of independence and its values lay the foundations for the present-day Croatia.

Zagreb - Croatian Deputy Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner in Zagreb on Tuesday received the Italian Order of the Star decoration for promoting the Italian language and culture. 

Bruxelles - In his capacity as envoy of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, the Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Joško Klisović attended the 10th Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP 10) hosted by the European Parliament.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament Committee on Home Affairs and National Security on Wednesday endorsed the annual report on police work in 2017, paying special attention to the migrant crisis.

Brussels – Deputy Chair of the Domestic Policy and National Security Committee, Petar Škorić participated at the 3rd Meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on the European Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday presented the European Citizen's Prize for 2018 to the Croatian Office for Creativity and Innovations (HUKI), an NGO committed to promoting entrepreneurial culture and education about creative and innovative approaches to solving real-world challenges in local communities.

Zadar - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday visited the coastal city of Zadar, where he discussed local projects with the city's leaders, noting that Zadar was developing well. "I believe the situation will be even better in the future. We discussed a number of projects that are financed with EU funds in the amount of EUR 35 million," Jandroković told reporters.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met with visiting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Tuesday, and the two officials confirmed the two countries' traditionally friendly and intensive relations.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament President Gordan Jandroković on Monday extended his best wishes to the Jewish faithful in Croatia for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev during his official visit to Zagreb on Thursday, and they agreed that there was great potential for improving trade between the two countries.

Zagreb - During the migrant crisis it became again evident that southeast Europe had strategic importance, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said in Dubrovnik on Saturday, expressing regret that the European Union failed to systematically deal with that region.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said that everything the Croatian people ever wanted, namely a free, independent, modern and democratic Croatia, was achieved 23 years ago, when the Croatian flag was hoisted at the Knin fortress, which symbolically marked the end of the Homeland War.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Wednesday met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin who is on an official visit to Croatia.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday adopted amendments to the Education Act, setting out the purpose, goals, structure and method of adopting documents relating to the curricular reform, and providing for a 30% increase in wages for teachers involved in EU projects being implemented in schools.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday, after nearly three years, appointed a Council for Civilian Oversight of Security and Intelligence Agencies, which ceased to exist in late 2015 when the term of its then members of the council expired.

Zagreb - The Croatian National Bank (HNB) on Friday got a new leadership after the parliament re-appointed Boris Vujčić as HNB governor for a six-year term, while Sandra Švaljek was appointed his deputy and Slavko Tešija, Roman Šubić and Martina Drvar HNB vice-governors.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday adopted amendments to several laws, including the Forests Act which is to ensure better management of forests and forest land.

Zagreb - The 32-million-kuna renovated Bishop's Palace in Dubrovnik was formally inaugurated at a ceremony on Tuesday, and local Catholic Bishop Mate Uzinić will move into the palace on 21 September.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković congratulated the national football team and its selector Zlatko Dalić on winning a World Cup quarter-finals match against Russia in Sochi and securing their place among the world's four best national football teams.

Zagreb - The 10th anniversary of the establishment of the ombudsperson's office for the disabled was observed in parliament on Monday with ombudswoman Anka Slonjšak underscoring that her mission is to "contribute to creating a society in which despite their differences and limitations, citizens will have equal opportunities in life and at work."

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday issued a Statehood Day message, wishing that the harmony and togetherness which led Croats in the creation of a free, independent and democratic Croatia be an additional incentive to continue to develop Croatian society on patriotism, dialogue, tolerance, the harmonising of differences and cooperation to the benefit of all Croats at home and abroad.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Thursday offered his best wishes to Croatian citizens in a message issued on the occasion of Antifascist Struggle Day, which commemorates June 22, 1941, when one of the first antifascist units in Europe - the 1st Sisak Partisan Unit - was formed, noting that the victory over fascism in World War II, to which the antifascist movement in Croatia had contributed, had determined the future of present-day Europe.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Wednesday received the Archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, who took part in a Croatian parliament session on the stay and return of refugees and displaced Croats to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Zagreb - Representatives of the "The Truth About the Istanbul Convention" civil initiative on Wednesday delivered to parliament books with the signatures of 377,635 Croatian voters for calling a referendum to repeal the Convention. They submitted a request for calling the referendum to registrar Davor Orlović.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Committee for Croats Abroad conducted a meeting on Wednesday on the sustainable stay and return of displaced and refugee Croats to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in particular to its Serb entity, with the committee's chairman, Božo Ljubić (HDZ), saying that Bosnia had lost a large portion of its population in and after the 1990s war, with the Croat entity recording the greatest losses.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković in Zagreb on Tuesday held talks with the Croat member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency, Dragan Covic, who briefed him about the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina ahead of the 7 October election.

Sofia - The meeting was chaired by Kristian Vigenin, Chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds, National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria with the participation of the Chairman of the European Affairs Committee Domagoj Ivan Milošević and the members of the Committee Joško Klisović and Davor Ivo Stier.

Zagreb - As part of the programme of Croatia's presidency over the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers the Croatian government's Gender Equality Office on Tuesday presented the Council of Europe's Gender Equality Strategy for the period from 2018 to 2023, which differs from the previous one in that one goal has been added - protection of rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met in Zagreb on Friday with the visiting President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Michele Nicoletti.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Wednesday extended best wishes on the occasion of Croatian Parliament Day and called on lawmakers to respect the will of the people, strengthen the culture of democratic tolerance, understanding and respect, underscoring that that was the only way to change the public perception of state institutions and restore the public's trust in them.

Zagreb - In the last 20 years Croatia has spent nearly 5.5 billion kuna (743 million euros) on mine clearance operations, and 595 people have been injured by mine explosions since the end of the 1991-1995 war, including 203 fatally, the Croatian parliament was told on Friday.

Zagreb - A ceremony was held in Parliament on Friday to mark 15 years since the establishment of the Croatian Association of Counties (HZZ).

Zagreb - Parliamentary groups on Wednesday supported a report by the Children's Ombudswoman for 2016 and 2017 with lawmakers emphasising the importance of protecting children's rights.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Tuesday visited Bjelovar-Bilogora County, inaugurating a business incubator for IT startups and visiting the construction site of a EUR 24 million bioenergy plant.

Zagreb - The 20th anniversary of the death of Defence Minister Gojko Šušak was observed with wreath-laying ceremonies at Zagreb's Mirogoj Cemetery on Thursday, with Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković praising Šušak for making a huge contribution to Croatia's victory in the 1991-1995 war of independence.

Zagreb - The state leadership, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, as well as numerous veterans and citizens laid wreaths and lit candles in Okučani on Tuesday to pay their respects to the defenders killed in Operation Flash, in which the army and the police liberated the western Slavonia region 23 years ago.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday issued an International Workers' Day message, saying the centuries-long struggle of workers should be a reminder of all that has been achieved in strengthening their rights as well as an incentive to create better work conditions, social security, justice and solidarity.

Zagreb - At the end of his two-day visit to Sweden on Thursday, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković was received by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and invited the Swedish heir apparent to visit Croatia.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković is currently on a two-day reciprocal official visit to the Swedish parliament at the invitation of Sweden's Speaker Urban Ahlin, parliament said in a press release on Wednesday.

Zagreb - Interparliamentary cooperation should be strengthened and deepened through regular meetings and discussions, Swedish Deputy Parliament Speaker Ewa Thalen Finne, Swedish parliamentary officials and Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković agreed at talks held on the first day of his official visit to Sweden, which ended with Jandrokovic's meeting the mayor of Stockholm and the minister for migration.