News

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 – 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.

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".

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

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 - 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.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament amended the Criminal Procedure Act for the seventh time on Friday. The amendments include several novelties: police interviews with suspects will be recorded and used as evidence in further proceedings; a distinction is made between the terms "victim" and "injured party"; victims' rights have been strengthened, including the right to protection against intimidation and the right to have one's case heard without unjustified delay.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday marked the 22nd anniversary of genocide committed at Srebrenica, eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković stressing that the Srebrenica tragedy would continue until the last victim was identified.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Prime Minister Plenković laid wreaths and lit candles at Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery on the occasion of Statehood Day, which is observed in memory of 25 June 1991 when the Croatian parliament adopted the historic decision to launch Croatia's disassociation from the other republics of the then Yugoslav federation.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Thursday issued a message on Antifascist Struggle Day, observed on June 22, saying that "today we remember the formation of the First Sisak Partizan Unit, which was the first organised unit of the antifascist resistance."

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Monday increased maternity and parental allowances by unanimously adopting a law to that effect, with 122 votes in favour.

Zagreb - Croatia's Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and the visiting Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday agreed that Croatia and Poland had concurring views on many topics including foreign affairs topics at the global level.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković received Romania's Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu on Monday and they agreed that in order to strengthen economic cooperation it was necessary to open air routes between Zagreb and Bucharest.

Zagreb – The Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr Gordan Jandroković chaired the Fourth Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), held on Saturday in Zagreb within the framework of the Croatian Chairmanship-in-Office of the SEECP.

Zagreb – At a ceremony marking Croatian Sabor Day on Tuesday Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković gave a speech in which he emphasized that the country's legislative body, the parliament, had to continue working on ensuring political stability and advancing legislation, calling on MPs to demonstrate unity regarding the accomplishment of state and national interests just as they demonstrated unity on European topics, and to cooperate in ensuring political stability and strengthening state institutions as well as economic growth and development.

Zagreb - Croatia needs a single, all-encompassing national strategy of how to become a brand, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Monday, underscoring that Croatia has to highlight its diversity and should not base its image simply on tourism and natural attractions.

Zagreb - On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of Croatian Armed Forces Day, representatives of the state leadership on Sunday laid wreaths and lit candles at the monument "The Voice of Croatia's Victims - Wall of Pain," at the Tomb of National Heroes, at the Central Cross in the Alley of Killed Homeland War Veterans, at the grave of Croatia's first president Franjo Tudjman and the graves of former defence minister Gojko Šušak, generals Zvonimir Červenko, Martin Špegelj and Imra Agotić at Zagreb's central Mirogoj cemetery.

Opatija - Meeting of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly Standing Committee was held in Opatija within the framework of Croatian Chairmanship-in-Office, gathering parliamentarians from SEECP participating countries who discussed the preparatory procedure for the fourth Plenary Session of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly to be held in Zagreb, 8 – 10 June 2017.

Zagreb - European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said in Zagreb on Friday that he would support Croatia's accession to the Schengen Area as soon as possible in light of threats facing the European Union.

Zagreb - A memorial service was held at Bleiburg field in Austria on Saturday in memory of the disarmed Croatian soldiers and civilians killed there and on the Way of the Cross death marches through Yugoslavia at the end of WWII.

Zagreb - The two-day conference, called "Protecting human rights and strengthening democracy in Europe", was organised under the high patronage of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament to mark the 25th anniversary since the establishment of the office of Human Rights Ombudsman in Croatia.

Zagreb - The Croatian government on Thursday forwarded to Parliament a bill on the prevention of unfair trading practices in the food supply chain, which is designed to protect domestic producers from unfair treatment by traders. The purpose of the bill is to protect domestic farmers and the food industry, Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić said, stressing that 22 of the 28 EU member-countries already had such legal regulations in force.

Zagreb - The newly-elected Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), said in his inaugural address on Friday that he would work on fostering the basic constitutional values, political pluralism, the rule of law, the protection of human and minority rights, mutual respect and ethical behaviour.