News

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.

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 - 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.

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.

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 - 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.

Budapest – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem, who is undertaking an official visit to Hungary, met on Monday in Budapest with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. They discussed the two countries’ bilateral relations and the cooperation of Central European countries in the context of Croatia’s accession to the European Union.

Zagreb – A delegation of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, headed by Lord Dundee, visited the Croatian Parliament. They were received by the Croatian Parliament Speaker Mr Boris Šprem as well as by the chairmen and members of the Foreign Policy Committee and the European Integration Committee.

Zagreb - Chairpersons and Members of three committees of the Croatian Parliament – Physical Planning and Construction Committee, Committee on Transportation, Communications and Maritime Affairs and European Integration Committee – held meetings with a delegation of the Committee on Transport, Building and Urban Development of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, led by Mr Volkmar Vogel.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament Speaker Mr Boris Šprem met with the President of the Republic of Kosovo Ms Atifete Jahjaga, who is undertaking an official visit to Croatia. They focused on the topics of the present situation in the region and the ways of strengthening the already cordial and friendly bilateral relations.

Zagreb – Luxembourg is most likely to ratify Croatia’s Accession Treaty before the Chamber rises for the summer recess, or in autumn at the latest, stated Mr. Laurent Moser, Speaker of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies during the return visit the Luxembourg parliamentary delegation he headed was paying to the Sabor.

Zagreb – A reception for state officials, Members of Parliament and the diplomatic corps was held today in the Parliament to celebrate the Croatian Parliament Day.

Zagreb – While marking the 20th anniversary of the membership of the Republic of Croatia in the United Nations, leading Croatian state officials concurred that the UN, largest international organization encompassing 194 world countries, had substantially helped Croatia gain independence and that the country would remain committed to UN principles.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem met with Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy and the delegation he headed.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem met with Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada, undertaking an official visit to Croatia.

Zagreb – A delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, headed by the Committee Chairman Mirza Kušljugić, visited the Croatian Parliament.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem received the visit of Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress paying an official visit to Croatia at the Speaker's invitation.

Zagreb – Croatia is grateful to Poland for its valuable contributions on Croatia's path to the European Union. Today Poland represents a good source of information on how to most efficiently use the EU funds, said the Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem after the meeting with the Marshal of the Polish Senate Bogdan Borusewicz.

Zagreb – The Health and Social Welfare Committee of the Croatian Parliament, chaired by Biljana Borzan, received the visit of a delegation of the Health Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament. During their stay, the guests from the Czech Republic also held meetings with Josip Leko, Deputy Speaker, and Vladimir Bilek, MP representing the Czech and Slovak national minorities in the Croatian Parliament.

Topusko – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem attended the ceremony held in Topusko under the auspices of the Croatian Parliament to mark the 67th anniversary of the victory over Fascism, the liberation of Croatia and its capital city, the 68th anniversary of the historic 3rd conference of the National Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Croatia (ZAVNOH) and Europe Day.

Zagreb – Today the Croatian Parliament hosted the presentation of the latest “Analysis on children and women’s rights in Croatia” carried out by the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar. The Analysis shows, among other things, that the economic crisis has particularly negatively affected children.

Zagreb – Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem took part in today’s simulated parliamentary debate held in the Parliament’s conference hall and organized by the Croatian branch of the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA). This year the traditional Parliament Simulation Project gathered participants from five law faculties in Zagreb, Osijek, Split and Rijeka who debated on the bill on riots prevention at sporting events.

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.