News

Zagreb - The quality of the relations between the United States and Croatia is at the highest level so far, the new US ambassador to Croatia, Nathalie Rayes, said in the Parliament on Thursday.

Zagreb - The six million Jews killed in WWII are the most horrific reminder of how low man can get, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Friday, on the occasion of tomorrow's International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Zagreb - Construction and State Assets Minister Branko Bačić said on Wednesday that the law, which solves the long-standing problem of protected tenants, corrects the injustice towards apartment owners while at the same time enabling tenants to solve the housing issue.

Zagreb - Croatian MPs on Wednesday welcomed the proposal that taxi drivers will be supposed to have their cards while providing services and that passengers will be able to check those cards using a QR code.

Zagreb - The four candidates for the new State Attorney General - Deputy State Attorney General Emilijo Kalabrić, attorney Mladen Dragičević, High Criminal Court judge Ivan Turudić and Split County Deputy Prosecutor Nikša Wagner - on Wednesday presented their programmes and answered questions before the Sabor's Committee on the Judiciary.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament will discuss two items on the agenda on Wednesday, including the final text of a bill on international development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

Zagreb - The parliament on Monday began its first session in 2024, and at the start of the session, Sabor Speaker Gordan Jandroković extended messages on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of Croatia's recognition and 26th anniversary of the completion of the peaceful reintegration.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday sent Christmas greetings to believers who celebrate it according to the Julian calendar, underscoring that in the present-day world being faced with many challenges it is important that Christians remain promoters of solidarity and optimism.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday wished a happy 2024 on his and the Sabor's behalf to all Croatians at home and abroad as well as to all Croatian citizens.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday issued message offering his best wishes to all Croatians for Christmas.

Zagreb - The Parliament's Media Committee on Wednesday ended a thematic session on government advertising in the media, convened at the request of the Opposition over the Mreža TV scandal, without any conclusion.

Zagreb - The appointment of Damir Habijan of the HDZ party as the new economy and sustainable development minister was approved by the parliament on Wednesday with a tally of 77 in favour and 35 votes against, and one abstention.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday amended the Law on Croatian Homeland War Veterans to enhance the veterans' basic entitlements and allowances, enable them to stay longer on the labour market, and create conditions for the establishment of war veterans' centres.

Zagreb - The parliament on Friday gave its consent for the deployment of Croatian troops in several peace missions led by NATO, the EU or in coalition missions.

Zagreb - National Palliative Care Day will be observed on May 11, after MPs supported it on Friday at the proposal of the Parliamentary Committee for Health and Social Policy and advocated for the improvement of the palliative care system.

Zagreb - The parliament on Friday adopted the law on inclusive allowance and amended the child allowance legislation.

Zagreb - The law on management of the state-owned real estate and movables and the Tourism Law were adopted by the Croatian parliament by a majority vote on Friday.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday adopted the Act on the Wages of Public and Civil Servants, as a result of which employees with the lowest wages could see a significant increase in their wages as of March 2024.

Zagreb - The Croatian Scouts' Association on Monday traditionally brought the Peace Light of Bethlehem to the Croatian Parliament, with Speaker Gordan Jandroković saying its message was about the importance of peace, unity and tolerance between differences and of readiness to understand others.

Zagreb - Finance Ministry State Secretary Tereza Rogić Lugarić told MPs on Monday that four multinational corporations were registered in Croatia and that they would fall under the proposed bill on the minimum global corporate tax.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Thursday extended greetings to Jewish believers in Croatia on the occasion of Hanukkah, saying that Hanukkah's message is that light will win over darkness.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Thursday received Father Francesco Patton, the Custos of the Holy Land, and they talked about the Chapel of Croatian Saints and Blessed Croatians in Betlehem, which was completed last year.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Opposition on Wednesday said that the proposed legislation on tourism would not solve the problems in the tourism sector, and that the new law would not stop the excessive building of apartments in tourist destinations.

Zagreb - Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said on Wednesday that the new Tourism Act would make it possible for local government units to decide on the development of their tourism industry based on exact data. Local authorities will be given new powers and obligations in tourism management, in accordance with the specific features of their tourist destinations, the minister told Parliament.

Zagreb - The state budget for 2024 was adopted on Thursday by Croatia's 151-seat parliament with a 77-42 tally. The budget revenue of €28.5 billion is 3% higher than this year, and the expenditures, totalling €32.6 billion, are 11.2% higher than in 2023.

Zagreb - As many as 468 amendments, 33 more than last year, have been submitted by MPs to the draft 2024 state budget, with only five submitted by the majority.

Zagreb - Both ruling and opposition members of the Croatian Parliament on Friday supported the proposal to amend the Courts Act, under which all court judgments would have to be published on a dedicated website.

Zagreb - A Cyber Security Bill, which provides for a certain centralisation in cyber security management, through the transformation of the Cyber Security Centre of the Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) into the National Cyber Security Centre, will be on the Sabor's agenda on Thursday.

Zagreb - The government will have to say what it plans to do with Fortenova as the successor to the failed Agrokor conglomerate, the chair of the parliamentary Justice Committee said on Wednesday, and he also expects answers on the State Attorney's Office's (DORH) responsibility for the expert evaluation.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, who on Saturday took part in the Remembrance Walk in Vukovar, called for solemn commemoration of war victims in Vukovar and Škabrnja and defenders who gave heir lives in the 1991-1995 Homeland War.

Zagreb - Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs said in the parliament on Thursday that the Bill on the Croatian Language laid down the basic rules for the official and public use of the Croatian language and secured a systematic expert care for the Croatian language.

Zagreb - World Diabetes Day was marked in Parliament on Wednesday with a public health campaign which included the measuring of blood glucose and arterial pressure and counselling on the proper diet.

Zagreb - The Sabor's Defence Committee on Wednesday supported by majority vote the proposal to vote confidence in Osijek-Baranja County head Ivan Anušić as the new Defence Minister, and he said that the completion of the coastal patrol boat fleet and the army's return to Beli Manastir were his priorities.

Zagreb - Croatia is not exposed to a mass and out-of-control migrant flow and it was not and will not be a migrant hotspot, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said on Thursday and dismissed the possibility of deploying the army on the border.

Zagreb - Speaking ahead of a debate on illegal migration, the right opposition said the army should be deployed at key points on the border to prevent illegal entries, while the left opposition said migrants were not a threat to Croatia and that the right was fomenting citizens' fears ahead of elections.

Zagreb - The exhibition "Croatian training ship Jadran - home port Split, 1933-2023", which marks the 90th anniversary of that ship sailing into the port of Split, opened in the Croatian parliament on Thursday, with the message that endeavours are being taken to bring the vessel back from Tivat to Croatia.

Zagreb - Right-wing opposition parties on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's policy on illegal migration after he presented reports on European Council meetings held between April and October.

Zagreb - Delegations of the parliament and government on Tuesday laid wreaths at Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery on the eve of All Saints' Day.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament passed the Traffic Privileges Act on Friday, regulating privileges in rail, maritime and road  traffic.

Zagreb - The 151-seat parliament on Friday adopted by majority vote the government-sponsored budget revision, which increases budget revenue by €1.1 billion to €27.7 billion and outlays by 1.2 billion to €29.3 billion.

Zagreb - Parliament's Information and Media Committee on Thursday sent the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System Committee the opinion that all three candidates for the post of new Information Commissioner meet the requirements - Anita Markić, Dubravka Bevandić and Nikola Kristić.

Zagreb - The Sabor's Home Affairs and National Security Committee on Thursday adopted a conclusion obliging the government to submit to the parliament within the next 15 days a report on the state of illegal migrations in Croatia since its Schengen entry, to be followed by a discussion on it at a plenary session.

Zagreb -  The ruling majority and the opposition on Friday welcomed changes to the Law on Materials and Objects that Come in Direct Contact with Food, which improves public health protection standards, and warned of the presence of microplastics in the soil, air and water, as well as the counterfeiting of packaging.

Zagreb - The Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution, Rules of Procedure and Political System decided on Friday that, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure , the Ministry of the Interior's report on illegal migration cannot be included in the agenda of the plenary session.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday rejected by majority vote a proposal to amend the Civil Obligations Act, submitted by the SDP and the Green-Left Bloc, with which they requested that the method of debt calculation in that law be changed.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Tuesday ratified an agreement on a loan which the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development has approved to Croatia for the project "Digital, Innovative and Green Technology".

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Tuesday unanimously adopted the Law on Academic and Professional Titles and Academic Degrees which removes incongruences with European practices in the awarding of titles, notably those acquired upon completion of specialist graduate studies in Croatia.

Zagreb - The motion for a no-confidence vote against Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman, which was submitted by the Bridge party over the minister's failure to declare dividend income of €2.1 million from the company owned by his family, was on Tuesday supported by 48 MPs while 77 were against it.

Zagreb - The Sabor's Committee on Environment and Nature Protection on Thursday discussed climate and energy policies in the context of updating the Integral National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for the period from 2021 to 2030.

Zagreb - The Opposition on Thursday blasted the draft Tourism Bill, maintaining that it would not result in sustainable tourism and the only ones to profit would be private consultancies that would make tourism development plans while HDZ MPs commended it as a step forward and an example to other countries.