News

Zagreb - Members of Parliament on Thursday endorsed an initiative to increase the use of renewable energy sources in transport in the period until 2030 but also warned that Croatia mostly depends on imports for biofuels.

Zagreb - As a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic and earthquakes real GDP in the first half of 2020 contracted by 7.8% year-on-year, due to a drop in personal consumption, investments and exports, while government spending rose mildly, Croatian National Bank Governor Boris Vujčić said in Parliament on Thursday.

Zagreb - The Homeland Movement (DP) on Friday strongly criticised the State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures (DKOM), saying its head Maja Kuhar "built her career during the term of the (Zoran) Milanović government" and calling Croatia one of the most corrupt countries globally.

Zagreb - Lawmakers on Thursday commended a bill that will introduce electrochemical protection at all external ATMs over the next three years and in practice that means that in case of burglary, banknotes will be made unusable by an electrochemical device.

Zagreb - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković presented the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to Parliament on Wednesday, saying that it should help Croatia overcome the present crisis.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday adopted amendments to the Local Elections Act which introduce stricter criteria for the nomination of candidates for municipal heads, mayors, county heads and their deputies.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković congratulated the Roma national minority in Croatia on the 50th anniversary of International Romani Day.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday extended his best wishes to all Christian believers who celebrate Easter. In his message, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković called for solidarity and unity in the present challenging circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic and last year's earthquakes.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday issued message offering their best wishes to the Jewish faithful on the occasion of Passover.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday voted for the postponement of the population census, which was originally set for the spring but will now be conducted in the autumn.

Zagreb - Chairman of the Committee on the Economy Žarko Tušek and Committee Member Danica Baričević hosted an inter-parliamentary videoconference on the economic aspects of European integration. The conference was attended by the parliaments of Hungary, Austria, and Bosnia, and Herzegovina.

Zagreb - Lawyer Tena Šimonović Einwalter is the new Public Ombudswoman, the Croatian parliament decided on Friday by secret ballot.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday supported by a majority vote amendments to the Act on Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation enhancing the transparency of those processes, with public participation, and banning large-scale hydraulic fracturing.

Zagreb - Marijana Petir, Chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee of the Croatian Parliament, and Committee Members Stipan Šašlin and Ljubomir Kolarek participated in the inter-parliamentary videoconference of committees responsible for agriculture organized by the Hungarian National Assembly within the Twinning Project “Empowerment and further support to the Parliaments of Bosnia and Herzegovina in EU integration tasks”.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Wednesday discussed a proposal by the Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders, and Political System to nominate attorney and judge Sandra Hančić and Deputy Public Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter for the post of Public Ombudsman.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Monday that although a lot had been done in including women in public, professional and political life, further efforts should be made to reach the highest standards in gender equality.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday elected by secret ballot seven members of the Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) Programming Council. They are Nikola Baketa (99 votes), Vlaho Bogišić (101), Đemal Bratić (89), Ivica Lučić (89), Zorislav Lukić (83), Robert Markt (85) and Ozana Ramljak (92).

Zagreb - During Thursday's debate on amendments to the Agriculture Act, the parliamentary opposition said Croatia's agriculture was collapsing due to poor policies, while Minister Marija Vučković dismissed such claims and said that agricultural production was growing.

Zagreb/Lisbon - The delegation of the Croatian Parliament, consisting of the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Gari Cappelli, Chair of the Defence Committee Franko Vidović, Chair of the Domestic Policy and National Security Committee Nikša Vukas as well as the Head of the Delegation of the Croatian Parliament to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Ante Bačić, participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Videoconference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union, hosted by the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic.

Zagreb - About 75 kilograms of food is thrown out each year in Croatia per head, lawmakers underlined on Thursday during a debate on an agriculture bill which among other things regulates the prevention of waste food.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday sent condolences to the family of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, who passed away from heart attack, underscoring that Bandić's distinctive style in managing the city and many projects have left a mark for several generations of local residents.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Committee on the Family, Youth, and Sports said on Wednesday, on National Anti-Bullying Day, that there is growing peer violence on social networks, underscoring that this year the competent ministry has allocated much greater funds for the prevention of peer violence.

Zagreb - The Parliament's Constitution and Standing Orders Committee will on March 2 interview four candidates for the Public Ombudsman who could be elected on March 7.

Zagreb - European Parliament (EP) together with the parliamentary dimension of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), has organised this year's European Parliamentary Week 2021.

Zagreb - Public Ombudswoman Lora Vidović has submitted to the Croatian Parliament a special report on the right to a healthy life, in which she shows the connection between human rights and environmental protection.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday adopted a bill of amendments to the Croatian Qualifications Framework Act to define 13 instead of 11 existing education qualification levels.

Zagreb - Croatian lawmakers on Thursday welcomed a government proposal under which electrochemical protection would have to be installed in all external ATMs, but said that the deadline of five years to do so was too long and should be shortened.

Zagreb - The State Secretary at the Transport Ministry, Alen Gospočić, said on Wednesday in Parliament that 2021 was "the year of the railway" and that a major reform of the railway system would be launched, with projects currently amounting to three billion euros.

Zagreb - Members of the Judiciary Committee and the European Affairs Committee held a videoconference with the European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders and discussed the first European Commission 2020 Annual Rule of Law Report and the accompanying Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Croatia.

Zagreb - Chair of the European Affairs Committee Domagoj Hajduković, Deputy Chair Bojan Glavašević and Member of the Committee Davor Ivo Stier participated in an online Interparliamentary Conference of committees for EU affairs organised by the Austrian Parliament as part of the Twinning Project "Empowerment and further support to the Parliaments of Bosnia and Herzegovina in EU integration tasks”.

Zagreb - Members of parliament on Wednesday held a debate on amendments to the Competition Act and supported strengthening the role of the Croatian Competition Agency (AZTN).

Zagreb - The parliament on Thursday discussed the government-sponsored bill on electronic media, and opposition MPs found most problematic the draft provisions on the responsibility of publishers for user-generated content on electronic publications, that is, comments under articles.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday adopted the National Development Strategy until 2030, an overarching strategic document for national development that will provide a framework for the preparation of all local, regional and national strategies.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday declared Croatia's Exclusive Economic Zone (IGP) in the Adriatic. All 141 lawmakers who were present during the vote in the 151-seat parliament voted in favour of the IGP. The decision to declare the IGP will enter into force eight days after being published in the Official Gazette instead of 1 February as had originally been planned.

Zagreb - The COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on the creative and cultural industries which, along with air transport, were hit hardest, Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek said in Parliament on Thursday while presenting the new bill on copyright and related rights.

Zagreb  - Parliamentary groups on Thursday supported stronger protection of creative industries on the Internet, as well as stronger and better protection of authors, performers, and publishers.

Zagreb - During a parliamentary debate on amendments to the Energy Efficiency Act, which should help establish a mechanism for energy saving, the Opposition on Wednesday warned that solar energy was not used sufficiently in Croatia and that the share of renewable energy sources in Croatia was a mere 28%.

Zagreb - Miroslav Tuđman, a Member of Parliament from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), prominent scholar, politician, and son of Croatia's first president Franjo Tuđman, died on Sunday at the age of 75. 

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday signed a book of condolence opened in the parliament for HDZ MP Miroslav Tuđman who died on Sunday from complications caused by COVID-19.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday observed a minute's silence in memory of the Holocaust victims, marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, with Speaker Gordan Jandroković saying that it was everyone's duty never to forget the victims or let them down.

Zagreb - The highest state delegations on Wednesday laid wreaths at the sculpture "Moses" at the Jewish section of Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Zagreb - The government has sent a draft national consumer protection programme for the period 2021 - 2024 to Parliament, defining objectives, benchmarks, priorities and activities in implementing consumer protection policies.

Zagreb - PM Plenković said in the Parliament the most important achievement last year was the agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) under which Croatia has at its disposal €12.7 billion, having to pay €661 million annually into the EU budget over the next seven years. The Next Generation EU instrument totals €750 billion and Croatia is entitled to €9.6 billion from that mechanism, which does not require national co-financing, he said.

Zagreb - Construction Minister Darko Horvat said in Parliament on Tuesday that earthquake damage had been reported on 42,037 buildings and that the state would pay for the construction of new homes or the finding of replacement ones for owners whose houses would have to be torn down.

Zagreb - Parliament started its regular spring session on Tuesday with a minute's silence in honour of the people killed in devastating earthquakes that hit Croatia, of eight young people who died of gas poisoning during a New Year's Eve celebration in Posusje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and of all COVID casualties.

Zagreb - Farmers in earthquake-hit areas need concrete help immediately so that they can stay and live and work there, it was said at a meeting of the parliamentary Agriculture Committee on Friday. Farmers are faced with many problems - damaged houses, farm buildings and equipment, polluted wells and buyers who are taking advantage of the situation and offering low prices for their cattle, the committee heard. 

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday sent Christmas greetings to believers who celebrate it according to the Julian calendar. The Speaker recalled that 2020 was "a challenging year, which is why must not forget those in distress who need our support so much. He called for solidarity, tolerance and kindness to our nighbours.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Wednesday called on all Members of Parliament do donate a part of their salary for December to help earthquake victims in Sisak-Moslavina County.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković visited Petrinja on Wednesday and said that if necessary the Parliament would be convened earlier than scheduled.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, who on Wednesday toured parts of Sisak-Moslavina County hardest hit by the earthquake, said that Croatia would not leave those people and would stay by them.