News

Zagreb - Both the ruling and opposition parties on Wednesday commended a set of judicial laws that bring stricter penalties for domestic violence, ensure faster criminal proceedings and bring additional protection for some professions such as social workers and teachers. Amendments to the Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Act and the Act on Protection against Domestic Violence bring stricter penalties to ensure better protection of victims of certain crimes, notably domestic violence.

Zagreb - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Tuesday laid a wreath at the grave of Croatia's first president, Franjo Tuđman, at Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his death.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament will emphasize through its activities the priorities of the Croatian presidency of the European Union and special emphasis will be placed on the membership prospects of Western Balkan countries that wish to join the EU, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said on Thursday.

Zagreb - The government on Thursday sent three judicial bills for the second reading in Parliament, proposing harsher penalties for acts of violence against women, domestic violence and violence against other people.

Zagreb - The Croatian government sent amendments to the Construction Act to the parliament on Thursday to align it with an amended EU directive on the energy efficiency of buildings, with the amendments introducing the obligation to adopt a long-term strategy for the renovation of the national housing stock to make it highly efficient and decarbonised in the period until 2050.

Brussels - Foreign Affairs Committee’s Chairman Miro Kovač participated in the inter-parliamentary meeting organised by European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET). 

Helsinki - Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Domagoj Ivan Milošević, Deputy Chair Domagoj Hajduković and Committee members Ines Strenja and Ivan Ćelić participated at the meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) held on 1 - 3 December 2019 in Helsinki. It was the last interparliamentary event in the framework of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday debated a bill on amendments to the law on ferry transport and occasional coastal transport aimed at creating better conditions for the exercise of the right to transport concessions, particularly for the disabled and children with developmental disabilities.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday voted in a set of nine tax laws making up the fourth tax reform which brings tax reliefs in the amount of HRK 2.4 billion. The changes bring a lower, 13% VAT rate on food and dessert preparation and serving in and outside catering establishments, and a lower VAT rate for holders of phonographic rights.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday amended, with 75 votes in favour and 27 votes against, the Decorations and Awards Act to introduce a new decoration - the Grand Order of President of the Republic Franjo Tuđman with Sash and Morning Star.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Swiss President Ueli Maurer said in Zagreb on Friday that Croatian expatriates were well integrated in Switzerland and that they could help to boost economic cooperation.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Health and Social Policy Committee on Thursday discussed an annual report on drug abuse in the European Union presented two days ago in Brussels, which indicates that drug abuse is on the rise in the European Union and in Croatia too.

Zagreb - Members of the Croatian Parliament on Wednesday joined in a campaign against violence against women by leaving their handprints on board and writing messages against violence against women.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Wednesday offered condolences to his Albanian counterpart Gramoz Ruci and Albanian citizens, after an earthquake hit the country, claiming the lives of 27 people and leaving hundreds injured.

Zagreb - A firefighting bill that the Government on Tuesday sent to Parliament regulates the firefighting system which, as of January 1, will be in the remit of the Croatian Firefighting Association as the central state office.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met his Israeli counterpart Yuli-Yoel Edelstein in Jerusalem on Monday and they said the relations between the two countries were excellent and it was also said that Croatia was interested in cooperation in science and high technology.

Zagreb - The Croatian Government on Friday forwarded to the Parliament a final distraint bill on enforcement proceedings and public notaries will be court commissioners in enforcement cases to help them to reduce the burden in this segment. The bill envisages that employers and the Croatian Agency of Pension Insurance (HZMO) will no longer be parties in the proceedings. Also, the process can be launched based on credible documentation in the online form.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and German Bundestag President Wolfgang Schauble on Wednesday announced the intensification of bilateral parliamentary cooperation during Croatia's presidency over the European Union in the first half of 2020.

Zagreb - Tens of thousands of citizens led by the defenders of Vukovar, together with members of the families of killed, unaccounted-for and captured Vukovar defenders, marched through the eastern town on Monday in a remembrance procession, honouring in a dignified manner the 2,717 killed in the military aggression on Vukovar in 1991.

Zagreb - On the eve of Vukovar Memorial Day and the 28th anniversary of the Škabrnja massacre, candles were lit and prayers were said throughout Croatia to commemorate the victims of the 1991-95 Homeland War and the defeat of Vukovar's defence forces on November 18, 1991.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Thursday adopted the state budget for 2020 with 80 lawmakers voting in favour, 41 against and one abstention.

Zagreb - The budget for 2019 was on Thursday revised by a majority vote in the national Parliament. The biggest saving was made on interest rates on the country's debts, (HRK 797 million).

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Tuesday received the new Apostolic Nuncio to Croatia Archbishop Giorgio Lingua in an inaugural visit, who underscored that Croatia can be an example of respect of religious and minority rights.

Zagreb - Parliamentary whips of the ruling majority on Thursday commended the proposed budget for 2020 while opposition parties had strong reservations.

Zagreb - The "Jerusalem - City of Peace" photo exhibition was opened at the Zagreb Archdiocese Pastoral Institute on Wednesday by Israeli Ambassador Ilan Mor to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Israel.

Zagreb - On the last day of his official visit to China, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković opened the Croatia-China Business Forum in Shanghai where he called on companies in both countries to invest on both markets. 

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, who held a speech in Shanghai on Tuesday, underscored the excellent China-Croatia cooperation in several areas as well as the significance of the "17+1"and the "Belt and Road" initiatives for this cooperation. 

Zagreb - This week the Croatian parliament will discuss a government proposal for next year's budget and amendments to this year's budget as well as a proposal for a new calendar of holidays and memorial days.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, who started his visit to China on Sunday, met with the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Li Zhanshu, in Beijing on Monday.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, who is on an official visit to China on 2-6 November, on Sunday visited Huawei, a Chinese multinational technology company specialised in manufacturing telecommunications equipment, including smartphones.

Zagreb - The Government on Thursday forwarded to the Parliament a draft strategy for the energy development of Croatia in the period until 2030 with an outlook for the period until 2050, which envisages a much higher share of energy from renewable sources, greater energy efficiency and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Zagreb - Parliament on Thursday amended the Postal Services Act to reduce unjustified price differences for crossborder package deliveries, notably in remote and sparsely populated areas.

Zagreb - The Croatian Government on Thursday sent to the Parliament a draft budget for 2020, envisaging HRK 145.1 billion on the revenue side and HRK 147.3 billion on the expenditure side.

Zagreb - Višnja Ljubičić, who held the post of Gender Equality Ombudswoman in the past eight years, was re-elected by the Parliament for another eight-year term on Thursday. 

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Tuesday received the visiting Albanian president Ilir Meta Jandrokovic and Meta agreed that Croatia-Albania relations were traditionally friendly and very good, free of outstanding issues.

Zagreb - The parliament speakers of the Council of Europe member-countries on Friday condemned sexism, harassment and hate speech against women politicians, with Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković saying that stronger gender equality required changes in the education system and mentality.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković called on his counterparts from Council of Europe member states on Thursday to act together in order to avoid new divisions and preserve the European project, announcing that Croatia would promote the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development during its presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2020.

Zagreb - Parliament on Wednesday debated a bill of amendments to the Capital Market Act which simplify and facilitate access to the capital market and raises the prospectus issue threshold.

Zagreb - Croatian Deputy Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner attended in Tokyo on Wednesday a ceremony organised by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in honour of Emperor Naruhito's enthronement. Reiner briefly met Abe and invited him to visit Croatia.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković will be attending a two-day meeting of the presidents of parliaments of the 47 Council of Europe member states in Strasbourg, which begins on Thursday. 

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday amended the Pension Insurance Actin the fast-track procedure, whereby statutory retirement age is restored at 65 and penalties for early retirement are reduced.

Zagreb - Debating an annual report on state aid in 2018 in the Croatian parliament on Friday, lawmakers called for stronger support across the board for small and medium-sized businesses and for job creation.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday amended the Croatian Citizenship Act, making it easier for applicants to obtain Croatian citizenship.

Zagreb - Croatian parliamentary delegation at the 141st assembly of the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) in Belgrade is giving its contribution to the adoption of conclusions on all international topics of relevance for the future of the world and all countries, Saša Đujić, who heads the Croatian parliamentary delegation at the IPU assembly, told.

Zagreb - The leaders of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Bridge party, Davor Bernardić and Božo Petrov respectively, on Wednesday had a completely different view of this past year as well as the past three years of the current government's term than that presented in Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's annual report to the parliament, while the ruling Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) whip Branko Bačić dismissed their allegations. 

Zagreb - Croatia currently has macroeconomic results that were unimaginable not so long ago and, unlike before, its economic growth has a sound basis, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in an annual report to Parliament on Wednesday.

Zagreb - Over 80 percent of Croatia's development aid last year was directed at Southeast Europe, primarily Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Croatian parliament heard on Thursday during the presentation of the report on Croatian development aid to foreign countries in 2017 and 2018.

Zagreb - Submitting a report on the work of the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO) in 2018, its acting head Ivan Serdar said in the parliament on Thursday that the HZMO had 1.236 million beneficiaries and 1.5 million insurees and that the ratio of retirees to workers was 1:1.22.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday discussed a bill on biometric data processing, which would ensure interoperability of information systems in Croatia and their interoperability with information systems in the European Union.

Zagreb - MPs on Wednesday debated the draft of a new Coast Guard law which is being adopted after 12 years and regulates all issues pertaining to the functioning of the Coast Guard, the monitoring and protection of rights and interests, and authority for inspections at sea.