News

Zagreb - State Secretary at the Labour Ministry Margareta Mađerić said on Thursday that the proposed amendments to the Act on Regulated Professions and Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications were aimed at securing equal access to the labour market and facilitate movement for workers in all EU member countries under equal conditions.

Zagreb - The parliamentary committee for family and youth on Thursday unanimously supported draft amendments to the Act on Social Welfare whereby allowances will rise  for parents who have the status of caregivers for their children with disabilities or developmental delays.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Wednesday passed amendments to this year's revised state budget as proposed by the government, which set budget revenue at €26.6 billion and expenditure at €28.1 billion.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker  Gordan Jandroković, at the beginning of the parliamentary session on Monday, recalled the 175th anniversary of the enthronement of Ban Josip Jelačić, and on that occasion, a replica of Jelačić's ban flag was hung in the Parliament.

Zagreb - Public Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter informed the parliament in 2021 her office forwarded 156 recommendations to the bodies of the state administration concerning various topics, and that the bodies responded to 45% of those suggestions.

Zagreb - Sabor Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Thursday visited Croatian troops in Lithuania and on that occasion pointed out the importance of Croatia's permanent contribution to the collective security of NATO in line with the alliance's deterrence and defence policy.

Zagreb - Bilateral relations between Croatia and Lithuania are excellent and their cooperation is increasingly intensive, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Lithuanian Parliament Speaker Viktorija Čmilyte-Nielsen said in Vilnius on Thursday.

Zagreb - Parliament debates on Thursday a government-sponsored bill under which future foreign courts' decisions on child adoptions will be submitted to Croatian courts. The government is proposing amendments to the Private International Law Act.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Tuesday laid wreath at the Monument to the Homeland in Zagreb on the occasion of Statehood Day, observed on 30 May in memory of 30 May 1990 when the first democratic multiparty Croatian parliament was founded.

Zagreb - Finance Minister Marko Primorac informed the parliament on Thursday that the government would revise the budget one more time by the end of this year and that it would also prepare one more aid package for vulnerable households.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Wednesday unanimously adopted the Law on Representative Claims for the Protection of Collective Interests and Consumer Rights, which should enable complete and timely protection of consumer rights and faster court proceedings.

Zagreb - Parliament on Wednesday adopted a new law on non-litigious procedure, replacing a law adopted in 1934, and under the new law courts will continue to settle uncontested divorces.

Zagreb - Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Šime Erlić said on Friday he sees Croatia among the most developed EU member states and countries in the world by 2030, while opposition MPs warned of falling standards and record-high inflation.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament opened Thursday's session with discussion on  consumer rights protection, with opposition parties criticising the government for failing to protect consumers in the case of CHF-indexed loans, while the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) claimed the opposite.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Wednesday met with Cardinal Josip Bozanić in the Parliament, thanking him for his service of more than 25 years as Zagreb Archbishop and commitment in running the Zagreb Archdiocese.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday opened the 10th simulation parliamentary session for secondary school students, saying that a politician is asked to provide answers to the challenges of today and that those answers cannot be banal.

Zagreb - Gender Equality Ombudswoman Višnja Ljubičić on Friday informed the Parliament of her office's work in 2021, when women were mainly discriminated against based on their sex, motherhood and age, while men's complaints mainly referred to their parental rights.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament amended the Court Fees Act on Friday, exempting all persons with disabilities from paying court fees.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Wednesday that 2 May marked the 180th anniversary of the first speech in the Croatian language in the Parliament by Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski, and he welcomed the initiative of the Matica Hrvatska association for a new law on the Croatian language.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday issued a message for International Workers' Day, stressing that everyone should work to constantly improve labour legislation to make it respond to new challenges, keep it applicable and take care of the welfare of workers and their families.

Zagreb - Croatia is willing to actively assist Albania in the process of accession to the European Union, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said during his meeting with the visiting Albanian President Bajram Begaj in Zagreb on Thursday.

Zagreb - Croatian National Bank (HNB) Governor Boris Vujčić said in Parliament on Wednesday that inflationary pressure is abating, although it remains significant, rejecting claims by some opposition MPs that accession to the eurozone has contributed to inflation growth.

Zagreb - On the occasion of the International Day Against Victim Blaming and the campaign "Denim Day - Wear jeans with a higher purpose!", Deputy Parliament Speaker Sabina Glasovac on Wednesday received for talks representatives of that national campaign, noting that violence cannot be justified.

Zagreb - Today and tomorrow, Prague is hosting the Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments (EUSC), which today focused on the war in Ukraine. Addressing a panel on the EU response to the Russian aggression, Croatian Parliament Speaker Jandroković called on the countries attending the EUSC to attend the donor conference and to "show the friendly Ukraine the very concrete and very needed support also in that way."

Zagreb - State leaders, representatives of ethnic minorities, antifascists, surviving inmate Nevenka Končar and victims' family members on Sunday honoured the victims of the Jasenovac concentration camp with a procession from the Memorial Museum to the Flower monument, where roses were laid.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday voted in amendments to the Act on Public Order and Peace Offences, drastically increasing fines for misdemeanors which now can amount to as much as €4,000, with 77 MPs voting in favour and 50 against.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday endorsed by a majority vote Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's report from the first meetings of the European Council this year.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday supported by a majority vote changes to a law that had reduced pensions earned under special regulations on pension insurance, abolishing a 10% cut in those pensions, a measure that refers to around 96,000 pensioners. The amendments were supported by 125 MPs, one abstained and there were no votes against.

Zagreb - Presenting the report on the use of European structural and investment funds in 2021 and the first half of 2022, the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Šime Erlić, said that the absorption of EU funds was proceeding well and that he was confident that Croatia would manage to spend its entire allocation from the Solidarity Fund by the end of the year. The opposition questioned the effects of the funds absorbed.

Zagreb - Poland and Croatia are close countries and allies with the potential to increase their cooperation in defence, security and energy, with the Krk LNG terminal seen as a new reliable supply route for countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, the Croatian Parliament speaker and the Polish foreign minister said on Thursday.

Zagreb - After a heated debate on Wednesday morning as to whether the Offences against Public Order and Peace Act should be amended under fast-track procedure, the Opposition in the Croatian parliament repeated in a calmer tone their objections to the proposal.

Zagreb - The ruling coalition and opposition parties in Parliament on Wednesday welcomed the government's proposal to repeal the 10% reduction of preferential pensions, introduced in 2010, which would increase pensions for about 96,000 pensioners, including 63,000 Homeland War veterans.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Gender Equality Committee has unanimously supported a motion to name reception rooms in the parliament building after deserving women from Croatian history, asking the parliament presidency to make the decision on this as soon as possible.

Zagreb - Guidelines for the demographic revitalisation of Croatia, developed based on research and cross-sectoral cooperation as part of the project "Network 2050 - Demography, From Challenge to Response", was presented at a round table in the Croatian Parliament on Thursday.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković issued an Easter message on Saturday, wishing all citizens of Croatia and those who believe in the resurrection of Christ a joyful and blessed Easter.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković has issued a congratulatory message on the occasion of International Romani Day, saying that the 2021-2027 national plan for the inclusion of Roma clearly confirms the political will to systematically improve the status of the Romani minority in Croatia.

Zagreb - Ahead of World Roma Day, observed on 8 April, Sabor Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Tuesday received a delegation of the International Romani Union (IRU) and Croatian MP Veljko Kajtazi, with the IRU delegation welcoming the government's efforts to improve the status of Roma in Croatia.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday decided that a bill on personal assistance will receive a second reading, with members of the parliamentary majority commending it and opposition MPs welcoming it but noting that it leaves a number of issues unresolved.

Zagreb - On Friday, the Sabor confirmed the Agreement on cooperation in the field of public security between the Croatian and Israeli governments.

Zagreb - Both ruling and opposition MPs supported the proposal by the Parliamentary Committee for Families, Youth and Sports to mark 31 May 31 as the National Day of Foster Care in order to recognize foster parents , but they also warned of the decline in the number of foster parents.

Zagreb - Information commissioner Zoran Pičuljan said on Wednesday the silence of institutions and "exceptionally" high number of unlawful decision by public authorities were the main negative trends in the right to access information in 2020 and 2021.

Zagreb - HRK 4.39 billion (€583m) was invested in the Croatian Adriatic islands in 2021, the largest amount ever, Spomenka Đurić, state secretary at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds, said in Parliament on Wednesday while presenting a report on the effects of implementation of the Islands Act.

Zagreb - The Opposition and members of the parliamentary majority on Friday endorsed a bill ratifying an agreement between Croatia and Israel on cooperation in public security, warning that cyber crime is a growing threat to citizens and the economy and underlining the need to protect personal data. The State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, Žarko Katić, said that cooperation between Croatia and Israel in the fight against crime is very successful but that in recent years the need has arisen to expand it in the area of fighting crime and ensuring public security.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković met with representatives of beekeepers' associations on Thursday to discuss the situation in the Croatian beekeeping sector.

Zagreb - Croatia hopes that political forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina that advocate cooperation will prevail, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman told a joint meeting of the Croatian Parliament's Committee on Croats Abroad and Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. The two committees met together to discuss the role of Croats and cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on that country's Euro-Atlantic path.

Zagreb - The government is required to submit amendments to the Social Welfare Act to the Sabor before the summer recess, with special emphasis on improving the status and rights of caregiver parents, including the extension of the right to compensation after the death of the child they cared for.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday amended the Trade Act whereby the number of working Sunday in a year is cut to 16.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday endorsed reports submitted by Supreme Court President Radovan Dobronić on the state of affairs in the judiciary in 2020 and 2021.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament on Friday unanimously adopted amendments to the Health Care Act and the Mandatory Health Insurance Act, which form part of the health reform.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Defence Committee on Thursday gave a positive opinion on projects to procure SPIKE anti-tank guided missiles, Patria armoured personnel carriers and rigid inflatable boats (RIB) and to modernise the radar system and upgrade the combat communications system of the Croatian Air Force (HRZ).