News

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament ratified, by a majority vote, the NATO accession protocols for Finland and Sweden on Friday.

Zagreb - Parliament decided on Friday to change the Constitution and the Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court regarding referenda, with 80 MPs voting for, while 19 were against and 11 abstained.

Zagreb - The Sabor on Friday confirmed Marko Primorc as the new Minister of Finance with 77 votes in favour and 55 against, after former minister Zdravko Marić left the government at his own request.

Zagreb - The entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO was supported on Thursday by all the Croatian parliamentary groups except the group of Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) and the Workers' Front (RF) who wanted this matter to be tied to the resolution of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Zagreb - Katarina Peović, the sole MP for the Workers' Front (RF) party, said that the reasons why her party would not vote in favour of the NATO accession of Finland and Sweden were not the same as those of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS), even though the two parties are in the same parliamentary group.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Constitution, Standing Orders, and Political System Committee on Thursday gave a vote of confidence in Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković for the office of deputy prime minister after the resignation of Finance Minister Zdravko Marić.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament's Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System and Legislation Committee on Tuesday decided by a majority vote to start the process of amending the Constitution.

Zagreb - The war in Ukraine has caused tectonic changes in the global economy with a massive negative impact, notably in Europe due to the sanctions against Russia, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said at the Dubrovnik Forum on Saturday.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday extended Kurban Bayram greetings to the head of the Islamic Community in Croatia, Mufti Aziz Hasanović, and all Islamic believers, adding that this religious holiday highlights the importance of understanding and solidarity.

Zagreb - The Sabor adopted the Law on Cultural Councils and Financing Public Needs in Culture on Friday by a majority vote. The law regulates the financing of public needs in culture, the allocation of premises for cultural and artistic activities, the establishment and role of cultural councils and the work of the national council for culture, as well as the issue of decision-making on financial resources.

Zagreb - A commemoration was held in the Croatian Parliament on Wednesday on the occasion of 11 July, Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day, and the 27th anniversary of the atrocity, with the unanimous message that it must never happen again to anyone.

Zagreb - Croatian lawmakers on Friday endorsed the report on the work of the Petitions and Complaints Committee for 2021, warning that the question of the slowness of court proceedings has been the constant in these reports.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday adopted amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act aimed at modernising, simplifying, and expediting court proceedings. The amendments were supported by 79 MPs, while ten abstained and 37 were against.

Zagreb - The Sabor on Friday by a majority vote amended the Government Act as well as the State Attorneys Council Act (DOV) and the State Judicial Council Act (DSV).

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday issued his message commemorating 25 June 1991 when the Croatian Parliament passed a declaration proclaiming the sovereignty and independence of Croatia.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Wednesday congratulated Croatian citizens on Anti-Fascist Struggle Day, saying the values of Anti-Fascism were built into the fundamentals of Croatia's Constitution and the Declaration on Anti-Fascism.

Zagreb - Lawmakers on Tuesday discussed the government's bill of amendments to the Law on Open-End Investment Funds with a Public Offering.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliamentary opposition had far fewer objections to proposed amendments to the Civil Procedure Act (ZPP) than it had earlier to amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act (ZKP) and was interested in when courtrooms would be ready to introduce the mandatory audio recording of proceedings.

Zagreb - Parliament on Friday amended by majority vote the law on the right to access information, which says that the public sector and public law bodies must respond to information access requests.

Zagreb - Members of the parliamentary Committee on health and social policy on Friday had a constructive discussion on conscientious objection, not disputing doctors' right to it, however, some participants in the discussion stressed that it must not jeopardise women's right to pregnancy termination.

Zagreb - The Croatian Sabor on Friday amended the Law on Vocational Education and adopted the Law on the Recognition and Evaluation of Foreign Educational Qualifications.

Zagreb - A few Opposition parliamentary clubs on Wednesday demanded that the draft bill on road traffic safety should be withdrawn from the procedure due to the provision envisaging that family doctors should have a decisive say in whether a driver is able to drive or not.

Zagreb - The Interior Ministry State Secretary Žarko Katić defended the final bill on road traffic safety in the Sabor on Wednesday, saying that it is aimed at reducing the number of traffic accidents and that no new obligations are being introduced for doctors.

Zagreb - Ahead of a parliamentary debate on a report on the use of EU funds and aid programmes in the period from 1 January to 30 June 2021, Members of Parliament on Friday warned about poor results in the absorption of money from EU funds. 

Zagreb - Lawmakers in the Sabor on Thursday supported the draft amendments to the Law on Transboundary Movement and Trade in Wild Species, warning that the annual value of international wildlife trafficking is estimated at billions of euros.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Sunday congratulated citizens on Statehood Day, saying that 30 May 1990 was deep in the memory of the Croatian people as it had been one of the key steps in the realisation of the independent, free, and democratic Croatian state.

Zagreb - The parliament on Friday passed by a majority vote a revised budget for 2022, whereby the expenditure side will increase by HRK 10.9 billion to HRK 184.7 billion and the revenues will go up by 6.6 billion to HRK 171 billion.

Zagreb - Seven Croatian counties are assumed to still contain left-over mines and the plan is to clear the whole country by early 2026, Interior Ministry state secretary Žarko Katić said in Parliament on Thursday, presenting demining reports for 2020 and 2021.

Zagreb  - Croatia supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and will continue providing Kyiv with humanitarian, political and technical assistance, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Thursday in Zagreb at a meeting with a deputy chair of the Verkhovna Rada, Olena Kondratiuk.

Zagreb - Deputy Parliament Speaker and prominent Croatian scientist, academician Željko Reiner has been elected as a member of the European Academy of sciences and arts Academia Europaea. 

Zagreb - Members of Parliament on Thursday welcomed the establishment of infrastructure necessary for charging alternative cars, and they warned that the number of electric cars in Croatia was modest, their charging expensive, and their prices too high for ordinary Croatians.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Thursday received the leader of the Democratic Alliance of Vojvodina Croats (DSHV), Tomislav Žigmanov. 

Zagreb - The parliamentary opposition said on Wednesday that this year's budget revision was just "patching up budget holes", underlining the debts in healthcare, and criticised that the revision did not provide any new measures to cushion the impact of the inflation on citizens.

Zagreb - Speaking in the Sabor on Wednesday, Finance Minister Zdravko Marić denied claims by some opposition MPs that allocations for post-earthquake reconstruction had been decreased in the 2022 budget revision was decreasing allocations for reconstruction.

Zagreb - At the start of Friday's sitting, parliament observed a minute's silence in honour of Croatia's first president, the late Franjo Tuđman, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday adopted amendments to the Pre-School Education Act to ensure that every child can enroll in a kindergarten, increase the number of children covered by pre-school programmes and improve the quality of education. The amended Act was passed by a vote of 76 to 44.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday passed a law on the adoption of the euro as legal tender, with 117 MPs voting in favour, 13 against and one abstaining.

Zagreb - The Vatican's recognition of Croatia 30 years ago will be remembered as an act of strong and resolute support for the legality and legitimacy of the Croatian state before the international community, the Holy See secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said in the Croatian Parliament on Thursday.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Wednesday met with his Spanish counterpart Meritxell Batet Lamana in Madrid, thanking her for her country's support to Croatia's bid to join the Schengen and euro areas and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday issued a message for the Muslim holiday of Ramadan Bayram, or Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, wishing the Muslim faithful in Croatia to spend it in an atmosphere of peace and unity.

Zagreb - Laying wreaths and lighting candles at a memorial in Okučani on Sunday, the state leadership honoured those killed in the 1 May 1995 Operation Flash, all those who, it was said, were within reach of freedom and victory but did not live to see it.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Saturday issued a message on the occasion of International Workers' Day, noting that constant social dialogue and partnership between the state, employers, and unions are necessary for improving the status of workers.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday confirmed the appointment of two new government ministers, Davor Filipović and Marin Piletić, as well as Anja Šimpraga as new Deputy Prime Minister.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Friday unanimously voted on amendments to the Act on the Legal Consequences of Conviction, Criminal Records, and Rehabilitation, which regulates the international exchange of information from criminal records.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Thursday that by commemorating Yom HaShoah Croatia was remembering with great respect the innocent victims of the genocide against the Jewish people during World War II.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Wednesday received the outgoing Japanese Ambassador Misako Kaji, thanking her for conveying Japan's experience in dealing with earthquakes and a donation for the Croatian regions hit by two devastating quakes in 2020.

Zagreb - Amendments to the Preschool Education Act on Wednesday provoked strong criticism by the opposition, which claims that they are detrimental to children, while the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) points out they will provide higher quality preschool education and better access to it.

Zagreb - The delegations of the Parliament, Government, ethnic minorities, and the Alliance of Antifascist Fighters and Antifascists (SABA) participated in a remembrance ceremony at the Jasenovac Memorial Centre on Friday to mark the 77th anniversary of the breakout of prisoners from the WW2 death camp.

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament on Thursday unanimously supported the initiative to declare the first Sunday in June National Cancer Survivors Day. The chair of the Health and Social Policy Committee, Renata Sabljar Dračevac, said that National Cancer Survivors Day will put focus on this large population and on the importance of prevention and healthy lifestyles.

Zagreb - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković says in his Easter message that this Christian holiday encourages the promotion of peace, forgiveness, and charity, and he calls for thinking of all who are suffering and who have lost the hope and joy of their life in these fast-changing times marked by the Ukraine war.