News

Zagreb - The chairman of the parliamentary committee on defence, Franko Vidović, said on Tuesday that the committee had endorsed the 2026 national programme on mine clearance whereby Croatia is expected to become free of landmines by 2026.

Zagreb - Parliament on Thursday observed a minute's silence on the occasion of the National Day of Combating Violence Against Women in honour of Gordana Oraškić, Hajra Prohić, Ljiljana Hvalec and other women victims of violence.

Zagreb - Despite criticism from the opposition, the Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System on Tuesday decided by a majority vote to put draft Constitutional amendments regarding referenda and the Constitutional Court Act to a month-long public consultation.

Zagreb - The Croatian parliament will this week discuss some 60 bills related to the introduction of the euro as legal tender as well as the annual report on the work of the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (HERA) in 2021, which the government has assessed as unsatisfactory.

Zagreb - The parliamentary Committee on the Economy on Tuesday rejected the annual report by the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (HERA) for 2021, which has been assessed as unsatisfactory by the government.

Zagreb - The government sent a proposal to amend the Credit Institutions Act to Parliament on Monday ahead of the changeover to the euro, extending the catalogue of crimes being taken into consideration in assessing the suitability of shareholders and board members of credit institutions.

Zagreb - All sixteen parliamentary caucuses agreed on Wednesday that due to the inability of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to attend, Question Time would be held on Wednesday, 28 September instead of Thursday, 15 September.

Zagreb - The Croatian and Ukrainian parliament speakers, Gordan Jandroković and Ruslan Stefanchuk, on Monday held a video conference on plans for the first parliamentary summit of the International Crimea Platform to be held in Zagreb in October.

Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said in Knin on Friday that Croatians had made great sacrifices for their freedom, values and way of life, and that commemorating Operation Storm was a way to remember and to teach younger generations about the importance of peace, democracy and human rights protection.

Zagreb- Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Tuesday that Pelješac bridge could serve as a symbol of all-Croatian unity and a symbol of Croatian strength and pride.

Zagreb - Apart from their regular monthly wages, Croatia's lawmakers are also entitled to perks, such as the coverage of transport and accommodation costs, and in the first half of 2022, they were paid HRK 4.7 million for such expenses, almost close to the amount in the pre-pandemic 2019 H1 (HRK 5 million).

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 - Parliament on Friday amended the Road Safety Act, endorsing the government's amendments which acknowledged doctors' arguments.

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

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 - 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 - 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 - 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  - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 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.