Politics

ZAGREB, 28 July 2022 - Tourism and Sports Minister Nikolina Brnjac on Wednesday opened in Split a conference on the green and digital transformation of family and small hotels, organised by the National Association of Small and Family Hotels. A new brand in family and small hotel management - eco green hotels - was presented at the event, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said in a statement. Addressing the event, Brnjac said that small and family hotels have a very important role in moving away from mass-scale, seasonal tourism and reorienting oneself towards sustainability and greater quality, welcoming the initiative to introduce the…

ZAGREB, 27 July 2022 - Croatia's 1st contingent on Wednesday departed from Karlovac for Hungary to join NATO's enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA) mission, and it was sent off by President Zoran Milanović. Addressing the 60-strong contingent that includes four women soldiers, President Milanović told them that they were not going to Hungary by chance. "An unclear and uneasy autumn lies ahead us. Being encouraged by the speech which the Chinese Prime Minister (Li Keqiang) delivered (in his video message) at the Pelješac Bridge inauguration ceremony, I am a bit more optimistic than ten days ago. It seems to me that the…

ZAGREB, 27 July 2022 - The financial reports on the costs of the run-up to Split's early election show that the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) spent HRK 460,000, the Centre, the winner of the elections, spent HRK 81,000, while, for instance, the We Can! party spent HRK 241,000 but won none of the 31 seats in the city council. All the 11 slates that ran in the recent snap election were obliged to submit reports on electioneering costs until Tuesday midnight. The failure to lodge such a report in a timely manner carries a fine ranging from HRK 2,000 to 20,000. The HDZ party disbursed HRK 460,000…

ZAGREB, 27 July 2022 - Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević on Wednesday held talks with a delegation of the German city of Mainz, led by Mayor Michael Ebling, focusing on cities' adaptation to extreme climate conditions and the development of new renewable energy sources. The German delegation, which also included business people, visited Zagreb on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the two cities' agreement on cooperation. Speaking to the press after the meeting, Tomašević said that the green transition was one of the biggest challenges in all European cities in the context of climate change and extreme temperatures this summer. Apart…

ZAGREB, 27 July 2022 - President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday that Pelješac Bridge was a project whereby China entered European space but he noted that that space would remained closed to China for some time again considering the current geopolitical relations.  "This is not their project, this is European, our money. A Chinese company won the job in a transparent tender but I'm afraid this is the last time they have won a project considering the situation in global relations and geopolitics," Milanović said. Pelješac Bridge was built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) which competed for the…

ZAGREB, 26 July 2022 - Pelješac Bridge is a prominent project for promoting Chinese equipment, technology and know-how in the construction industry in Croatia and globally, and it will deepen mutually beneficial relations between China and Croatia and the EU, China's ambassador to Croatia has told Xinhua News Agency. The project has been supported and followed with great interest and appreciation by the leaders of both China and Croatia, Qi Qianjin told Xinhua, as reported by China Daily on Tuesday. He praised Chinese enterprises that have overcome the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and completed the project on schedule. The diplomat called Pelješac Bridge a symbol…

ZAGREB, 26 July 2022 - Slovenia on Tuesday sent a letter of congratulations to Transport Minister Oleg Butković on the inauguration of Pelješac Bridge, describing it as a historic day for Croatia. "Congratulations to Minister Oleg Butković and all in Croatia on this historic day and opening of the bridge that will make Croatia territorially whole," Infrastructure State Secretary Alenka Bratuš, said in her message on social networks. She also welcomed the fact that the main designer of the bridge is Slovenian architect Marjan Pipenbaher. "This has particular importance and reinforces the good-neighbourly relations and friendship between our countries," says Bartušek, a former…

July the 26th, 2022 - As Peljesac bridge opens after what seems like an endless wait, which government actually deserves the most praise? While SDP is responsible in the most part for pushing forward with the EU, HDZ was the one to sign the final agreement. As Faktograf/Sanja Despot writes, with both HDZ and SDP having played their respective roles, Peljesac bridge opens not only itself, but many questions about precisely who the most praise should be directed at. Competitive discussions about whose government is most responsible for its construction have started up again. President Zoran Milanovic (SDP) stated that he…

ZAGREB, 25 July 2022 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday the electoral and constitutional reforms the High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina planned to impose were balanced and constructive as they would preserve the constituency of Croats and their ability to elect their government representatives. Speaking to the press in Mostar, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Plenković said the international community's High Representative Christian Schmidt "has a very balanced proposal which will enable legitimate representation at the Federation level and government formation with minor changes." It is expected that Schmidt will impose electoral law changes that would prevent outvoting the Croats and obstructing government formation after elections, as…

ZAGREB, 25 July 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday that Pelješac Bridge marked the achievement of Croatia's goal to connect its territory. "We are very proud of it," Plenković said during a visit to Mostar, southern Bosnia, and Herzegovina, ahead of Tuesday's opening ceremony for this largest infrastructure facility built in Croatia since its accession to the European Union in mid-2013. He said that this project would further strengthen the bonds between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. "The idea was to alleviate the flow of people and goods through Neum." Pelješac Bridge will provide an uninterrupted link between…