Friday, 18th November 2011
30,000 people to gather in Vukovar on Friday

Some 30,000 people are expected to take part in a memorial march in Vukovar on 18 November commemorating the city's suffering during the Croatian war of independence from former Yugoslavia, news website Tportal writes.
The procession will be a tribute to all those who died in Vukovar when Serb rebel forces took control of the city in mid-November 1991. The 204th Vukovar Brigade veterans that defended the town will lead the procession.
The 5.5 kilometre memorial walk will start outside the town's general hospital and proceed towards the Memorial Cemetery. In 1999 the Parliament declared 18 November Vukovar Remembrance Day. Croatiantimes

Friday, 18th November, 2011
Monument to trout unveiled in Solin
A monument to the trout has been unveiled in Jadro river in southern Croatia.
The bronze scuplture of a unique trout (Salmothymus obtusirostris) has been placed in the Jadro river in the town of Solin as a last attempt by local green activists to protect the species. The indigenous trout has been endangered by the American species of trout introduced there, which is eating most of the food.
The indigenous Salmothymus obtusirostris needs more clear water and is more sensitive to pollution. Activists that boosted the unveiling of sculptor Kazimir Hraste's work, believe the monument in the centre of Solin will remind people to take care of the Jadro river to help protect the local trout.
They also believe it can become a tourist attraction. croatiantimes.com

Friday, 18th November, 2011
Road privatisation could bring Croatia 4 billion Euros
Croatia could receive as much as four billion Euros if it decided to privatise its highway networks, Australian investment bank Macquaire group believes.
The announcment by Radimir Cacic that the centre-left Kukuriku coalition would put the Croatian roads under concession should they win the upcoming elections has piqued interest amongst foreign investors, daily Jutarnji List writes.
Gavin Winbanks from Macquaire group said that there would be many interested parties regardless of which government announces the tender."For twenty years we have been successfully dealing with consulting and investment in infrastructure and I am sure that we could improve the quality of your road networks," Winbanks told Croatian daily Jutarnji List.
The Macquaire group participated – as a consultant and investor – in the sales of concession of Skyway in Chicago worth 1.8 billion dollars. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley called the deal "the most successful financial transaction of its kind in the United States." They are famous for their investments in French Lyon airport, Finnish railways and London water supply.
The Croatian government is expected to pay some 780 million Euros to foreign banks for HAC loans and take out additional debt in amount of 6.7 billion kunas (894 million Euros) this year, while the total HAC debt is close to 3.5 billion Euros.
The privatisation of the highways would ensure a fresh investment capital from leading pension funds, which would indirectly influence the growth of the country's credit rating that would jumpstart new investment in production and industry without further debt, the daily writes. Out of 27 EU member states, 19 have privatised their highways completely, while Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia have done so in part. Only three states – Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia – fully finance their highways, but the governments of Bulgaria and Romania have been negotiating a public-private partnership models for some years. croatiantimes.com

Wednesday, 9th November, 2011
Kosor and Kerum together at 9th and 10th election unit
ZADAR - The president of HDZ Jadranka Kosor and president of the Croatian Civil Party (HGS) Zeljko Kerum signed an agreement about pre-election and post-election cooperation in the 9th and the 10th election unit.
On the mutual lists in those two election units Kerum got the third and the seventh position in 10th election unit and seventh position in the 9th election unit. Kosor stated that the negotiations had lasted for two months. She justified this agreement with her wish to win over the parliamentary elections and cooperation with every person, as she said, who cherished Croatian values and had the election potential at the right center.
- We are confident about victory over those two election units so this will assure the great result in these elections - said the PM Kosor. She pointed out that the agreement was also signed for the matter of economical strengths. Zeljko Kerum emphasized that two parties had run the negotiations over long period of time and it eventually resulted with the agreement that was, as he said, unfortunate for those who exulted.
- We will win in the 9th and 10th election unit for sure. This will mean much for the entrepreneurs who are in fear of what will happen. The continuity is the important thing so I am glad we will win - said Kerum. His speech was followed by the ovation of the HDZ members. He even sung after the conference.
The PM Kosor emphasized that they were negotiating with some other political parties so more election cooperation was possible. When the news reporters asked her why the agreement was signed in Zadar and not in Split, Kosor said that they used a situation since she scheduled the visit in Zadar and Kerum didn’t find it difficult to travel from Split to Zadar.
(dalje.com)

Wednesday, 9th November, 2011
11th ‘’Martin is in Zagreb’’ opened
The wine festival ‘’Martin is in Zagreb’’ has been opened for the 11th time on the Jelacic square. The opening was welcomed by the city’s major Milan Bandic and Zagreb’s prefect Stjepan Kozic.
The evening’s program will be accompanied by the free concerts of the Croatian performers that the citizens will have a chance to see inside the tent called ‘’vinograd’’. The concerts take place every day and start at 8:30 PM. The festival will close on Sunday with the band Cinkusi.
The festival ‘’Martin is in Zagreb’’ is traditionally organized during the greatest wine holiday, the Saint Martin holiday. It has developed out of the need of Croatian wine makers to introduce their products. In that way they can present other products like cheese and domestic cakes together with other exhibitors.
is also the Zagreb County day so the program will start in 6 PM with the band Remetski muzikasi. Inside the tent, the first band to play Today will be Neki To Vole Vruce. (dalje.com)

Wednesday, 2nd November 2011
Croatian businessman buys Zeljezara Split
Steel mill Zeljezara Split has been sold to Croatian businessman and owner of company Adria Celik, Petar Pripuz.
Pripuz bought the steel mill for 10.3 million Euros.
As he told Index portal half a year ago, Pripuz plans to reinstate the production and hire some 200 workers. The steel mill stopped working in 2009 and since then its former employees have gone on hunger strike five times.
In a critique directed at the state, Pripuz said it was "unbelievable to him" that it would let such valuable resources lie dormant.
Pripuz is confident in the existence of a market for Zeljezara Split's products and is counting on 150 to 200 tonnes of finished goods annually, portal Index writes. Croatiantimes.com

Wednesday, 2nd November 2011
Croatian weapons manufacturer after regional markets
Croatian weapons manufacturer Djuro Djakovic is reaching out to regional markets with a presentation of its combat vehicle at a fair in Tirana, Albania.
Djuro Djakovic manufactures the vehicle under the licence of Finnish company Patria.
Tomislav Mazal from Djuro Djakovic Holding says the company is looking to intensify its presence in the region.
"Albania is certainly a market in which we would like to actively participate," Mazal said, adding he was sure that they offered their partners competitive financial conditions suitable for the plans of military acquisitions in the region. Croatiantimes.com

Wednesday, 12th October, 2011
Torches mark convicted General Gotovina's birthday
There were 56 torches lit in the southern Croatian town of Knin on Tuesday night to mark the 56th birthday of Croatian General Ante Gotovina.
Supporters intented to show in this way that they believe Ante Gotovina not to be guilty of war crimes. He is being held in the international war crimes tribunal's prison in The Hague, Netherlands, awaiting a decision on his appeal. Gotovina was sentenced to 24 years in jail for his role in Operation Storm that has among the rest freed the area of Knin from rebel Serb occupation.Croatiantimes.com

Wednesday, 12th October, 2011
"INVEST IN CROATIA" FORUM
Investment conference brings millionaires to Croatia
Millionaires from all over the world gathered on Monday in Zagreb's hotel Westin for the largest investment conference ever in Croatia "Invest in Croatia".
"This is the biggest conference judged by the size of capital that is sitting in this hall," President of Croatian Employers Union (HUP) Davor Majetic described the participants.
Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor opened the conference, praising her countrymen's diligence."Croatia is a country of diligent people," Kosor said.
"Despite the crisis, the government has removed a string of barriers for investments in the last two to three years. Actively attracting investments is a priority in our policy. In the last two years of our fight against corruption and crime we have been sending a good message to investors," Kosor said.From 1993 to 2011 Croatia has had 24 billion Euros of direct investments, daily Jutarnji List writes. Croatiantimes.com

Friday, 7th October 2011
press:OSCE PA: Neil Simon
OSCE Parlamentary Assembly Fall Meetings in Dubrovnik
DUBROVNIK, Croatia, 7 October 2011 – President Petros Efthymiou and political leaders of Croatia, speaking today at the opening of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Fall Meetings, held up the progress in South East Europe as an example of successful growth that can come from international co-operation.

Friday, 9th September, 2011
Martin Bell,former BBC correspondent
RETURN TO VUKOVAR
For 87 days in 1991 the world watched in helpless horror as 2000 civilians, and volunteers from all around Croatia, defended the town of Vukovar against tens of thousands of heavily armed soldiers from the Serbian dominated Yugoslav National Army. The fighting had broken out in the wake of the collapse of the former Yugoslavia. Vukovar, on the banks of the Danube, became known as "The City of Heroes" for the almost countless acts of valour among the untrained volunteer army of defenders. Yet it also has a much darker significance. Not only was this the first town in Europe to suffer such devastation since the Second World War, but the pattern of the indiscriminate bombardment of civilians that characterised the Yugoslav wars, was first seen here. The siege also brought a new and terrible phrase into common usage. The first cases of organised ethnic cleansing took place in Vukovar. Former BBC correspondent Martin Bell, who covered the siege, returns 20 years later to find out how Vukovar and its people are recovering and finds Vukovar today is a shadow of its former self; haunted by the ghosts of 1991. (BBC)

Vukovar, November 1991	The shell damaged water tower has not been repaired and remains a monument to the fighting.	The memorial at the site of the massacre at Ovcara farm	Almost all of Vukovar has been rebuilt, but 20 years after the siege some buildings still show the extent of the damage.

Monday, 6th June 2011
THANK THE HOLY FATHER
The President of the Council of the Croatian Conference
At the conclusion of the magnificent celebration of the Mass at the Zagreb Hippodrome, on behalf of the assembled faithful, the President of the Croatian Conference for the Family, Bishop Valter Župan of Krk, thanked the Holy Father and said: "This multitude before you firmly adheres to the doctrine of the inviolability of life, marriage and the family, which you fearlessly proclaim. That is why we came here today, to testify to you that this has been our commitment for centuries, upon which we have decided to build our future."
The long and difficult periods of history, during which the Croatian nation was the bulwark of Christianity, have been weathered "because our families were founded upon the solid values of the gospel, so we were like a house built on rock that does not collapse when storms come, of which there were, indeed, many. There are also storms today."

Bishop Župan added: "We are aware that marriage and the family are being threatened today by the undermining of their stability. Forms of living together are being promoted that have no basis in the European cultural and legal heritage. It is precisely upon the stability of the family and Christian values that civilized Europe and Croatia, which has always been an integral and inseparable part of Europe, were built. We are firmly convinced that our future is based upon these foundations."

Requesting an apostolic blessing, the bishop concluded that the faithful have the inalienable right for children to be able to call their parents the natural names of "mother" and "father." "They have the natural right to declare before everyone that they have a father and mother who have given them life. We have this right and we want those who govern to promote life and eventually amend the law, from what we want to believe is the past, on the termination of human life, and not call that which leads to death progress."ika

Tuesday, 9th August, 2011
Tourism up eight per cent over last year
The number of tourists visiting Croatia this year rose eight per cent in the first seven months to 6.2 million, Minister of Tourism Damir Bajs has said.
That is half a million more tourists than in 2010, the Minister added. In July alone there were five per cent more visitors - or three million.
When it comes to overnight stays, they increased six per cent for the first seven months to 33 million, daily Jutarnji List writes.
All Adriatic counties are registering an increase in visitors as does the capital Zagreb.
The best numbers were seen in Split-Dalmatia County (7.8 per cent increase) followed by Lika-Senj County (6.3 per cent), Dubrovnik-Neretva County (5.7 per cent), Istria (3.4 per cent), Kvarner (2.5 per cent) and Sibenik-Knin County (1.3 per cent).
According to the Minster, August is expected to bring further improvement and more guests especially from Italy. Croatiantimes.com

Tuesday, 26th July, 2011.
Tourism results up over last year
Croatia will finish this year's season with better figures than last year, but two-digit growth should not be expected, Minister Damir Bajs has said.
"Croatia had two goals this year – to be better than the neighbours and to keep the domestic guests on its territory. In both cases it was successful," Bajs said after a meeting with the representatives of the public and private tourism sector.
Bajs warned that next season would be especially demanding and would require good preparation.
"Next year Europe must compensate for the tourism sector debt of 70 billion Euros, so European destinations will fight even more zealously for every guest," Bajs said.
Croatia must be aware of three things, the Minister said – France, Greece and Italy will intensify their fight for their share of the tourism pie, European states will implement tourism recovery measures aimed at keeping domestic guests at home, and instability in the so-called Eurozone will lead to more careful vacation planning. Croatia must prepare well, portal Business writes.Croatiantimes.com

Thursday, 22nd September, 2011
EU citizens to have equal employment rights as Croats
EU citizens will, from the first day of Croatian membership, have exactly the same employment rights in Croatia as Croats, daily newspaper Vecernji List reported on Wednesday. In the final negotiated positions it does not specify how much restrictions Croats would face if wanting to work in the EU. Croatia is committed from the first day of membership in the EU not to discriminate against foreigners in employment, even in public administration, the document said. This means that a resident of Murska Sobota in Slovenia or Nagykanizsa in Hungary can get a job in the city government of the northern town of Cakovec even if he had to travel accross the border to Cakovec every day. Regarding the language barrier the negotiated position states: "The EU takes note that Croatia is aware that, at the present acquis, mandatory language skills requirement is applicable only in certain circumstances on a case by case basis." Vecernji List has pointed out that a bus or tram driver who earns less in Bulgaria and Romania could be employed in Zagreb, where the salary is higher. An engineer who lost his job in Greece could take a job in Croatian national electric supply company HEP because Croatia expects large investments in the power industry with money from EU funds. Croatiantimes.com

Thursday, 22nd September, 2011'
The Person - the key to success in tourism' contest launched in Sibenik
Professionalism, a good spirit, a big smile and human qualities are the characteristics that are asked for from those who want to win the newly launched Croatian contest "The Person - the key to success in tourism".
The contest takes place at the event "Days of Croatian Tourism" organised by the Croatian Tourism Board in the coastal town of Sibenik this week.
Croatia hosts over 10 million foreign tourists per year.Croatiantimes.com

Friday, 2nd September, 2011.
Ex President Mesic defends 'communist crimes' suspect Boljkovac
Former Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has come to the defence of Croatia’s first Interior Minister Josip Boljkovac who may be facing arrest on suspicion of murder of concentration camp prisoners in the aftermath of World War II.
Boljkovac, who is now 92, may be the first prominent figure to face prosecution for so-called "communist crimes" against fascist supporters committed in the aftermath of World War II.
Current Interior Minister Tomislav Karamarko has pledged to uncover and prosecute suspects believed to have been responsible for the execution of soldiers and civilians after the war had ended. Karamarko said there are as many as 672 mass graves in which close to 90,000 victims - Independent State of Croatia (NDH) soldiers, German and Italian soldiers and civilians - are buried.
Mesic has accused Karamarko, however, of starting a witch hunt in the hope of gaining right wing votes.

"The charges against Boljkovac are a sorry attempt to use political positions in order to settle accounts with people from Yugoslav World War II resistance (Narodnooslobodilacka borba, NOB) who were fighting in Croatia's defence. All of this is done with a purpose of collecting cheap political points from the right in upcoming parliamentary elections," Mesic said.
"If the rule of law functions properly, it is absolutely crazy to arrest Boljkovac. I hope that reason will prevail and that insitutions will not become Karamarko’s political farce," Mesic added. He said Boljkovac should be praised rather than arrested as he was forming the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) at the time when "those accusing him today hid in mice holes in fear of [Serbian leader Slobodan] Milosevic's hordes."
In his defence, Boljkovac said he was not responsible for the execution of Independent State of Croatia (NDH) fighters after the war. NDH was a fascist regime existing between 1941 and 1943 that collaborated with the Nazis. As a head of Gorski Kotar police, Boljkovac said he would investigate and bring suspects to the Ministry of Interior, who would then proceed with trials.

The main accusations that he is responsible for are death of many in Dubovac concentration camp he says are current Minister of Interior Karamarko's personal revenge because Boljkovac refused to appoint him to high position at the beginning of the 1990s.
Boljkovac said he believed he would not be arrested, but in case that happened he had some dirt on Karamarko, who according to Boljkovac got rich by selling to the Ministry of Interior spy and technical equipment through his companies. Croatiantimes.com

Friday, 2nd September, 2011.
Prince Harry parties on at Hvar disco
Prince Harry has enjoyed his time in a discotheque on the Croatian island of Hvar on Saturday night, TV channel NovaTV reported.
The TV channel aired a video showing allegedly Prince Harry and his friends in Veneranda discotheque in Hvar.
Visitors of the club and Mayor Pjerino Bebic have confirmed to the channel it was really prince Harry despite the fact it cannot be said for sure when observing the video.
The video shows a person alleged to be Prince Harry dancing in the club and jumping into the little pool.
"Prince had no special requests from city authorities and therefore we do not know for how long he would stay," the mayor of Hvar, Pjerino Bebic, has commented.
Hvar is often a stop for world celebrities during summer time. People like Roman Abramovich, Bernie Ecclestone, Gwyneth Paltrow, Princess Carolina and Prince Albert of Monaco, Gerard Depardieu and Steven Spielberg have visted the place in recent years.Croatiantimes.com

Friday, 2nd September, 2011.
Safe rides for drunk drivers on offer in Zagreb
A clever bunch of young entrepreneurs have started up a new service in Zagreb that brings drunk drivers and their vehicles safely home after a wild night out.
Drazen Kraljevic, 23 and his friends Vana Markovic, Blanka and Marina come with a foldable motor bike wherever needed, take over the keys and bring the car and its owner safely home when one drink too many prevent a safe ride. Safety Drivers, as the business is called, is the first such service in Croatia.
"How many times did you go out into town by car, got drunk and then took a cab home? And then you were racking your brains the following day about where you left your car, or you had to go back to the other side of the town to pick it up?" Safety Drivers ask, offering a convenient way of getting back home. They scooter up with a foldable scooter that fits into any car trunk and all you need to do is give them your car keys.
The service "You drink, we drive" is not the only one the quartet is offering – they can also bring to your door anything you want, 24 hours a day. Croatiantimes.com

Wednesday, 31st August, 2011
SplitCulture launched for tourists and locals
The first website reporting about cultural events in Croatia's second largest city of Split has been launched.
The SplitCulture.hr reports on cultural happenings as well as informs tourists on cultural heritage of the 1,700 year old city.
"We'll present programmes of museums, galleries, libraries, theatres, etc. We'll also help tourists to easily find those locations," Mladen Slamic, the project owner commented. Croatiantimes.com

Tuesday, 30th August 2011
NATO Aircraft collision in Lithuania
MONS, Belgium — At approximately 09:30, two NATO aircraft collided while conducting a training flight based out of the Zokniai Air Base located in northern Lithuania. The incident occurred between a French Mirage fighter and a Lithuanian military jet L-39.
The lightly damaged Mirage fighter was able to land after the collision while the two Lithuanian pilots ejected successfully from their jet before it crashed. The two Lithuanian pilots walked away from the crash without serious injury and are currently under medical supervision.The L-39 aircraft crashed in a rural area resulting in no further damage to any civilian property.The incident is under national investigation. The NATO air policing mission over the Baltic states continues.
Allied Command Operations Public Affairs Office at SHAPE /HIC

Friday, 26th August, 2011
Croatian and Italian Presidents to meet in Pula in September
Croatian President Ivo Josipovic will meet Italy’s head of state Giorgio Napolitano on 3 September in Pula on Croatia’s Istrian pensinsula.
The meeting will take place at the Roman amphitheater Arena under the motto of tolerance and multiculturalism.
Furio Radin, an ethnic Italian representative in the Croatian parliament said that all citizens sharing the above-mentioned values were welcome at the meeting. This would be the first time that the two presidents would address such a large number of Italians, daily Tportal writes.
Radin said the Italian minority in Croatia and Slovenia expect a lot from the speeches of the two presidents.
"That's not the path of reconciliation, as we have reconciled many years ago. That's the path of the common European future," Radin said. He added that although some recent developments have set back the Italian national community in Croatia – mainly the abolishment of double voting rights – he looks ahead to the future where "past is not forgotten but overcome." Croatiantimes.com

Wednesday, 24th August, 2011
Ex-President Mesic delivers Gaddafi's message to ambassadors
Libya’s dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi was ready to step down from political life and allow the emergence of a multiparty system if NATO would stop its bombing, former Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has said.
Mesic tried to deliver this personal message he received from Gaddafi last week to Chinese, Russian and American ambassadors in Zagreb.
"Firsthand I can confirm that Colonel Gadaffi was ready to withdraw fully from public and political life, with the firm promise there would be no barriers to implementing a multiparty-system or reforms, but under condition that NATO attacks are suspended. I can also confirm that the government in Tripoli has tried to reach the countries leading the military operations in Libya with this message," Mesic said in a press release.
"Without going into the review of Gaddafi's regime and with no illusions about its character in the context of what we consider democracy - but also with full awareness of the strictly secular nature of government that is being overthrown – I express my sincere regret that the fighting in recent months, including the NATO strikes, and especially yesterday's battle for control of Tripoli, have taken a large number of civilian victims," Mesic said, reminding that Libya was the first non-European country to recognise independent Croatia.
Over the past few days rebels and Gaddafi-loyalists have been fighting over control of Libya’s capital Tripoli and it is still not clear who is having the upper hand, the BBC reports.
In parts of the capital, rebel forces are in control and confident in their future victory, BBC’s correspondent Matthew Price writes.

"But Gaddafi forces have been reinforced and some rebel supply lines into the city seem to have come under attack. It is clear loyalists are fighting back in some areas and many casualties are being reported." In addition, the appearance of Saif al-Islam – Gaddafi’s son rebels claimed to have captured – is likely to have given an extra boost to the loyalists.
Mesic was previously criticised for what some perceived as his defence of the Libyan dictator and his regime. He questioned the military intervention in Libya based on the United Nation’s resolution and called for its end. At the same time, he advocated a new resolution that would define future actions of the international community in implementing reforms in Libya, with Libyans in charge.
At the time he responded to his critics by saying he was pro-principles rather than pro-Gaddafi and that it was dangerous to allow a precedent in which a group of countries – even if they acted in accordance with a Security Council Resolution – decided who would be in power in a sovereign state.

Wednesday, 24th August, 2011
Trust in Croatia's institutions growing amongst German businessmen
Germans expect transparency and reliability when doing business in Croatia, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said during her visit to the country's capital Zagreb on Monday.
Merkel remarked that the trust in Croatian institutions has been growing amongst Germany’s businessmen and successful investments made so far were a guarantee for good cooperation in the future, daily Tportal writes.
Welcoming Croatia into the European Union, Merkel said that Croatia’s accession sends a positive signal to other Western Balkan countries.
Kosor thanked Merkel for her continual support of Croatia on its road to EU membership. She said the two countries were interested in strenghtening their economic cooperation, with energy sector and infrastructure as areas of particular interest.
Kosor informed Merkel of her government's plan to reduce the government deficit to 1.8 percent and the budget deficit to 1.6 percent of GDP by 2014.
The two officials expressed satisfaction in particular with the Croatian tourism industry that sees a big contribution from German tourists. Croatiantimes.com

Wednesday, 24th August, 2011
Construction of controversial Peljesac bridge resumes
Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has announced the resuming of construction of Peljesac bridge suspended earlier due to financial issues.
Some critics believe Peljesac bridge - intended to connect Peljesac peninsula with the Croatian mainland currently intersected by a small strip of coast belonging to Bosnia and Herzegovina - is an important political factor ahead of parliamentary elections taking place about three months from now. The resumptiuon of the works would also signal Croatia has left the toughest of the times behind as the construction was suspended in the midst of the crisis.
European Union has called the project senseless as it does not fit the vision they have of Europe, that would include Bosnia and Herzegovina. One of the reasons for the Peljesac bridge construction is to ease up border traffic jams near Neum, but such border jams will be non-existent once borders are gone.
The government has nevertheless decided to go ahead with the project, whose completion is now expected for 2017 instead of 2015, as it was originally planned.
The controversial bridge will be financed from road fines collected by the project's carrier, Hrvatske ceste (Croatian Roads, HC) on every litre of fuel sold.
Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said that all funding for the construction has been secured and no loans would be needed to complete the project.  Although there is still no precise information as to how much the bridge would cost, the numbers considered range between 2.4 billion to five billion kunas (321 million to 668 million Euros). Croataintimes.com

Friday, 19th August, 2011
Sanader's remand extended by two months
Zagreb County Court judge Kresimir Devcic has decided to prolong ex-Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's remand by another two months.
The extension comes at the anti-corruption burea USKOK’s request. USKOK has claimed that if freed, Sanader could not only influence witnesses but attempt to escape from Croatia.
The defence has the right to appeal the decision, daily Vecernji List writes.
Sanader has been held in Zagreb’s Remetinec prison since 18 July, when Austria extradited him to Croatia. He was ordered to remain in custody, since in December of last year Austrian authorities apprehended him on an international warrant issued by Croatia.
He is suspected in six cases of fraud. Croatiantimes.com

Friday, 19th August, 2011
Mountain rescuers save two groups of French tourists
Two separate groups of French tourists had to be rescued yesterday (Wed) after getting lost on Mosor mountain near Split and the island Ugljan next to the coastal town of Zadar.
Eight French pilgrims disappeared yesterday on Mosor, on their way to Our Lady of Sinj sanctuary in the town by the same name.
They could not be located with the aid of their mobile phones as they got lost in an area without any phone signal. The search for them continued in the morning, with Croatian Mountain Rescue Services (HGSS) finding them on Mosor’s northern slope in the Jabukovac area.
Three other French tourists got lost in dense underbrush on the Croatian island of Ugljan. They spent the night stuck in vegetation. Zadar-area HGSS managed to cut their way to them with machetes.
The tourists were found dehydrated and bruised. They were escorted to the camp where they were staying. Croatiantimes.com

Friday, 19th August, 2011
Government and banks agree on help for Swiss franc debtors
Croatian government has reached an agreement with the country’s banks to fix the Swiss franc's exchange rate to 5.8 kunas and defer the difference between the real and fixed rate into a lump sum known as "balloon" loan to be repaid later.
These are the latest measures aimed to give a breather to numerous Croatian households whose mortgage and car loans have been pegged to this ballooning foreign currency.
"This is the maximum that we’ve managed to achieve" Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said at the end of the negotiations.
The new repayment model is intended for all who have Swiss franc-pegged loans and not just those who bought their first property with such loans, as it was previously rumoured, daily Jutarnji List writes.
The debtors will be able to choose whether to combine the new model with other measures approved by the banks. Banks could not comment on whether they expected a high demand for the new model, considering that the franc rate has been dropping in the past few days.
Should it drop below 5.8 kunas, the "balloon" or lump sum consisting of the difference between fixed and real value will also shrink. The duration of the "balloon" is limited to five years and interest rates of up to 3.95 per cent will not be applied for the first six months.
After five years, debtors will be able to decide whether they would pay for the accumulated difference with a single instalment or add it to the remainder of their mortgage. They would also be able to refinance it with new loans.
The agreement does not address lowering interest rates on franc-pegged loans as these are regulated by individual banks.

Tuesday, 16 th August, 2011
Parliament Speaker Bebic retiring after health scare
Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic has resigned from politics after a recent health scare.
"I am retiring and future political events don’t interest me," Bebic said.
Bebic ended up in hospital last month after losing consciousness while on vacation.
Doctors ruled out heart attack and stroke, but could not determine what has been causing Bebic’s periodical fainting spells.Croatiantimes.com

Tuesday, 16 th August, 2011
Bad loans grow to 4.6 billion Euros
Croatian banks are getting nervous over 34 billion kunas (4.6 billion Euros) of loans considered to be in arrears or with repayments late three or more months, daily Jutarnji List writes.
That is three times more than in 2008 (last pre-crisis year) and two times more than in September 2009. Two thirds of these so-called bad loans are held by companies, and one third by individuals.
The total number of loans has grown 7.2 per cent since last year’s July, with the share of bad credits rising to 34.2 per cent.
Banks seem to be holding on to the money rather than giving them out to potentially risky clients, daily Jutarnji List writes. Vice-governor of Croatian National Bank (HNB) Davor Holjevac recently warned that Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) had 800 million unused kunas (107 million Euros) that have not yet been handed out as loans because the banks are not ready to accept the risks.
HNB estimates that bad credits could grow to 37 billion kunas (close to five billion Euros) by the end of the year. Croatiantimes.com

Friday, 12th August, 2011
Growing number of Croatians facing foreclosures
Some 150,000 bank accounts are currently blocked because of foreclosures, Financial Agency (FINA) data shows.
The number of foreclosures of properties – vehicles, land, homes - is also growing – there are currently more than 930 that will find itself up for auction in the next month.
There were 2,400 foreclosures in just six months of this year.  Dunja Resman Bartolec from Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) expects the number to double by the end of the year.Zagreb city has the most foreclosed properties, followed by Istria and Zagreb Counties. Croatiantimes.com

Friday, 12th August, 2011
Germany's Chancellor to visit Croatia
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Croatia in what will be the first stop on her tour of several Balkan states.
Merkel is expected to travel on to Belgrade and Podgorica, capitals of Serbia and Montenegro.
According to some analysts, Markel comes with a message for Croatia that should encourage it to become an "agent of Europeanization" of the region.  Germany would like Croatia to help along the other states, serving as an "example of success," weekly Globus writes ahead of Markel’s visit.
Merkel’s message is likely to emphasize the fact that Croatia finished the European Union negotiations because it fulfilled all criteria and that the doors to the Union are open to all those willing to do the same, the weekly writes.

Tuesday, 9th August, 2011
Croatian government defends Storm's legitimacy in response to Tadic's criticism
The Croatian government has reiterated that military operation Storm was a "legitimate and just action," in its response to Serbian President Boris Tadic’s criticism of Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor’s remarks during the commemoration of Victory and Homeland Gratitude Day.
Tadic had criticized Kosor’s address in which she thanked generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac for their role in operation Storm, a military action that reclaimed parts of Serb-occupied territories in Croatia.  Both generals were recently sentenced in The Hague for war crimes committed during the operation.
In its response to Tadic’s criticism, the Croatian government said that the military action defeated the "aggressor policy" of Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic. "In addition to liberating the occupied territories in Croatia, the victory over the tyrant opened the road toward democracy for our neighbours," the government’s statement read.
Tadic said that such statements did not contribute to good neighbourly relations amongst states that are trying to deal with the legacy of wars that left "a large number of casualties, missing and displaced from their homes."
The Croatian government said it would "continue to advocate for the development of good neighbourly relations based on principles of freedom and democracy, and reject of any form of rehabilitation or relativisation of Milosevic's policy of aggression." Croatiantimes.com

Tuesday, 9th August, 2011
Bosnian farmers unblock roads toward border crossings with Croatia
Bosnian farmers have unblocked roads leading to border crossings with Croatia after reaching an agreement with their government over new subsidies.
The authorities of one of the two Bosnia and Herzegovina’s governing entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, decided to secure additional production incentives for the local farmers after protests broke out on several of the country’s roads yesterday (Mon).
Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two entities: Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a result of the Dayton peace agreement in 1995. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina covers 51 per cent of Bosnia and Herzegovina's total area, while Republika Srpska covers 49 per cent.
The entitiesare based largely on the territories held by the two warring sides at the time. Since 1996 the power of the entities relative to the State government has decreased significantly. Nonetheless, both entitiesstill have numerous powers to themselves.
Traffic on roads leading to border crossings Doljani (near Metkovic), Kamensko (near Livno), Izacic (near Bihac) and Orasje was either fully suspended or had evolved with difficulty and delays during the protests. Croatiantimes.com

Thursday, 4th August, 2011
End of EU negotiations big encouragment for investors, Minister says
Croatia’s conclusion of negotiations for European Union membership is the biggest encouragement for investors, the Deputy Prime Minister Domagoj Ivan Milosevic has said.
Reflecting on the fact that Croatia received little foreign investment last year, the minister said that the country was still much better off than the majority of transitional states. For this year he predicts a considerably higher influx of foreign investments that could double last year's numbers.
Milosevic said that the government had recently started the realisation of about 10 public investment projects worth 16 billion kunas (2.15 billion Euros) and had eased the conditions for the  realisation of another 110 private projects worth about 47 billion kunas (6.3 billion Euros).
Most important among the public investments are projects of state companies HEP (electricity), Plinacro, Croatian rail roads (Hrvatske zeljeznice), Jadranski naftovod and Luka Rijeka (Rijeka port).
"Part of this investment was financed by borrowing, and part through concessions and joint ventures," Milosevic said.
Most of the private investments ended up in the tourism sector followed by energy projects, industry, infrastracture and trade. The biggest private investment is the new manufacturing plant for Pliva built in Novi Marof and worth 100 million Euros, daily Jutarnji List writes. Croatiantimes.com

Wednesday, 13th July, 2011
Brits flew for wedding in Croatia together with their priest at the place where they discovered the best sunset
A British couple flew to Croatia together with 80 guests and a priest to get married at the place where they first met two year ago.
The 39-year-old designer Lee Penney and the 36-year-old marketing manager Kathryn Williams, both from London, met at the Gardens Music Festival in southern town of Zadar. They have now returned two years later to the same music festival to get married aboard the ship Argonaughty as the dancing stage in Zadar's channel.
"We met at the festival by chance. We went there separately, met and the love story developed," Kathryn told local daily Slobodna Dalmacija.
"We've returned here as such a sunset we could never forget," she added.
The organiser of the Gardens Music Festival is British musician Nick Colgan of UB40s. Thousands of Brits visit the festival every year. Croatiantimes

Tuesday, 12th July, 2011.
Ex-UN mission head in India and Pakistan named new commander of armed forces
Major general Dragutin Repinc has taken over as the head of the Croatian Army after the removal of Mladen Kruljac following his arrest on suspicion of land fraud.
Educated in military schools, Repinc was commander of the United Nations mission in India and Pakistan from 2005 until 2007, the highest duty a Croatian officer has ever held within the United Nations.
He is expected to take over his new post on Wednesday.
Daily Jutarnji List writes that Repinc may decide to reshuffle the chain of command as he is likely to face officers loyal to their ex-boss Kruljac. (Croatiantimes)

Tuesday, 26th July 2011
Europe at the Crossroads
The inauguration of the European currency union over a decade ago was preceded by a long discussion of the need for fiscal probity and economic convergence within the Eurozone. The "convergence criteria" in the Maastricht Treaty (Article 125,1) resulted from this protracted debate.
The criteria decided on can be summarized as follows:

1) The inflation rate shall not be more than 1.5 percentage points higher than the average of the three best performing member states of the EU.
2) The ratio of the annual government budget deficit to GDP must not exceed 3%.
3) The ratio of total government debt to GDP must not exceed 60%.
4) The nominal long-term interest rate in the member state concerned must not be more than 2 percentage points higher than that in the three member states with the lowest inflation. (more)

Wednesday, 13th July 2011
Despite Fukushima, Russia's Nuclear Industry is Open for Business  
Japan's 11 March catastrophe at its six-reactor Daichi Fukushima nuclear power complex has had global repercussions, hardly surprising given the trillions of dollars invested in civilian nuclear energy over the last five decades. Ironically, just a year ago the nuclear power industry saw itself on the verge of a renaissance, with worldwide concerns about global warming causing many to reconsider the merits of nuclear energy, which produces no greenhouse gases.  
Events in Japan changed all that, and hit the "big three" exporters of civilian nuclear power technology hard - the U.S., France and the Russian Federation.   (more)

Tuesday, 30th August, 2011
Most expensive ship built in Croatia tested in Split port
The most expensive ship ever to have been built in a Croatian shipyard has started testing in Split prior to delivery to its new owners.
The loading ramps of the 1.1 billion kunas (147.2 million Euros) worth ro-pax vessel "Piana" were tested under heavy cargo conditions and passed with flying colours.  In the future, the ship will connect Marseille and Bastia in Corsica.
The acronym ROPAX describes a roll on/roll off vessel (RoRo) built for freight vehicle transport along with passenger accommodation.
Brodosplit shipyard is expected to finish the vessel in a month and deliver it to the "La Meridionale" line. The vessel is envisioned to carry freight vehicles, personal vehicles and passengers. Croatiantimes.com

Tuesday, 12th July, 2011.
Brodosplit to build heavy lift ship for Netherlands ' company
Brodosplit and Jumbo Shipping from Netherlands have signed an agreement for the construction of a heavy lift ship.
Jumbo Shipping is one of the world's leading companies for the transporation of large and heavy cargos, daily 24 Sata writes. The new ship to be built in Split 's shipyard will be the largest in their fleet.
«Heavy lift ships are sophisticated vessels that have not yet been built in Croatian shipyards,» Brodosplit says. The company's strategic goal is targeting this market niche.
The ship will be 152 metres long and 27 metres wide and equipped with two cranes that can lift up 1,100 tonnes each. The delivery is expected in the first half of 2013 and there is a possibility of another commission for two more ships.

Tuesday, 5th July, 2011.
Croatians indifferent to end of EU talks
Almost half of Croatians are rather indifferent about the fact that their country just finished six years of painstaking European Union negotiations, new survey shows.
Forty-four per cent of 500 people surveyed by Ipsos Puls shrugged their shoulders to the news that talks ended last Friday, daily Jutarnji List writes. Some 27 per cent said they were happy about the results, while 12 per cent were dissatisfied. Only seven per cent said they were euphoric, while four per cent are embittered.
Croatians may not be all that interested in the EU at the moment as they expect little from the Union when it comes to personal standards of living.
For the third of surveyed life in the EU will not differ much from their current reality, while 29 per cent think things will be even worse.
Only a quarter of the population think that the situation will improve when Croatia becomes a full-fledged member.
Some 39 per cent consider Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor as the most deserving for the conclusion of negotiations, but only 11 per cent feel she alone should sign the accession agreement. Forty-five per cent would like to see both her and President Ivo Josipovic sign the agreement together, the daily writes. (Croatiantimes)

Friday, 15th April, 2011
SEEMO/IPI Press Release: SEEMO Announces its 2011 Activities Calendar: Conferences, Workshops, Media Freedom Missions, Publications and Awards

Vienna, 13 April 2011-The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), has announced its planned events and activities for 2011:

21 April 2011: Deadline for submitting entries for the Beta News Agency Photograph of the Year Award and SEEMO Human Rights Photo Award. (more)

Wednesday, 6th April, 2011
INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR
Forth coming international seminar which the International Development Union (IDU) is exited to be hosting in May 16th to 21st 2011 first Phase at Carnegie Hall New York City United States of America,
And then from May 23rd to 28th 2011, Second phase at Betz Hall Consultoria Madrid Spain.
The theme of the forth coming seminar is; Racial Discrimination and Human Trafficking.
Delegates who are interested to make a paper presentation are advice to make a summary presentation on the above subject.
With this regard, I hereby request you to kindly extend your cooperation by giving wide publicity to the aforesaid workshop by sharing this invitation among your staff, members or relatives for their
active participation in the workshop.
The (IDU) will be providing all delegates with to and fro Air ticket  and also visa’s guidance for the seminar purpose. Looking forward for your  cooperation and support for the success of the workshop.
Registration is open now! Contact the organizing secretary Mrs. Laura A.
Carter for more information.
Email: inter.develop.info@globomail.com

Wednesday, 23rd March, 2010
Call for the 2011 Dr. Erhard Busek - SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South, Eastern and Central Europe
Vienna, 22 March 2011-The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) calls for nominations for the 2011 Dr. Erhard Busek - SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South, Eastern and Central Europe. Eligible to be nominated are journalists, editors, media executives, media experts, writers or journalism trainers in South Eastern Europe, who have contributed to promoting better understanding in the region and have worked towards ending minority-related problems, ethnic divisions, racism, xenophobia, gender discrimination, homophobia, etc. The winner will be awarded 3,000.00 EUR. (more)

Monday, 28th February, 2011
PAM announces missions to North Africa
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean is following with great concern the current
developments in the region, particularly the latest reports from Libya, where the situation is
considered as volatile, fluid and unpredictable. The Parliamentary Assembly of the
Mediterranean calls for the immediate and total restrain of all forms of violence and for the
respect of human rights and the protection of the civilian population.  (more)

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