Questions to the PM in Parliament without substance
Autumn session of Croatian Parliament (Sabor) started with usual questions of MPs to Prime Minister and other members of the government. More on jutarnji.hr. And it was a boring show without even one incident, hard or substantial question. Political analysts Ivica Relković and Krešimir Macan commented on hrt.hr.
Relković: HDZ and SDP were dominant to each other. It's kind of a return to the old tracks. Before any election cycle, such homogenization is welcomed.
Macan: Government reconstruction (one of the main topics of SDP’s questions) is already outdated. Let's not forget that today there is an incredible turnover on the stock market, unions are preparing referendums, a lot of other things happened. MPs should be more specific.
Croatian successes in EU
PM Andrej Plenković informed Sabor about last EU councils: 21/22 March, 20/21 June, special one on April 1oth, and informal May 9th and 28th and one more special June 30th.
Here are the highlights:
Ursula von der Leyen came to Zagreb, Marija Pejčinović Burić is new Secretary-General of Council of Europe, Ivana Maletić is a member of European Court of Auditors and Dubravka Šuica candidate for vice president of the European Commission
- Demography: We linked issue that is of national importance to Croatia with the EU because half of the member states has a negative birth rate. And we can strongly influence that subject.
- Croatia comes out of excessive financial shortfalls and macroeconomic imbalances and sent a letter to the European Exchange Rate Mechanism II, preparing for the introduction of the euro
- Croatia has completed all necessary preparations to obtain a European Commission recommendation for entry into the Schengen area. So far, Plenković doesn't dare predict when that will be. He recalled Bulgaria and Romania that are still not members of Schengen
- He reiterated Croatia's priorities for EU presidency (first part of 2020): a Europe that grows and develops, a Europe that connects (transport, energy, digital), a Europe that protects (external and internal security), and finally a strong, agile, assertive EU globally projecting its model where they want to embrace it, which protects their member states and influences the global processes.
This discussion showed that the main part of Croatian opposition still does not understand European policies and politics and the role of the member state in the Union.
More on jutarnji.hr.
Marija Pejčinović Burić is Secretary-General of Council of Europe
Former Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs became Croatian politician on the highest position in international organizations. At the ceremony in Strasbourg, she said that she wants the Council of Europe to return to its origins. “During my term of office, I want to understand why we need such an organization”.
She stressed that the Council is in a difficult period because there is a lot of xenophobia and discrimination in Europe that needs to be faced, and she emphasized improving the dialogue between the bodies of the Council but also the member states”. The dialogue that leads to compromise, Pejčinović Burić stressed. More on jutarnji.hr
Strasbourg:MPB polozila prisegu i iznosi prioritete svog mandata: kao generalni tajnca bit cu i tajnica i general, rekla je MPB. #hrtvijesti pic.twitter.com/IPdI7jc7ni
— Jasna Paro (@jasnaparo) September 18, 2019
Do not be confused with Milan Bandić
Croatian weekly Nacional announced that Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić will resign and enter the presidential campaign. Mayor Bandić denied that.
On Wednesday another Milan Bandić, alias Dario Juričan (movie director), announced his presidential campaign. With the aim: to make Croatia leader in corruption. More on jutarnji.hr
OHR and US embassy against SDA
The Office of High Representative in Sarajevo as well as the U.S. Embassy in the capital city of BiH on Wednesday condemned a declaration which the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA) recently adopted calling for the organisation of Bosnia and Herzegovina based on a concept which will abolish the current arrangement along the ethnic lines based on Dayton accords. More on jutarnji.hr
Pay the fine in - German Marks (DEM)
Lawyers on Wednesday assessed it as a shame and reflection of legislative negligence that the Law on Misdemeanors Against Public Order and Peace, one of the most frequently violated laws in Croatia, has pronounced penalties in German marks (DEM), whose official use has lapsed long ago in 1999. Hina
Croatia is not so poor (but tell that to the citizens)
Croatia is ranked 33rd on a list of the world's wealthiest countries, with net financial assets of 10,560 euros per capita in 2018, shows Allianz's tenth report on global wealth, published on Wednesday. Last year net financial assets in Croatia grew by a mere 3.8%, which is the lowest rate in the past seven years. More on novac.hr.
The government will recapitalise Croatia Airlines
On today’s session, the Croatian government will recapitalise national airline company Croatia Airlines (CA) with 250 million kunas (€30 million). CA on Tuesday celebrated 30 years of existence and said that is the amount it needs to make a move ahead in development. But, search for a strategic partner is going on. The government does not expect problems with the European Commission. More in today’s print edition of Jutarnji list.