Latest News from Croatia

By Stathis Kousounis

Greece?s economic and political climate has led to an unexpected decline in tourism bookings from Germany by 1.2 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2015, according to a survey by Gfk.

Bulgaria's head of state is due to take over from Albania the presidency of the Southeastern European Cooperation Process (SEECP) while on a visit to Tirana on Tuesday, his press office has said.

President Rosen Plevneliev is to take part in a Tuesday summit bringing together all heads of state and government of countries who participate in  the SEECP.

"Croatia has entered the time of a new development model that relies on competitiveness and productivity, and not on massive public investment in infrastructure," Milanovic told the Invest HR conference in Zagreb on Monday.

"We have a new development model; we do not need hundreds of kilometres of new highways and thousands of new houses, but we need investment in quality," he added.

Croatia's Foreign Minister Minister Vesna Pusic and her Bulgarian counterpart Daniel Mitov have agreed that the EU integration of the Western Balkans and the preservation of the territorial integrity of the region are issues of absolute necessity.

Be?ikta? coach Slaven Bilic has confirmed that he will leave the club at the end of the season as media speculation grew that he may replace Sam Allardyce as West Ham United manager.

An important trade deal between the US and EU, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, may be signed directly by the European Commission - by-passing the need for the deal to go to national parliaments.

The TTIP is a free-trade agreement designed to encourage multilateral economic growth and job creation.

Ireland goes to the polls on May 22 to vote on whether same-sex marriage should be legal, in a referendum that has exposed sharp divisions between communities in this traditionally Catholic nation.