Latest News from Croatia
Balkan Cafe Life Resumes as COVID Restrictions are Eased
Croatia on Monday started another phase of lifting preventative measures that were imposed in mid-March to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Cafes, restaurants, shopping malls and parts of schools reopened on Monday but with the observance of special epidemiological measures. Intercity travel, rail services and domestic air transport also reopened.
Serbia, Bosnia Spend €3.6 Million on Acquitted War Suspects
Belgrade Higher Court has awarded a total of around 1.8 million euros in compensation and refunds of legal costs to defendants who were acquitted of war crimes by the Serbian judiciary or had their charges dropped, documents obtained by BIRN show.
German tourists eyeing holidays in Greece, says report
Greece was listed first among locations keen to see German tourists this year by the German newspaper "Bild am Sonntag" on Sunday in a six-page spread on possible holiday destinations for German travelers.
EU travel ban could be extended till June 15
The European Commission on May 8 proposed extending restrictions on travel to the EU until June 15.
EU countries in mid-March adopted restrictions on non-EU nationals entering bloc territory in order to contain the spread of COVID-19, and extended the ban in April.
Catholic Church in Bosnia to Hold Controversial WWII Mass
Ivo Tomasevic, secretary-general of the Bishops' Conference, the permanent assembly of Catholic bishops in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told BIRN on Friday that a mass to commemorate the killings of Croatian Nazi-allied troops and civilians by the Yugoslav Partisans at the end of World War II will not be cancelled despite condemnation from politicians, anti-fascist activists and many public figures.
Croatia and Greece Race to Salvage Something from Summer 2020
As the continent eases its COVID-19 lockdowns, EU members Greece and Croatia are desperate to lure back at least some of the millions of tourists who flock to their shores every summer.
Croatian Defence Minister Resigns Over Military Plane Crash
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic accepted the resignation of Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic on Friday after a Croatian Air Force training plane crashed at Biljane Donje near the coastal city of Zadar, killing two airmen.
Sites of Resistance: Marking the Anniversary of Zagreb’s WWII Liberation
On that day in 1945, anti-fascist Partisan forces reclaimed the city from Nazi-allied administration of the Independent State of Croatia, NDH, a puppet state established in 1941 and run by the fascist Ustasa movement with the support of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, which passed harsh racial laws against Serbs, Jews and Roma people.
Week in Review: The Aftermath of COVID-19
Electoral Rush
As the current wave of the coronavirus pandemic seems to be waning, politics is coming back to life. In fact, it may well be getting more lively than before the pandemic.
Orban’s ‘Greater Hungary’ Map Creates Waves in Neighbourhood
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic responded artfully on Thursday to a provocative Facebook post by the Hungarian leader that depicted a map of Greater Hungary - i.e. with the much bigger borders of the old Hungarian kingdom before the end of World War I, which included much of modern Croatia.
EU Western Balkans Video Summit begins: Vucic talks with Michel, Hahn, McAllister
The virtual summit, organized by the EU Presidency of Croatia and chaired by European Council President Charles Michel, will be held from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm.
Croatia’s 1990s Paramilitaries: From Government Critics to Collaborators
'Defenders of the homeland'
Almost 37% of the Bulgarians are Unable to Face Unexpected Financial Expenses
In the European Union (EU), almost one in three people were unable to face unexpected financial expenses (32%) in 2019. These people were not able to face unexpected financial expenses such as costs for surgery, a funeral, a replacement of washing machine or a car in 2019, Eurostat data showed.
EU President Croatia Stays Silent on Hungary’s Democratic Backsliding
Sven Marcelic, an assistant sociology professor at the University of Zadar, told BIRN that one problem facing Croatia during the EU presidency is that, owing to the pandemic, "it is completely enclosed within a national framework", and so cannot fulfill its leadership function in the EU "at a moment when de facto it does not preside".
Coronavirus Causes Massive Layoffs Across the Balkans
Hundreds of thousands of workers in Balkan countries have lost their jobs due to economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, official statistical data show. And many fear the real numbers of job losses could be considerably higher, as not all countries in the region have compiled comprehensive records.