Latest News from Croatia
EU Court Denies Jurisdiction Over Slovenia-Croatia Border Dispute
In a blow to Slovenia, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice, ECJ, on Friday said that it had no jurisdiction to rule on Slovenian claims that Croatia had violated European law by failing to implement a border arbitration ruling. The decision is final and there is no appeal.
Bosnia Seeks Arrest of 47 War Crimes Fugitives
The Bosnian state court told BIRN that 47 people accused of committing crimes during the 1992-95 war are being sought for arrest, 25 of whom are outside the country.
Twenty-four of those who are wanted have Serbian citizenship, or dual citizenship of Serbia and Bosnia, according to prosecutors.
Brexit’s Impact on the Balkans – Key Facts
As the clock ticks until the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, BIRN brings some key facts about Brexit's likely effect on the three EU member states in the region, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.
Croatian TV Series Ridiculed for ‘Caricaturing’ Wartime General
"Goodbye, #GeneralHRT. Monday will never be the same again," one Twitter user wrote on Monday evening after the last episode of the TV series 'The General' was aired on Croatian public television station HRT.
Croatia Activates EU’s Crisis Response to Coronavirus Outbreak
Croatia, which took on the six-month rotating European Union presidency on January 1, on Tuesday activated the EU's Integrated Crisis Response, IPCR, to the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed dozens of lives in China.
Vucic: These are tough and painful messages for us
He said that these are regarded as "painful messages", such as the assessment of Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic that the protests were "insane" and, for example, that there would be "some Orthodox church" set up in Montenegro.
ForMin Aurescu: Credible enlargement process of the European Union, a strategic investment
A credible enlargement process of the European Union is a strategic investment and the accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia should be opened "without further delay or preconditions," Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Wednesday, as he participated in an event that marked the taking over by Croatia of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Croatia’s Example Hints at Limits of Right-Wing Populism
Grabar-Kitarovic had the full backing of the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which has led the governing coalition since 2016 and boasts a powerful party machine across the country.
Even so, Milanovic beat her soundly in the second round in early January, scooping 52.66 per cent of votes compared with 47.34 per cent for Grabar-Kitarovic.
Croatian ‘Superbug River’ Puts Pharma Pollution Under the Microscope
"I felt like I was doing some kind of police work," she said, recalling the hours crouched in the mud by Croatia's largest river, scooping sludge into sample bottles, during a year of fieldwork in 2016.
Balkan Countries Take Precautions Amid Fear of Coronavirus
Several Balkan countries have stepped up health safety measures at airports and border crossings and issued protection information to their citizens, as concern spreads about a potential outbreak in the region of the coronavirus, which has killed dozens of people in China.
Croatian Health Minister Fired Over Real Estate Scandal
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who is also a leader of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, sacked Health Minister Milan Kujundzic on Tuesday after a series of media reports that he did not admit the true value of his real estate holdings.
"The minister was focused on topics that had nothing to do with what he was doing," Plenkovic told reporters.
Ankara urges EU to reconsider its enlargement policy
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has written a letter to officials in Europe on the European Union's new enlargement policy.
The letter was sent to EU high representative Josep Borrell, Oliver Varhelyi, commissioner for European neighborhood policy and enlargement negotiations, and Gordan Grlic-Radman, Croatia's minister of foreign and European affairs.
Chinese Man Arrested for Singing Croatian Ultranationalist Songs
Chinese citizen Sze Yat Lung, who is currently living in Croatia, was arrested on Monday after a video was posted on social networks showing him singing Croatian ultranationalist songs in a cafe in Imotski, where he was watching the finals of the European Handball Championship between Croatia and Spain.
Romania Demands Justice Monitoring System for Whole EU
Romania has signalled its growing frustration with the CVM - a system of checks on its adherence to the rule of law - by demanding that similar monitoring be extended to the rest of the European Union.
Croatia Commemorates Holocaust amid Divisions over WWII History
Croatia's Anti-Fascist League, which includes some groups of ethnic minorities like Serbs, Jews and Roma, held a commemorative gathering on Sunday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day - one of a series of events held in the country in recent days to commemorate the Holocaust and the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1945.