100 posts
Croatia: Hazing the Rookie
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EST ambassador to Croatia, Henri Erti, takes a look at the EU's next member, Croatia, and provides an overview over its current economic situation and future prospects.
Croatia, and why EU enlargement matters
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In my last blog, I was looking back at the changes that came about as a result of 20 years of the single market. But for Croatia’s 4.4 million inhabitants, the last two decades have seen change of an even more profound variety. In 1992, the year I...
OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF SERBIA
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Mr Tomislav Nikolic, President of the Republic of Serbia, I’m writing an open letter to you because I do everything openly in front of the Croatian people, the world and God. You invited Croatian representatives to say which questions Serbia ha...
Croatia: new rule for citizenship applicants – citizenship test
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Croatian ministry of the interior has October 26 published in the Government gazette (Narodne Novine) a 100-question supplement rule-book for citizenship applicants to fill in (answer). Applicants must answer correctly at least 10 out of 15 randomly...
Croatia: Call for government advisors on diaspora may prove to be a dud
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If you live outside Croatia and have had urges to want to contribute in an official capacity to the process of strengthening the ties between Croatia and the Croatian diaspora then this could very well be your chance and opportunity. You have until...
Croatian foreign pension tax law: de jure and de facto discrimination
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Foreign pensions were excluded from income tax prior to March 2012 but now, anyone from the U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand etc., in receipt of pension wanting to live in Croatia can only do so as targets of extreme discrimination and material losses.
Croatian Watergate – or is it? ‘Allo, ‘allo!
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Croatian Vecernji List newspaper dropped a “bomb” on Saturday October 20 as it uncovered a privacy breach scandal dubbed “Croatian Watergate”, spinning the government and the president into top gear of political manoeuvrings designed to take...
Croatia: EU accession – “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings”
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Nothing is irreversible until the final act is played out – says the proverb in the title of this post. When it comes to Croatia becoming a member of the EU then that final act, in everyone’s mind, is the ratification of Croatia’s accession Tre...
Jerry Blaskovich M.D.
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Reblogged from Croatia Business Report: The great Croatian-American, Jerry Blaskovich passed away on 8 October. Born on 20 April 1934, Jerry was a humanist who served both the United States and Croatia. A Korean War veteran, he had studied medici...
Croatia: Small business red tape cut in efforts to stimulate self-employment
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Although received with a fair amount of skepticism and confusion by many in Croatia the government’s seemingly swift move to cut red tape, simplify small business registration and make it affordable to any entrepreneur or person with a view to ente...
The Croatian foreign minister speaks
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CROATIA’ foreign minister is in London today, October 17th, and tomorrow. Vesna Pusic is meeting William Hague, Britain’s foreign secretary and parliamentarians. She is giving a lecture at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Developmen...
EU Nobel Peace Prize, Croatian and Serbian Medals of Tolerance – the bubbles in “bubble and squeak”
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The European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week; a feel-good moment, froth and bubble rising above, obscuring for a moment or two, the economic distress and national disquiet within the several of its member states (Greece, Spain, Port...
Red Poppies of Croatian Independence
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Jovial fireworks sparkling across night skies, trumpets sounding cheery elation, rainbow coloured streamers and confetti titillating, balloons hovering dancingly above the heads of reveling crowds in the streets, singing, dancing…the picture scurry...
When Courage Prevailed
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Reblogged from Eyes of the Mind: BOOK REVIEW When Courage Prevailed: The Rescue and Survival of Jews in the Independent State of Croatia by Esther Gitman (Paragon House, ISBN 978-1-55778-894-8) No one likes to admit they have been duped, so it is no...
Croatia: Bridge over troubled water
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Connecting Croatian territory into a continuous body of land has become addled by political rumdumm from all sides (Croatian and Bosnian and Herzegovinian). The issue of Peljesac Bridge that would provide for the uninterrupted access to all Croatian...
Slovenia Puts €172mn Price Tag On Croatia's EU Entry
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By Andrew Rettman EU leaders in December signed Croatia's accession treaty, trumpeting the move as a sign the EU's...
The Prime Joker
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Croatia’s Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic is actually a very funny bloke. Although he mostly doesn’t mean to be funny, every now and then he makes the nation laugh. The Prime Joker, that’s who he is. Considering that he’s elect...
Joint injustice against Croatia so far – Joint justice from now on
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Video now with subtitles in the English language! Joint Injustice (Udruzena Nepravda) – a documentary film Produced by Vecernji List newspaper, Croatia Author and Director: Jadranka Juresko-Kero, August 2012 All participants in this documentary...
Croatian economy: will nationalisation bring home the bacon?
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Whether Croatia’s current government’s dramatic moves to turn the economy around and create jobs that will bring home the bacon for multitudes of unemployed (at 301, 583 or 17.6% unemployed at end of August 2012/ the figure of 20% unemployed in A...
I’m back, Arnie style!
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No, dear reader, I won’t annihilate anyone, I’m just back to the blogosphere. To make a long story short, last few months were pretty chaotic, draining all the energy out of me so I’ve temporarily quit writing this blog. It wasnR...
The Road to Hell
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Reblogged from Eyes of the Mind: There’s a saying that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. It is perhaps something the ICTY should bear in mind as they read the latest issue of the Military Law Review and Major General Walter B. Huffm...
Croatian Paralympians bring home the sporting glory
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The last five weeks of Olympic sporting thrills, feisty competitions, inspiration and hope ended on Sunday September 10 with the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, dubbed “the greatest ever” by International Committee chairman Sir...
Croatia: Promoting Solar Energy at Terraneo Music Festival
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UNDP's Voices from Eurasia blog reports on the ecological education program of this year's Terraneo music festival in Šibenik, where guests, among other things, could “test-drive Croatia’s only solar-powered car and bicycle.” I...
Fragments of War – a book review
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When Francois Voltaire stated, “every person is guilty of all the good he didn’t do”, he did not have someone like Trysta Montgomery (Australian humanitarian aid worker) in mind. Although a fictional character in Mishka Gora’s debut n...
Fragments of War
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Reblogged from Eyes of the Mind: I am pleased to announce that my debut novel Fragments of War is now available direct from the publisher CreateSpace (discount code FKMD96HA), and also from the following retailers: Amazon France, Amazon UK, and Amazo...
Dnevno Interview
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Reblogged from Eyes of the Mind: Yesterday, I was interviewed by Zoran Stupar of Dnevno. Here is an English version of that interview. Mishka Gora: Remembers with disgust those who did not respond forcefully to Serbian aggression. I believe the onl...
Fiscal progress leads Fitch to improve outlook on Croatia rating
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The outlook on Croatia's credit rating has been revised upwards by Fitch on the back of the country's deficit reduction plan and improvements to its tax compliance regime...
General Ante Gotovina: must be found not guilty at ICTY Appeal
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I do not apologise if my posts on the Croatian Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac ICTY processes render my readers giddy. If the Generals can suffer incarceration pining for liberty and justice they deserve, tolerating with dignity the exaspera...
A convicted person is not a plaything of justice, says Croatian General Mladen Markac’s defence
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On 31 August Croatian General Mladen Markac’s defence has filed its full reply to the ICTY Prosecution’s Brief that Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, in case the Appeal Chamber found no case for joint criminal enterprise (JCE) and therefo...
Croatia: government’s deafening silence for victims of totalitarian regimes
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August 23rd was/is the European Day for the Remembrance of the Victims of Totalitarian Regimes (Nazi, Communist and Fascist regimes alike). The silence from the Croatian government and Croatian president (all of whom are from the former Yugoslav comm...
Croatia: Josipovic’s helter-skelter politics
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The palpably ever-present helter-skelter in the Croatian left-wing politics have shown their unsavoury face during the past week, again. It’s blatantly obvious that the head of the Croatian state, President Ivo Josipovic, just like his predecessor...
1,700 mass graves: 90% victims of Communist crimes
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In Blato, on the Island of Korcula, in Croatia, a mournful, dignified event interred August 16 the earthly remains of three men who were thrown into the Paklenica pit (Hell pit) on the feast of St Rocco, 16 August 1943, as victims of the communist...
Croatia, give heed: the vicious claws of Greater Serbia grow bolder
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This year’s official state celebration in Knin, August 5, of the 17th anniversary of Operation Storm which liberated the last of Croatian territory from Serb occupation, mass murder and ethnic cleansing clearly shows a renewed aggressive trend with...
Croatian Generals Gotovina and Markac: ICTY prosecutor seeks interference with justice
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The ICTY prosecutor has, as expected, filed August 10 briefs to the Appeal Chamber as to alternate modes of liability the appeal should result with in Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac appeals. In short, the prosecutor submits that if the Appeal Chambe...
Croatia – London 2012: marvelous Olympic waterpolo gold glory!
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What a marvelous Sunday August 12 Croatia had at the Olympics – first handball bronze and then came the Games competitions finale and the Croatian waterpolo team won gold. CROATIA, in this sport, won her first Olympic Games gold medal in the men...
Croatia – London Olympics 2012: Yesss another Bronze medal Men’s Handball
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Just saw live telecast of Olympic Bronze medal Men’s Handball match Croatia Vs Hungary and the Croatian team, nicknamed “Cowboys” simply nailed the medal. Well done! That makes the 6th Olympic glory medal for Croatia, so far. All eyes no...
Croatia – London Olympic Games 2012: Bronze came and – more gold!
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The second week of Olympic competition in London is nearing to a close. And what a great week it was for Croatia – again! Congratulations! Simply fabulous, simply fantastic! Go Croatia! Related post: Croatia has gold, Croatia has silver – bro...
Croatia has gold, Croatia has silver – bronze can wait
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Just over one week into the London Olympic Games 2012 and emotions run high with joy in Croatia! What a superb bonus in waking up to Croatia’s big day – 5th August – “Day of Victory and Homeland Gratitude” and “D...
Operation Storm DVD available today
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Reblogged from Croatia Business Report: Today see the 17th anniversary of Croatia’s Operation Storm, which liberated much of occupied Croatian territory, saved Bosnia-Herzegovina and ended the war. It stopped the full implementation of the plans of...
Croatia’s D-Day: Operation Storm 1995
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The profound respect, delight and the sense of ultimate justice for freedom WWII D-Day generates in the lands of WWII Allies is nothing less, nothing more than what “Operation Storm 1995” generates for Croatia and Croatians – except for the mis...
“Fight the good fight with all thy might…”
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Reblogged from Eyes of the Mind: On the 4th of August 1995, Croatia launched Operation Storm under the leadership of General Ante Gotovina. It was a professional, textbook military offensive hailed by General Wesley Clark (of the US Joint Chiefs of...
Fortunate are the countries spared from communism after WWII
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Had Milorad Pupovac, president of the Independent Democratic Serb Party in Croatia, demonstrated better care and respect for the multitudes of innocent Croatian and non-Serb victims from early 1990’s in his speech at the 71st anniversary of anti-fa...
Croatia: Red Cross – after 17 years still searching for human remains
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Barbara Hintermann Marclay (head of ICRC operations for North America, Western, Central and South-Eastern Europe) said, July 18, at the launch of third edition of the Book of Missing Persons on the territory of Croatia: “In 1995, when the armed con...
Croatia: 2.8 Million “Inappropriate” Books “Purged” During the 1990s
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In “Libricide,” Ante Lešaja has documented the process of “purging” of “unsuitable” books from Croatian schools and public libraries by the right-wing HDZ government in the 1990s. According to a Jutarnji List inte...
Croatia: renewed cronyism under leftist government – extreme and brazen
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Corruption, cronyism, and a general lack of transparency stymied meaningful economic reform, as well as much-needed foreign investment in Croatia during the past decade or so. Much of the blame for corruption and cronyism has been directed towards Cr...
Croatian leftist government – “Monkey see, Monkey do” moral undercurrents as in communist Yugoslavia
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It was a sex scandal that caused Dominique Strauss-Kahn to resign from his position as managing director of International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 18 May 2011. Racy emails purporting to show that Bret McGurk (President Barrack Obama’s nominee for US...
Croatia President: Europe, an opera with happy ending
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By Daniela Vincenti A musician and a composer, Ivo Josipović, President of Croatia, sees Europe as an opera...
Croatia: far from Euro?
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At the meeting that put together the new leadership of the Croatian Social Democrats party (currently in government), June 16, minister of finance Slavko Linic said that new rises in prices were not dependent on the ministry of finances and that the...
Croatia: Unholy Holy emails – moral corruption of minister
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Late last week Croatia’s minister for environment and nature protection, Mirela Holy, resigned her ministerial post after being exposed of sending an email to the CEO of Croatian Railways Rene Valcic asking him to save the job of one of his secreta...
Croatia’s EU accession: Curbed enthusiasm
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On Sunday, January 23rd 2012, the Croatian referendum backed accession to the European Union. In 2013 it will join as Member State Number 28. But what is being described as a "historic decision" by Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic attracted less than 4...
A New Star in the European Sky: Croatia
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WASHINGTON– Strange as it may seem to some, there are those who wish to join the European Union, in spite of all its current flaws. Croatian voters gave a resounding yes to becoming the 28th member state of the European Union in a referendum h...
EU referendum: Don’t know – don’t care
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The results of the referendum are clear – Croatia has chosen Europe! Two thirds of Croatian voters voted ‘YES’ in today’s referendum on country’s EU accession. Exactly 22 years after that historical day when Croatian del...
Gotovina’s ‘YES’ in the referendum
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Retired Croatian army general and a war hero Ante Gotovina will vote ‘YES’ in the EU accession referendum. This information was passed down to Croatian media by his solicitor Luka Misetic earlier today. Although many find this shocking be...
Croatia EU membership referendum campaigns: Blackmail and sweet-talk (Yes to EU) Vs sovereignty and self-determination (No to EU)
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Media grabs – days before Croatian referendum Bloomberg: “Croatia’s drive to join the European Union may stall as citizens are split over whether accession will drag the former Yugoslav republic into a debt crisis and erode its sovereignty.
Worshiped like Gods
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Few days before the referendum on Croatia’s EU accession I found myself thinking about the interesting scenario. Despite my decision to vote ‘yes’ on the referendum, it would be rather exciting to witness Croatia’s ‘no&#...
New Year 2012: More of the same?
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New Year’s Eve. Special time of the year. Time marches on relentlessly through the only day of the year that has a countdown. Countdown to a snake shedding like process for many people in which they try to discard their old habits,bury them dee...
Thank you, Poland!
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By signing the Treaty in Brussels today Croatia made its final step towards the EU membership. Croatian politicians consider this act one of the most important in country’s recent history. Although I consider those statements exaggerated, I mus...
A Red Carrot Harvest in Croatia
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Once upon a time – but still fresh in memory of many – there were jobs for most. The communist rule in former Yugoslavia, with socialist orientation made it their business that everyone of working age and capacity should have an ongoing job witho...
Croatia and Slovenia Want Change
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High jobless rates, weak economic prospects and an apparent fatigue to buy into simplistic national slogans prompted voters in Croatia and Slovenia this weekend to topple their respective governments and back little tested politicians to improve the...
Nigel Farage barrage
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At the moment Croatia is a star in the European Union circles – praise for Croatia’s achievements in its unreasonably hard route to reach the stage of signing the EU Treaty & become a member of EU echoes almost everywhere one looks. The Croat...
Dobrodošli na Hrvatska/A warm EU welcome to Croatia
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It took six years of negotiations, but Croatia’s entry into the European Union is now officially a formality. In a mad dash to the finish line, the Hungarian presidency managed to squeeze in one last mini-summit to consecrate the deal …Contin...
Croatia’s President gave a hint of attack to Bosnia
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I wonder how many readers saw anything in western media related to informal statement on 20.1.2010 made by Croatia’s President Mesic. Here quote: “If Milorad Dodik (head of Republica Srpska, AR) scheduled a referendum for secession of Repub...
Slovenia is embarrassing
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Reading that Slovenia continues to block the accession talks of Croatia due to nationalistic considerations is totally embarrassing. I thought that with the agreement between both countries earlier this year this kind of things would have ended...
Croatia, Slovenia Bury Border Dispute
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Slovenia and Croatia have reached an agreement on their long-running border dispute, a move that will allow Croatia to continue its European Union accession talks. READ MORE...
Breakthrough on the Border Dispute between Slovenia and Croatia
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Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor has announced that the negotiations on the settlement of the border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia would resume with EU mediation. He also said that the Slovenian government would propose to the parliament t...
Good news from Slovenia and Croatia
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This friday the Slovenian Prime Minister announced that Slovenia will lift its veto against EU accession of Croatia over the two countries’ dispute on the border in the Adriatic Sea. Talks on settling the dispute will, however, continue with in...
Slovenia | Conflict with Croatia
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Slovenia's European election campaign missed any European aspects stated an Austrian newspaper. As in other member states, the financial crisis was a big deal. Moreover, unsolved border issues with Croatia dominated, as usual, the discussions. These...
Can Irish protocol be added to Croatian Accession Agreement?
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Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Brian Cowen has re-confirmed that the ‘guarantees’ promised by EU leaders at the December summit “must be legally robust in order to reassure the public about the treaty”. He said: “Whi...
