Croatia in Focus, br. 40, December 2008 / January 2009

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Croatia chairedUN SecurityCouncil

ISSN 1334-7047 CROATIAN GOVERNMENT BULLETIN

VOLUME XII DECEMBER/JANUARY 2009 | No. 40

Interview:Damir Polančec

Rijeka-Zagreb-BudapestMotorway Opened

Jus ce And Home A airs -EU And Western Balkans



Factsandgures

Republic of Croa a

Adria c SeaThe Adria c sea got its name froman ancient port of the same name.The Adria c spans from the Balkanto the Apennine peninsula.The part belonging to the Republicof Croa a is the eastcoast whichextends all the way from Prevlakain the south to cape Savudrijain the west,including all islands,islets and cli s along the coast,andthe archipelago of Palagruza (thenumber of islands, islets and cli s ismore than 1700).This is a unique area in Europefor cruising with motor boats,speedboats, or sailboats, but alsofor enjoying the underwater world.

Geographical posi onCroa a extends from the furthest

eastern edges of the Alps in thenorth-west to the Pannonian

lowlands and the banks of theDanube in the east; its central region

is covered by the Dinara mountainrange, and its southern parts extend

to the coast of the Adria c Sea.

Zagreb

OsijekRijeka

Split

Zadar

Dubrovnik

Land area56.542 sq. km

Territorial waters area31.000 sq. km

Length of coastline(with islands)

5.790 km

Length of terrestrial border1.777,7 km

Highest peakDinara (1.831 m above sea level)

Number of islands1.185 (66 inhabited)

Popula on(census 2001.)

4.381,352Capital

Zagreb(779.145 inhabitants)

ReligionsRoman Catholic, Serbian Orthodox,

Islamic, Jewish, Protestant and others

Currencykuna (1 kuna = 100 lipa)

LanguageCroa an



Croa a In FocusDecember/January 2009 | No. 40

blisherovernment of the Republic of Croa a,

ce for Public Rela ons000 Zagreb, Trg sv Marka 2: +385 1 45 69 248,x: +385 1 45 69 393, 63 03 022ww.vlada.hr

itor in chief ndra [email protected]

a zana Kovačević, Jasna Sruk Vlah,

ubravka Belas, Ida Ćosić, Igor Žarković,ar na Mance, Paula Popravak,sna Lončar, Daniela Valić,

ntonija Gelo, Antun Čajkovac,mislav Šimičević, Zoran Šimunić,ana Zlomislić

ansla onađana Butković

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nijela Šegedin

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C R O AT I A N G O V E R N M E N T B U L L E T I N

PM Sanader’sReview of 2008

Dear Reader,

We entered the year 2008 on a wave of support by the Croa an voters – receiving a majority of votes at the parliamentary elec ons, and cons equently the mandate for establishing a co ali onGovernment, which was con rmed by the Croa an Parliament a year ago.

Since then, we held around 60 sessions of government and sent more than 120 legisla veproposals for parliamentary procedure. However, our achievements are not only expressed inthese sta s cs, but rather in our dedica on to further advance the prosperity of Croa a and allher ci zens.

Securing the standard of living

The main task of the new government was to safeguard our ci zens’ standard of living. A ermany years of nego a ons we reached an agreement on the Act on the Minimum Wage. Wealso raised the income tax exemp on from 1,600 to 1,800 Kuna. Throughout the year naturalgas prices remained stable, and the price of electricity did not increase un l summer. Sincethis increase, we have been subsidising the price of electricity for more than y percent of households, aiding those who need assistance the most. We have also con nued with ourrepayment of debt to pensioners – 950 million Kuna worth of debt was repaid in December, andChristmas bonuses to both pensioners and government employees were paid out. Croa a is an open economy, and as such we are also exposed to interna onal processes. Theglobal nancial and economic crisis inevitably a ected our country, as well. However, due tothe macroeconomic stability achieved over the last four years, Croa a was prepared to weatherthe storm. The Government also took prompt ac ons, like increasing the deposit amountsguaranteed by the state, which consolidated the stability of Croa a’s nancial system.

In integral part of our e orts to strengthen Croa a’s economy is the prepara on of our newenergy strategy, aimed at securing energy supply, increasing the compe veness of the systemand bringing about sustainable energy development. In line with this strategy, we have decidedto separate the natural gas business, thus keeping procurement and distribu on under state

Croa a chaired UN Security Council in December 2008

Foreign Minister`s Diploma c Tour

Prime Minister’s Diploma c Tour

President of the Slovak Republic Ivan Gašparovič ono cial visit to Croa a

Energy Development Strategy

Economic Policy of Croa a in 2009

Rijeka-Zagreb-Budapest Motorway opened

Interview with Damir Polančec

News Flash

Jus ce and Home A airs - EU and Western Balkans

Comple on of Phare 2005 Twinning Light Project

57 Products Branded ˝Croa an Island Product˝

Krijesnica - a Tiny Light Of Hope

Interliber - Zagreb Bookish Olympics

The Beauty of Freedom

Turopolje’s Eleven Wooden Beau es

Nau cal tourism

The Days of Croa an Tourism

Opa ja - Queen of tourism

Sport News Flash



ownership. Croa a’s new energy strategy, which will cover the nex t 10 years of energydevelopment and investment, will soon be sent to the Parliament for adop on, andwill signify a new chapter in our e orts to be as energy independent as possible.

Shipbuilding was also one of the crucial issues that marked the year. On 12 January2008, the same day the Government was con rmed by Parliament, more than 1,500creditors voted for a new bankruptcy plan for the shipyard Viktor Lenac, thus endingthe shipyard’s ve-year long agony. With this, a new hope was brought to more than athousand workers employed in Viktor Lenac. We want to bring this same hope to othershipyards, which require restructuring through the process of priva za on.

Infrastructural projects were also con nued: the Rijeka-Zagreb motorway, whichwas started in 1970, was put into opera on in its full length of 146.5 km. A erseventeen years, trains once again operate on the Vinkovci-Osijek line, and we havestarted reconstruc on of the Vinkovci-Tovarnik-State Border line. The newly-openedmotorway sec on, Šestanovec-Ravča, brings us 40 km closer to our nal aim – linkingCroa a’s con nental parts to our Adria c coast, including Dubrovnik. In doing so, wewill open new perspec ves for tourism development, s mulate the development of economic zones and increase employment in the south of Croa a.

Advancing Croa a’s strategic goals

Croa a also remained very ac ve in the interna onal arena. The visit of U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush to Croa a con rmed our developed and friendly rela ons, anddemonstrated the strong partnership between Croa a and the United States of America. The visit illustrated our important role on the global scene and our posi onas an unavoidable factor and trusted partner in this part of Europe. It also sent a clearmessage to other countries in the region: a c redible approach to reforms brings abouttangible results. In the midst of our two-year mandate, Croa a assumed the presidency of the UNSecurity Council in December 2008. Advancing a policy of coopera on, instead of confronta on, in interna onal rela ons, we contributed to world peace and security.Our membership in the UN Security Council was also recogni on of the profoundtransforma on of Croa a, from a consumer to a net contributor to interna onalsecurity. During my par cipa on at the UN General Assembly in September, as well

as in the UN Security Council mee ngs I chaired in December, I had the opportunityto sense the di erence Croa a can make by sharing with others our experience inadvancing the ideals of freedom, peace and democracy.

The year 2008 was especially marked by the invita on to join NATO, one of the strategicgoals of our foreign policy. At the NATO Summit in Bucharest, Croa a was invited to

become a full member of the most successful alliance of Western democracies. Weexpect to complete the accession process b efore the next NATO Summit in Strasbourgand Kehl, on 3 and 4 April 2009, when the Alliance will celebrate its 60th anniversary.

The last year also brought to Croa a a clear meline for comple ng the accessionnego a ons with the European Union. Taking into account Croa a’s achievements,the European Commission issued a Road Map for comple ng the nego a ons during2009, based on the ful lment of the condi ons for membership.

These condi ons relate to the adop on and implementa on of the acquiscommunitaire, and it is our rm belief that the progress of the nego a ons should

be, and will be, based on these premises. From its part, Croa a is ready to ful l thesecriteria.

In that framework, we are commi ed to con nuing key reforms, like the reform of the judiciary and the public administra on. This also includes the ght against corrup onand organised crime. During the tes ng moments of 2008 that tested our resolve, weshowed our resolu on in gh ng all forms of crime. In this context, two new ministers joined the Government and brought their experience and professionalism to ourcommon e orts.

Looking at 2009

Our achievements, but also the overall experience collected in 2008, give us addi onalstrength to face the challenges the lie ahead of us in 2009. These challenges are notsimple, yet they also provide us with an opportunity to renew our commitment towork together in securing Croa a’s future.

A future of inclusion and prosperity for all our ci zens. A future in which everyci zen, and Croa an society as a whole, will have the opportunity to develop all theirpoten als. A future in which Croa a will be an integral part of the family of Westerndemocracies, as a full member of the EU and NATO.

To that end, I will con nue to invest my greatest e ort and dedica on. Our goals areambi ous, as they should be, and for Croa a to achieve these goals we must all worktogether. I am convinced that we will be successful, and that 2009 will prove to be a

historic year for Croa a and her c i zens.Dr. Ivo Sanader

PM Sanader’s Review of 2008 PM Sanader’s Review of 2008



On 1 December, li le morethan a year a er winning

a seat on the United Na onsSecurity Council as a non-per-manent member, Croa a as -

sumed the one-month rota ngpresidency of the UN SecurityCouncil, a er Costa Rica. By thisact, the Republic of Croa a, as anon-permanent Security Coun-cil member, will enter the mostimportant period of its two-yearmembership in this execu vebody of the UN. As the presid-ing na on Croa a has the rightto propose to other SecurityCouncil members topics relatedto stability and peace in the in -terna onal community. The

December agenda of the coun -cil was presented by Croa a’sambassador to the UN, NevenJurica. On 9 December 2008,Croa a hosted a thema c de -

bate on “Global Security and In-terna onal Terrorism”, drawingon Croa a’s chairmanship of theCounter-Terrorism Commi ee.Apart from that, Croa a faceda series of other ac vi es as thechairing country.

President Mesić:Terrorism is a globalthreat“Croa a will try to contribute tothe global struggle against ter-

rorism at the forthcoming the -ma c discussion of the UnitedNa ons Security Council on thistopic, and will join in appeals formore e orts to be invested in

removing condi ons which haveled to the appearance of terror -ism”, Croa an President StjepanMesic said in New York wherehe was in an o cial visit on theoccasion of the December si ngby the UN Security Council. “Ter-rorist a acks in Mumbai havedemonstrated that terrorism is aglobal threat. The world must beunited in endeavors to stop notonly perpetrators but also thosewho orchestrate and nance ter -rorism,” added President Mesić.

The United Na ons SecurityCouncil on 9 December openeda thema c discussion on threatsto interna onal peace and se -curity caused by terrorist acts.

Among the par cipants in thediscussion was UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and open-ing remarks were deliveredby Croa an President StjepanMesić, who was presiding overthe discussion. “The events thatoccurred in Mumbai about tendays ago con rmed in an ex-tremely tragic way that terrorismis a global threat. Not a threat tothis or that country, but to us all -a threat to peace and security inthe world,” said President Mesić.

“We can resist such a threat onlyglobally,” he stressed, calling forbroad interna onal solidarity tosecure a successful response tothe threat of terrorism.

In his address, Secretary-Gener-al Ban Ki-Moon said that the UNhad an obliga on to conduct theglobal ght against the threat of terrorism. He also recalled therecent terrorist a acks in Mum -bai and those that targeted UNsta .

US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzadsaid that the US strongly sup-ported the central role of theUN in the global ght against

terrorism, stressing the needfor be er coordina on amongdi erent UN an -terrorism pro -grammes to achieve the bestpossible e ect. “The UN Security

Council should lead in the ghtagainst terrorism, but other UNelements should also be involvedthrough capacity building, eco-nomic development, educa onand elimina ng the condi onsof which terrorists and extrem -ists take advantage”, Khalilzadsaid. He called on all countries toclosely cooperate in crea ng anenvironment that will not favourterrorism. The United Statesurged all countries to deny safehaven to terrorists and to bring

Croa a chaired UN Security Council in December 2008

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2009 | No. 40 9No. 40 | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2009

CROATIA CHAIRED UN SECURITY COUNCIL CROATIA CHAIRED UN SECURITY COUNCIL



to jus ce those that plan, -nance, facilitate or commit actsof terrorism. Bri sh AmbassadorJohn Sawers praised PresidentMesić as one of the rst worldleaders to call for coordinated in -terna onal ac on against terror -ism and for selec ng terrorismas the theme of the discussion inthe Security Council before theMumbai a acks as a con rma -

on of his constancy of visionand commitment to that ght.The Mumbai a acks are an at -tack on us all, Sawers said, callingon Pakistan to cooperate with In -dia in bringing those responsible

to jus ce.Russian Ambassador Vitaly Chur-kin said that the UN should en-sure rm poli cal leadership andinterna onal coordina on incomba ng terrorism through theSecurity Council and its subsidi-ary bodies such as the Counter-Terrorism Commi ee.

All speakers commended Croa afor selec ng the theme of thediscussion and for its reless

e orts in organising the debateand preparing the Presiden alStatement on Terrorism. Theyalso commended PresidentMesić personally for taking partin the debate and for his consist -ent calls for coordinated inter -na onal e orts to counter ter -rorism and the condi ons thatgenerate it.The theme “Threats to interna-

onal peace and security causedby terrorist acts” was selectedby Croa a, which presides overthe UN Security Council in De-cember. In selec ng the topic,Croa a relied on its presidency

of the Counter-Terrorism Com-mi ee, one of the Security Coun-cil’s subsidiary bodies that moni-tors the implementa on in UNmember states of an -terroristmeasures introduced by relevantUN resolu ons. Since the recenta acks in Mumbai have broughtto the fore the subject of globalterrorism, 25 countries appliedfor the debate in addi on tothe 15 Security Council memberstates.

Addressing the UN SecurityCouncil debate on terrorism,Croa an President Stjepan Mesićcalled for the promo on of glo-bal solidarity and trust in com -ba ng global terrorism, dealing

with the roots of terrorism andgiving the UN the central role inthat ght. According to PresidentMesić, the only right answer tothe ques on as to how to coun -ter the threat of terrorism to in -terna onal security lies in turn -ing to its deeper causes, insis ngon development, increasing ef -

forts to establish interna onalrela ons based on equality anddemonopolising the ght againstterrorism and its universalitybased on restored interna onalsolidarity and trust. “We see the

key role of the United Na ons inthat. The UN must be the placefrom where, at least poli cally,all e orts will be coordinated,

rst to suppress and then toeradicate terrorism in the worldand to reduce it to incidentaloccurrence,” President Mesićstressed.

Central role of theUN in the global ghtagainst terrorismThe United Na ons SecurityCouncil issued a presiden al

statement expressing deep con -cern about con nued terroristacts around the world and callingupon UN members to renew thelevel of solidarity demonstrateda er the 9/11 a acks on theUnited States and to redoubletheir e orts in countering globalterrorism. The statement, which

re ects the coordinated viewsof all 15 Security Council mem-bers, was read out by Croa anPresident Stjepan Mesić. Coun-tries were called upon to bring to jus ce the perpetrators, accom -

plices and organisers of terroristacts.

The statement stressed the cen -tral role of the United Na ons inthe global ght against terror -ism and urged countries to joininterna onal conven ons relat -ing to terrorism. Countries were





also called upon to strengthencoopera on in loca ng safe ha -vens for terrorists and to arrest,prosecute or extradite peopleaiding and abe ng in the nanc -ing, planning, prepara on orexecu on of terrorist acts or inharbouring terrorists. The presi-den al statement also said thatthe promo on and protec on of human rights for all and the ruleof law were crucial to an e ec -

ve an -terrorist strategy. TheSecurity Council reminded statesthat they have to bring terror-ism preven on measures intoaccord with their obliga ons un-der interna onal law, par cularlythose rela ng to human rights,refugee rights and humanitarianlaw.

The Security Council rea rmedthat terrorism, in all its forms andmanifesta ons, represents oneof the most serious threats tointerna onal peace and securityand said that all acts of terrorismare criminal and without jus ca-

on, regardless of their mo ves.

Croa an PrimeMinister ChairedUN Security CouncilSessionsPresident of the Government of the Republic of Croa a Ivo Sa -nader visited New York in themid December where he chairedUN Security Council sessionsdedicated to Israeli-Pales nian

peace process, crises in Zimba-bwe and piracy on the coast of Somalia. During his staying inNew York Croa an Prime Min -ister met with Bri sh Secretaryof State for Foreign and Com-monwealth A airs David Mili -band, UN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Rus-sian Minister for Foreign A airsSergey Lavrov. PM Sanader alsomet representa ves of the Croatcommunity in New York.

PM Sanader thankedCroa an Americansfor their help toCroa aCroa an Prime Minister Ivo Sa-nader, who was chairing UN Se-curity Council sessions on 15 and16 December, met representa -

ves of the Croat community inNew York on 14 December, towhom he spoke about Croa a’san cipated admission to NATO,its European Union membershiptalks and partnership with theUnited States, and other issues.Around 500 Croats living in thearea of New York a ended amass at the Croa an RomanCatholic parish of SS. Cyril andMethodius and the subsequentmee ng with the Croa an PM.

Addressing his hosts, PM Sanaderrecalled a visit by US PresidentGeorge Bush to Croa a in Aprilthis year and his speech in St.Mark’s Square in Zagreb, whenhe said that America and all NATOmember-states would be atCroa a’s side, which PM Sanadersaid would signi cantly changethe course of history. “I am con -

dent that the new PresidentBarack Obama will con nue withthe same policy towards Croa a,and Croa a remains commi edto its partnership with the UnitedStates,” PM Sanader said.Speaking about “a new paradigmof being Croat”, PM Sanader said

that it transcended historical di -visions in the Croa an na on,was oriented towards the futureand always put na onal interestsabove party interests and poli-

cs. Thanking Croa an Ameri-cans for their help to Croa a dur-ing the Homeland War, Croa anPrime Minister stressed that hewould not be si ng in the UN Se -curity Council on Monday if it hadnot been for the unity of Croatsliving in Croa a and the emigrantcommunity.

Great Britain fullysupports Croa aGreat Britain supports Croa aand wants to see it complete itsEU entry talks as soon as possi-ble, Croa an Prime Minister IvoSanader said a er talks with Brit-ish Secretary of State for Foreignand Commonwealth A airs DavidMiliband in New York on 15 De-cember.Apart from the EU, the two of -

cials also discussed bilateralissues, Britain’s ra ca on of aprotocol on Croa a’s admissioninto NATO and the Zimbabwe cri-

sis, which is included in the agen-da of the UN Security Council atthe proposal of Great Britain.“I underlined that Croa a ex-pects the protocol on its joiningNATO to be ra ed as soon aspossible because the procedurehas been completed and all thatis missing is the signature on thera ca on document,” PM Sa-nader said, expressing hope thatother NATO member states wouldfollow this example which wouldenable Croa a become a fullmember of NATO in April 2009.

The mee ng took place ahead of the UN Security Council sessiondedicated to the Zimbabwe crisis.

Ban Ki-Moon: Livingin Zimbabwe hasbecome unbearableUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-

Moon said that living in Zimba-bwe had become unbearable dueto the failure of the country’sleadership to dedicate itself tose ling the country’s poli cal,economic and humanitarian cri -sis, and warned that up to 60,000people could be a ected by acholera epidemic, which has al-ready killed 978 people. We arecon nuing to witness the failureof the leaders of Zimbabwe todeal with the poli cal, economic,humanitarian and human rights

crisis in the country and to dowhat is best for the people, BanKi-Moon said at a closed-doorsession of the UN Security Coun-cil which was a ended by USSecretary of State CondoleezzaRice and Britain’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Common-wealth A airs, David Miliband.The UN Secretary-General saidthat the rst step should be in -sistence on the establishment of a government of na onal unity.

Zimbabwe, which has beenruled by President Robert Mu-gabe since 1980, is in a stateof collapse with ten years of

recession behind and a poli -cal blockade which is a resultof failed nego a ons on thedivision of powers betweenMugabe and Opposi on leaderMorgan Tsvangirai.

The session was chaired byCroa an Prime Minister Ivo Sa-nader, who told reporters thatthe situa on in Zimbabwe wasdeteriora ng by the day, andthat the UN Security Council wasworking towards achieving polit-

ical and economic stability in thecountry. The UN Security Councilhas been hoping for a long methat the current regime in Zim -babwe will change its a tudeto the people and the opposi-

on, PM Sanader said. We hopethat this session of the UN Secu-rity Council will help bring aboutthose changes in the a tude of the current regime, he added.

Bri sh Foreign Secretary David

Miliband said a er the sessionthat the UN Security Councilhoped its session would markthe beginning of its renewed

involvement in Zimbabwe thatwould con nue in the comingweeks. He warned that Zimba -bwe was experiencing disinte-gra on of state ins tu ons andan economic collapse, as well asa collapse of health and educa -

onal ins tu ons.

Resolu on on Israeli-Pales nian peaceprocessThe UN Security Council on 16December adopted a resolu on

suppor ng the Israeli-Pales n-ian peace process began in An -napolis in 2007, and called forresuming nego a ons next year,even a er the end of the termsof Israeli and Pales nian leaders,in order to achieve a solu onwith the two states, Israel andPales ne.

The resolu on was adopted at aministerial session presided overby Croa an Prime Minister Ivo

Sanader, who stressed that thecurrent peace process o eredthe best chances of achievingpeace and that, therefore, one

could not allow losing momen-tum and that the Annapolis proc -ess should be brought to a suc -cessful conclusion.

The peace process deserves thefull support of the UN SecurityCouncil so that a solu on couldbe implemented with the twostates, democra c Pales ne liv -ing by democra c Israel, whichshould lead to las ng and com-prehensive peace in the MiddleEast, said PM Sanader.





Resolu on onSomaliaThe UN Security Council unani-mously adopted a resolu oncalling on the interna onal com-munity to ac vely take part inthe ght against pirates operat -ing in waters of Somalia.

Resolu on1851, proposed bythe United States of America,authorizes for one year states,regional and interna onal or -ganiza ons, coopera ng in the

ght against piracy and armedrobbery at sea o Somalia’scoast, to undertake all necessarymeasures appropriate in Soma-

lia for the purpose of gh ngpiracy. The resolu on also callsupon states and interna onalorganiza ons to establish an in-terna onal coopera on mecha -nism to act as a common pointof contact between and amongstates on all aspects of combat -ing piracy and armed robberyat sea o Somalia’s coast and toconsider crea ng a center in theregion to coordinate informa onrelevant to piracy o the coast of Somalia.

This is the fourth resolu onon gh ng piracy at sea o So-malia’s coast which has beenadopted by the Security Coun-cil since the beginning of 2008and the rst one that authorizescountries to conduct opera onson land in Somalia. The resolu-

on was adopted at the ministe -rial session presided by Croa anPrime Minister Ivo Sanader,which was a ended by UN Sec-retary-General Ban Ki-moon, USSecretary of State CondoleezzaRice, Russian foreign ministerSergey Lavrov, Bri sh foreignminister David Miliband and Chi-nese vice-minister of foreign af -fairs He Yafei.

PM Sanader stated that the dis-cussion had brought out theinter-linkages between the insta-bility in Somalia, the explosionof piracy in the area, and inter -na onal peace and security anddevelopment. It also broughtout the severe impact of piracyon Somalia itself. “The mee nghas strengthened interna onale orts against the scourge”, saidPM Sanader stressing the impor-

tance of building up of legal toolsto use against piracy.

Secretary of State Rice said thatthe Resolu on is a strong signalfor gh ng piracy in Somalia andending impunity of Somali pi-rates. She also announced thatUnited States of America intendto work with partners to set upa contact group on Somali piracyand underscored the importanceof addressing the root causeof the Somali piracy problem,referring to the insecurity andlawlessness in the Horn of Af -rica na on. She said that thoughWashington was commi ed tocon nuing backing the AfricanUnion force in Somalia, it was

me to authorize a UN peace -keeping opera on in the countryIn his remarks, Ban Ki-moon wel-comed the council’s ac ons tocombat Somali piracy and said hewould submit recommenda onson ways to ensure the long-termsecurity of interna onal naviga-

on o the coast of Somalia. Buthe stressed the need to addressthe broader security challenge inSomalia. He said the most appro -

priate response was a mul na -onal force (MNF), rather than a

typical peacekeeping opera on.Secretary-General said he hadapproached 50 countries andthree interna onal organiza onsfor contribu ons to such a force.He added that the council couldexplore the possibility of set-

ng up a mari me task force oradding to the current an -piracyopera ons a quick reac on com -ponent.

Indonesia’s UN Ambassador Mar-ty Natalegawa however made itclear that the ght against piracyand armed robbery o the coastof Somalia needs to be under-taken in full compliance with in-terna onal law, in par cular theUnited Na ons Conven on onthe Law of the Sea.The pirates have carried out

more than 100 a acks alongsideSomali coast and in the Gulf of Aden since the beginning of thisyear, and Somali pirates hold atleast 17 ships at the moment.

PM Sanader metwith Ban Ki-moon,Condoleezza Riceand Sergei LavrovCroa an Prime Minister Ivo Sa-nader met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US Secre-tary of State Condoleezza Riceand Russian Foreign MinisterSergei Lavrov on the margins of Security Council sessions on theMiddle East and Somalia.

PM Sanader said that his talkswith the UN Secretary-Generalfocused on topics of interest tothe UN, including Zimbabwe, the

Middle East peace process andpiracy in Somalia, adding thatBan Ki-moon praised Croa a forits excellent presidency of theUN Security Council this month.

The mee ng with US Secretaryof State Condoleezza Rice con-centrated on bilateral rela ons,including the possibility of theUnited States li ing the visa re -quirements for Croa an ci zens.The need was stressed for urgentconsulta ons between the twogovernments on the ma er.

The Croa an PM talked with Rus-sian Foreign Minister Lavrov dur-ing a working lunch at the UN.They concluded that it was in theinterests of both Croa a and theRussian Federa on to furtherpromote bilateral rela ons andintensify high-level mee ngs.





Excelent rela ons

between Croa a andCyprusMinister of Foreign A airs andEuropean Integra on GordanJandroković paid 23 and 24 No -vember 2008 an o cial visitto the Republic of Cyprus . Themee ng between MinisterJandroković and his host, CyprianForeign Minister Markos Kyprian-ou focused on the two countries’bilateral rela ons, economic co -opera on, European integra on,and the current state of nego -

a ons on the Cyprus issue. Itwas concluded that the rela onsbetween Croa a and Cyprusare excellent, with both sidesencouraging that the poli calconsulta ons con nue. Minister

Jandroković thanked the Cyprianside for the support for Croa a’sEU accession process, point-ing out that Cyprus’ experiencecould prove valuable in certaincri cal stages of the accessionprocess.There is room for intensifying theeconomic coopera on, namelyin tourism, as evidenced by thegreat interest in the charter lineintroduced last year, that one aweek ew from Cyprus’ capitalto Dubrovnik. There is room forimprovement in other branchesof economy as well. Croa a has atrade surplus with Cyprus, whilethis year’s overall trade, in rela-

on to the same period last year,is on the rise.Minister Jandroković was alsoreceived by Cyprian President

Demetris Chrysto as and Presi-dent of the House of Representa -

ves Marios Garoyian.

Euro-Atlan cperspec ve is aguarantee of peaceand stabilityMinister Jandroković was alsoon an o cial visit to the Re -public of Poland26 November2008, where he met with PolishPresident Lech Kaczynski, SejmMarshal Bronislaw Komorowski,Senate Speaker Bogdan Borusze-wicz, and his host, Foreign Min -ister Radoslaw Sikorski . Review-ing the two countries’ bilateralrela ons, ministers Jandrokovićand Sikorski described them asvery good and friendly, with apossibility of further improve-ment, especially in economy.Minister Jandroković pointedout that Croa a appreciatesPoland’s con nuous and rmsupport for its EU and NATO ac-cession, thanking Poland for thera ca on of Croa a’s NATOAccession Protocol. Speakingabout Croa a’s EU accession, heinformed his host about the stateof the process and the ac vi esundertaken, emphasizing thatCroa a remains dedicated to therealiza on of its goal – complet-ing the accession nego a ons in2009.The two ministers agreed that

Croa a’s e orts and progresshave also been recognized in theEuropean Commission’s ProgressReport. They arranged for coop-era on and the transfer of Po -land’s experiences in shipbuild-ing reconstruc on, agriculture,and informing the public aboutthe posi ve e ects of joining theEU. No ng the state of a airs inSouth Eastern Europe, the twoministers pointed out the impor-tance of the Euro-Atlan c per-spec ve as a guarantee of peace,

stability, and economic develop -ment.Minister Jandroković was alsoreceived by Polish President LechKaczynski, who con rmed thestrong support for Croa a’s swientry into NATO and the EU, aswell as by Sejm Marshal Bronis-law Komorowski and SenateSpeaker Bogdan Boruszewicz.

Croa a supportsCEI reorganiza onOn 27 November 2008 minis-ter Jandroković par cipated inthe ministerial mee ng of theCentral European Ini a ve (CEI)members in Chisinau, the Repub-lic of Moldova. In his presenta-

on, Minister Jandroković notedthe role and importance of theCEI in strengthening regionalcoopera on and the European

integra on process. He pointedout that the CEI, as the oldestregional ini a ve, has alwaysbeen an instrument of regionalstability and progress. “Throughtheir ac on, the CEI membercountries have a rmed it as aforum for exchanging the expe-riences and knowledge in acced-ing to the EU”, said Jandroković.He stood up for strong and part -nership rela ons between theCEI and the EU members. In thatregard, he pointed out the mem-

bership perspec ve as the bestguarantee of poli cal stabilityand economic progress for all of the region’s countries.Minister Jandroković said Croa asupports the CEI reorganiza on,aimed at responding to the newgeopoli cal challenges in the re-gion. He expressed Croa a’s sup-port for the introduc on of newcoopera on instruments andmechanisms, which will facili-tate the exchange of knowledgeand experiences between themember countries and s mulateac vi es in areas of common in-terest.On the second day of his visit tothe Republic of Moldova, Minis-ter Jandroković par cipated atthe Summit of the Central Euro-pean Ini a ve (CEI) members. Inhis speech, Minister Jandroković

pointed out that the CEI is cur-rently experiencing a dynamicimplementa on of the mainregional coopera on goals, sin-gling out the development of good-neighbourly rela ons, po-li cal and economic coopera-

on, democra c society devel-opment, and cultural exchange.He noted that Croa a is enteringthe last cycle of the EU member-ship nego a ons, expressingsa sfac on with the latest Eu -ropean Commission’s ProgressReport, which commendedCroa a’s progress and de neda framework metable for the

comple on of the nego a onsby end-2009.He expressed his rm belief that the success of Croa a’snego a ons will have a signi -cant e ect on all of the region’scountries that wish to followthe European standards. Asregards regional coopera on,Minister Jandroković pointedout Croa a’s dedica on to thecon nuous enhancement of the bilateral rela ons with thecountries in the region and thecon nuing par cipa on in all of the regional ini a ves. “In thatcontext, Croa a wishes to be aconstruc ve partner and shareits experiences in the EU acces-sion process with the CEI mem-bers, whereby the exchange of posi ve experiences should re-main the main goal of the CEI”,concluded Minister Jandroković.

North Atlan cCouncil Mee ngCroa an Minister of Foreign Af -fairs and European Integra onGordan Jandroković par cipated2 and 3 December 2008 in themee ng of the North Atlan cCouncil at the NATO Headquar-ters in Brussels. At the start of the mee ng, NATO SecretaryGeneral Jaap de Hoop Sche ernotably welcomed the heads of diplomacy of Croa a and Albania,

Foreign Minister̀ sDiploma c Tour


FOREIGN MINISTER`S DIPLOMATIC TOUR FOREIGN MINISTER`S DIPLOMATIC TOUR



FOREIGN MINISTER`S DIPLOMATIC TOUR FOREIGN MINISTER`S DIPLOMATIC TOUR

Gordan Jandroković and LulzimBasha, who were par cipa ng forthe rst me in a regular mee ngof the North Atlan c Council, aswell as the new Slovenian For-eign Minister Samuel Žbogar. Themee ng discussed the progressof Ukraine and Georgia, as wellas their requests as regards theNATO Membership Ac on Plan,while in the context of the rela -

ons with Russia, the mee ngnoted Russian President DmitryMedvedev’s proposi on regard -ing the new European securitystructures.The second day of mee ng dis-cussed NATO opera ons, witha special emphasis on ISAF and

KFOR, as well as the problem of piracy around Africa’s horn andthe NATO Headquarters reform.Croa a is par cipa ng in ISAFwith 277 members of the armed

forces. Our country remains ded -icated to its engagement in ISAFand to assis ng Afghanistan inestablishing security and an ef -

cient central authority. Croa ais especially interested in assist-ance that will enable Afghani-stan to independently deal withsecurity issues. In the contextof discussing the KFOR missionin Kosovo, Croa a is aware of the importance of the stabiliza -

on processes in that area forthe stability of the region as a

whole. Therefore, it supportsthe deployment of the EuropeanUnion EULEX mission as soon aspossible. Croa a advocated thatNATO o ers strong poli cal sup-port and show readiness to con -cretely back up the future role of the EU in Kosovo. With the aimof suppor ng the KFOR mission,Croa a is sending in two trans-port helicopters and 20 soldiers.As a mari me country, Croa awelcomes NATO’s engagement inmaintaining the navigability andsafety of seaways, as well as theEuropean Union’s opera on Ata-lanta, that in December will takeover the same du es. Croa astrongly supports the coopera -

on between the EU and NATO inthat area, especially consideringthe Croa an seamen too weretargets of pirate a acks. MinisterJandroković also took part in the

foreign minister-level mee ng of the NATO-Georgia Commission andthe NATO-Ukraine Commission.Minister of Foreign A airs andEuropean Integra on GordanJandroković met 2 December2008, on the margins of theNorth Atlan c Council’s mee ng,with Minister of Foreign A airs of theRepublic of Slovenia Samuel Žbogar.The two ministers exchangedopinions about the bilateral rela-

ons between Croa a and Slove -nia, as well as about the possible

way and dynamic of solving theoutstanding issues. Both minis-ters described the two countries’rela ons as very good. In pressstatements a er the mee ng,the ministers expressed their sat-isfac on with this mee ng hav-ing taken place. It was their rstmee ng a er the Slovenian min -ister’s inaugura on.Regarding the outstanding is-sues with Slovenia, MinisterJandroković said that Croa awants to solve them in a mutu-ally acceptable way, in the Euro -pean spirit, based on the princi -ples of good-neighbourliness. Headded that Croa a and Sloveniaare close to nding that solu on.Minister Žbogar pointed out thatan agreement had been reachedon how to strengthen the trustand respect between the twocountries in order to facilitatesolving the outstanding issues.He also noted that Croa a, whowill be presiding over the UN Se-curity Council this month, is animportant collocutor for topics of global importance as well.

Signing theConven on onCluster Muni onsMinister Jandroković signed 3December 2008, on behalf of the Croa an Government, theConven on on Cluster Muni-

ons in Oslo at the ceremony inOslo, the Kingdom of Norway. Inhis speech, Minister Jandroković

expressed sa sfac on with thesigning of the Conven on, sayingthat Croa an strongly supportsit, as it represents an interna on -al instrument that prevents theuse, development, produc on,storage, and transport of clustermuni ons, which in ict unac-ceptable damage on civilians.The Republic of Croa a has ac-

vely par cipated in the Conven-on preparatory mee ngs, espe -

cially as regards the rehabilita onand reintegra on of the vic ms,

where it o en pointed out the

importance of the obliga on to -wards them, as well as the neces -sity of clearing the polluted areasand destroying the stockpiles. Inthat regard, Minister Jandrokovićalso pointed out the need for im -plemen ng the Conven on on ana onal level. He emphasizedthat Croa a does not approve of the use of cluster muni ons andhas o en warned about the hu -manitarian consequences on thecivilian popula on. Also, learningfrom its Homeland War experience,Croa a was one of the rst coun-tries in the region to warn about thegreat danger of these weapons.The Conven on’s s pula onsrequire that all of the signatorycountries destroy the clustermuni ons stockpile of its armedforces within set deadlines. Inorder for the Conven on to besuccessfully implemented, obli-ga ons of interna onal coopera -

on and vic m assistance havealso been determined, as well

as the measuresof transpar -ency, which willcontribute tothe decrease incivilian vic msand bring abouta be er care forthem. The sign-ing ceremonywas a ended bythe representa-

ves of the 107countries thatsupported theadop on of theC o n v e n t i o n ’s

content May 2008 in Dublin, aswell as by numerous other in-vitees.

Security, stabilityand economicdevelopment – basicgoals of Croa a’sregional policyOn 4 December 2008 in the Re-public of Finland, Minister of Foreign A airs and EuropeanIntegra on Gordan Jandroković,together with the foreign min -isters of the US-Adria c Chartermembers, signed the Addendumto the US-Adria c Charter, sup-por ng the accession of newmembers Bosnia and Herzegovi-na, and Montenegro.The signing ceremony took placea er the mee ng of the Chartermember countries, on the mar -gins of the 16th OSCE Ministe-rial Mee ng in Helsinki. MinisterJandroković welcomed the new

members, poin ng out that theiraccession means the strengthen -ing of stability and security in theregion. The US-Adria c Charterhas irrefutably proven its e ec -

veness in adop ng the funda -mental values and principles of NATO in South Eastern Europe,said Minister Jandroković, addingthat Croa a remains adamant inmaintaining and strengtheningthe coopera on with and supportfor Bosnia and Herzegovina, andMontenegro, transferring its ex -periences gained during Croa a’sEuro-integra on process.During his staying in Helsinki,Minister Jandroković also par-

cipated in the 16th OSCE Min-isterial Mee ng. In his speech,Minister Jandroković said thatthis year’s mee ng is being heldat a me when OSCE is facedwith numerous challenges. In theglobalized world of today, OSCEneeds to nd an e cient way torespond to the di erent formsof interna onal threats, saidJandroković, added that OSCEhas been recognized as an e ec -

ve mechanism of preven ngand allevia ng the consequencesof con icts.

Security, stability, and economicdevelopment are the basic goalsof Croa a’s regional policy, saidMinister Jandroković. That iswhy the Croa an Governmentis paying full a en on to thesitua on in Bosnia and Herze-govina, and Kosovo, and espe-cially the rela ons betweenCroa a and Serbia, which are of extreme importance for the sta -bility of the region as a whole,said Jandroković. The Republicof Croa a, as a non-permanentSecurity Council member anda country on the verge of full-

edged EU and NATO member-ship, is ready to assume its partof the responsibility for interna -

onal security, concluded Minis-ter Gordan Jandroković.




PRIME MINISTER’S DIPLOMATIC TOUR PRIME MINISTER’S DIPLOMATIC TOUR

In late November, Croa anPrime Minister Ivo Sanader un-

dertook a week-long diploma ctour of the Netherlands, Sweden,Germany and Austria, where hehad mee ngs about Croa a’s ac -cession to the European Union.

The Netherlands, Sweden, Ger-many, and Austria supportCroa a on its path to the EU.Croa an PM emphasised thatCroa a was ready to meet all theobliga ons, and to implementthe reforms with the goal of ful -

lling the criteria for the acces-sion to the EU.PM thanked for the supportCroa a was receiving on its pathto European integra on.

The Netherlandssupports Croa a’saccession to EU andNATOCroa an Prime Minister Ivo Sa-nader was on an o cial visit tothe Netherlands in late Novem-ber. ˝ The Netherlands supportsCroa a’s EU membership, but itmust meet the criteria and con -

di ons, such as coopera on withthe Hague tribunal”, said DutchPM Jan Peter Balkenende a ertalks with Croa an PM Ivo Sa-nader.˝I said to PM Sanader that wesupported Croa a since we wereaware that Croa a was going tobe a part of the EU, as well asof NATO. The ra ca on of theprotocol on Croata’s accessionto NATO is already underway,and the Netherlands would doits utmost to ra fy the proto -

col promptly˝, saidBalkenede.˝We have the Neth -erlands’ full supportfor EU membershipbut, naturally, theyexpect us to meet

the required criteria,which we will do˝,said the Croa anPrime Minister.When asked if thetalks addressed theEuropean Commis-sion’s metable forthe comple on of Croa a’s accessionnego a ons by theend of next year,Balkenende saidthey hadn’t talkedabout ˝speci cdates and months,but about the process.˝ ˝Thenego a on chapters should beclosed, and it is important forthings in Croa a to be changed,and the authori es are awarethat all the criteria have to be ap -plied˝, Balkenede said.Both Prime Ministers expressedtheir sa sfac on with the meet -

ing during which they also dis-cussed bilateral rela ons, thetwo countries’ economies, andthe situa on in Southeast Eu-rope. ˝I am very pleased withthe talks. PM Balkenede hasbeen suppor ng Croa a fromthe start, and the two of us reg -ularly meet at the European Peo-ple’s Party mee ngs. Balkenedewas the rst Dutch PM who of -

cially visited Croa a, which wasan expression of partnership

and friendship, and I think thatthe Netherlands has done a lotin suppor ng Croa a ,̋ said thePrime Minister.Croa an PM was also receivedby the Queen Beatrix.

Croa a determinedto completenego a ons duringSweden’s EUpresidencyA er visi ng the NetherlandsCroa an PM Ivo Sanader paidan o cial visit to the Kingdom of Sweden. ̋ We are ready to do ourutmost to wrap up the accessionnego a ons with the EuropeanUnion during Sweden’s rota ngpresidency of the EU in the sec-ond half of 2009˝, PM Sanadersaid, a er having talked to Swed -

ish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt.˝ It will be di cult, especiallydue to the global crisis, becauseit makes the situa on within theEU di cult as well. This primarilyrefers to the mood regarding en -largement, but PM Reinfeldt has

assured me that Sweden is a sup-porter of enlargement, Sanadersaid. ˝The changes in Croa a areimpressive and Croa a can serveas a model for Southeast Europe.The enlargement has turned outto be the strongest driving force

for reform, as exempli ed byCroa a’s case, said Reinfeldt, andadded that Croa a’s progress canbe largely a ributed to Sanader’spersonal engagement. All in all,there are 12 interes ng monthsahead of us, as they will show if we are able to complete the ne -go a ons during Sweden’s EUpresidency˝, Reinfeldt said.Sanader announced Croa awould con nue harmonizing itslegisla on with the acquis com-

munautaire next year and all re-forms would be carried out reso -lutely. He said he was glad thatSweden had ra ed the Treaty of Lisbon.Sanader also met the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Mr Per

Westerberg. They agreed thatthe rela ons between the twocountries were good and friendly,and discussed possibili es of fur-ther coopera on. Sanader alsodelivered a speech at StockholmUniversity on the bene ts the EU

would gain by accep ng Croa aas its 28th member.Croa an Deputy Prime MinisterDamir Polančec held talks withSwedish businessmen on possi-bili es of inves ng in Croa a.PM Sanader was accompaniedby the State Secretary for Po -li cal Issues at the Ministry of Foreign A airs and European In-tegra on, Bianca Matković, whomet State Secretary for the EU,Marija Asenius, at the Swedish

PM’s O ce. They talked aboutCroa a’s nego a ng processto the EU, about the recent Eu -ropean Commission’s ProgressReport, and exchanged opinionsabout the state of a airs in SouthEastern Europe as well. State

Secretary Matković met withChairman of the Swedish Parlia-ment’s Commi ee on EU A airsAnna Kinberg Batra, as well aswith the members of the EU Af -fairs Commi ee and the ForeignPolicy Commi ee, with whomshe discussed further enhancingthe two countries’ parliamentarycoopera on,,energy and envi -ronmental protec on. The repre -senta ves of the parliamentarycommi ees expressed their sup -port to Croa a on its path to theEuropean integra on.

Croa a belongs toEuropeIn Essen Croa an Prime MinisterIvo Sanader gave a speech en -tled ˝Croa a’s path towards theEU – bene ts for Europe˝, andonce again thanked Germany forits support to Croa a on its pathtowards European integra on.˝I’m grateful to German Chancel-lor Angela Merkel and ForeignMinister Frank-Walter Steinmeierfor advoca ng Croa a’s admis-sion to the EU˝, Sanader said dur -ing the lecture organised by theRuhr Poli cal Forum.Sanader told some 1 500 peo-ple present at the lecture thatCroa a’s accession to the Euro-pean Union was not just aboutthe formality of joining a com-munity, but that it had a histori-

Prime Minister’s Diploma c Tour




PRESIDENT OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO CROATIA

cal signi cance for Croa a andits ci zens. ˝In historical termsCroa a belongs to Europe˝, Sa-nader said.He added that a solu on wouldbe found to Ireland’s rejec onof the Lisbon Treaty which hadblocked the enlargement proc -ess. ˝As the Europeans we haveto recall all the obstacles wehave overcome so far, and I amconvinced there is s ll muchpoten al and crea vity le fortackling current problems Eu-rope faces .̋ Croa a will ben-e t from the European Union,as will the European Union fromCroa a˝, Mr Sanader said.He pointed out that the invest -ments of the western companiesto the new EU member stateshad helped create many jobs in

the old member states. Onceagain he emphasised the role of Croa a as the bridge betweenthe EU and the countries of theregion and stressed that rela-

ons between the two biggestcountries in the region weregood and that Croa a would doits best to maintain good neigh-bourly rela ons between Zagreband Belgrade.“Once it joins the European Un-ion, Croa a most de nitely willnot turn its back to its neigh -

bours. This is not in our interest.It is in our interest to see all thecountries in the region prosperand one day join the bloc if theywish so,” the Prime Minister said.Furthermore, he called for in -creased investments in Croa a.The President of the state parlia -ment of North Rhine-Westphalia,Regina van Dinther, thanked theCroa an PM for visi ng Essenand expressed convic on thatCroa a would join the EU in thenear future. ˝ Croa a belongs toEurope and that is evident fromits past and present˝, said vanDinther.

ÖVP supportsCroa a`s accession tothe EUIn his speech at the conven on

of the Austrian People’s Party(ÖVP ) in Wels, Croa an PrimeMinister Ivo Sanader stressedthe importance of the friendshipbetween Croa a and Austria,and thanked the Austrians forsuppor ng Croa a in its Europe-an Union accession nego a ons.Sanader, who was a guest of honour at the conven on, de -scribed the ÖVP as a big Euro-pean party. “By coming at thisParty’s conven on I want tothank you for the support to my

country in nego a ons with theEU”, Sanader said, recalling thatthe year 2009 would be a deci -sive year in Croa a’s EU acces-sion nego a ons. Sanader hasadvocated further enlargementof the EU which has to take place˝regardless of the problems thatoccur, or how ring the processof enlargement is˝.˝Croa a belongs to Europe˝, MrSanader said, voicing hope thatthe ÖVP and its partners wouldcon nue to support Croa a. Hepromised that Croa a wouldsee to it that the situa on in theBalkans, which he referred to as“our neighbouring region”, be-comes stable.Mr Sanader expressed his soli-darity with the ÖVP in mes of crisis and called for harmony,

saying that Croa a believed incoopera on rather than con -fronta on.˝The en re Europe is watch -ing today if there is harmony inWels, that’s why I am here to-day˝, he said.He received warm and lengthyapplause at the end of hisspeech, and a member of theÖVP presidency, Gerlinde Rogat-sch, said the party would whole -heartedly support Croa a’s ac -cession to the EU.

The President of the SlovakRepublic, Ivan Gašparovič,

paid an o cial visit to Croa awhere he met with the Croa anPresident, Stjepan Mesić.“Bilateral rela ons betweenCroa a and Slovakia are ex-tremely good, but there is achallenge ahead of us, the chal -lenge of strengthening eco -nomic coopera on, which Slo-vakia is greatly interested in”,President Mesić said. ˝This is MrGašparovič’s rst of -

cial visit to Croa a,even though he has al-ready paid many visitsto Croa a, a er all he isof Croa an origin˝, MrMesić explained.He men oned thatCroa a and Slovakiashared geographicaland cultural experienc-es, and that it was veryencouraging to seethat so many Slovakswanted Croa a to bethe EU member. ˝Onlythe European perspec ve canprovide stable development inthe region˝, Mesić said. He alsostated that Croa a and Slovakianeeded to enhance coopera onin all elds, especially in the eldof energy. ˝I thanked the SlovakPresident for the ra ca on of the protocol on Croa a’s acces -sion to the EU and I hope thatwe will soon build the Europeanfuture together˝, Mr Mesić said.President Gašparovič said hebelieved that Croa a’s acces -sion to the EU would proceedin accordance with the agreed

metable, since that Croa a waseven more prepared to join theEU than some other countrieswhich were already the EU mem -

bers. He pointed out it was par -cularly important for Croa a to

set a posi ve example for othercountries in the region. ˝The Slo-vak economy is on the right trackand I’m sure we will overcomethe global crisis. Foreign invest-ments helped us build strongeconomy, so today Slovakia itself can make further investments”,Gašparovič said, adding that, asa result, there was a consider -able number of businessmen in

his delega on who were inter -ested not only in inves ng intoCroa a, but in joint investmentswith Croa an companies intothe third world countries.Croa an Prime Minister Ivo Sa-nader arranged working lunch for

Slovak President Ivan Gašparovičwho paid his rst o cial visit toCroa a. President Gašparovičrestated that Slovakia stronglysupported Croa a on its pathto Euro-Atlan c integra on andreminded of the ra ca on of the Protocol on Croa a’s NATOaccession by the Slovak Parlia-ment.He added he was glad thatCroa a and Slovakia wouldsoon be si ng at the same ta -

ble with other NATO members.The Croa an PM and the SlovakPresident talked about the cur -rent phase of Croa a’s EU ac-cession nego a ons. PresidentGašparovič said he believed thatthe nego a ons were going tobe completed as planned, reaf -

rming Slovakia’s strong supportto Croa a in the process. Theywere also talking about the cur -rent situa on in the region andCroa a’s important role in secur-

ing las ng peace andstability.The Slovak Presidentvisited Split where heopened the country’s

rst honorary con -sulate. The honorarySlovak consul in Split isCroa an wine produc-er Antun Plančić.A er that, he openedthe Slovak-Croa antrade forum, a endedby some thirty Croa anbusinessmen. TheSlovak President reaf -

rmed his strong support forCroa a’s upcoming accession tothe EU saying that smaller coun-tries would get a chance to standup for their interests in the EU.˝My presence in Split is proof of Slovak interest in cooperat -ing with Croa a. Slovakia has in-vested only 196 million Slovakkorunas in Croa a, and it is notsu cient. Fortunately, bilateraleconomic coopera on has beensteadily increasing”, Gašparovič said.He also pointed out that it washard to compete with Croa awhen it came to tourism, so heinvited Croa an tourism expertsto share their experiences in de -veloping tourism industry withtheir Slovak counterparts.

President of the Slovak Republic IvanGašparovič on o cial visit to Croa a

PRIME MINISTER’S DIPLOMATIC TOUR




ENERGY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ENERGY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ECONOMIC POLICY OF CROATIA IN 2009

Deputy PM and Minister of Economy, Labour and En-

trepreneurship Damir Polančec,presented the Dra of Croa a’sEnergy Development Strategy onthe 10th of November, thus o -cially opening a discussion aboutthat important document.

The par cipants were greeted byUNDP Resident Representa ve inCroa a Yuri Afanasiev.Energy Development Strategy isa basic document of the EnergyAct, which considers the energydemand and regulates the devel-opment of the energy sector, i.e.it de nes energy policy and pro -vides a plan of Croa a’s energydevelopment.The Strategy was passed by theCroa an Parliament at the pro -posal of the Croa an Govern-ment for a ten-year period. Basedon the adopted Strategy the Gov-ernment will prepare the StrategyImplementa on Programme for afour-year period.The Ministry of Economy, Labourand Entrepreneurship in coopera -

on with the UN DevelopmentProgramme started the project of amending the Energy Strategy of the Republic of Croa a.The project was put out to com -pe ve tender and a domes cconsor um Ins tute for Energyand Environmental Protec onEKONERG won, so it gatheredeminent experts from di erent

elds to assist them in the deliv-ery of the project.

The strategy evolved from evalu -a ng the energy sector of the Eu -ropean Union.Since the EU has set the goals for

2020, the new Strategy coversthat period, and beyond, up tothe year 2030.The objec ve of the new EnergyStrategy is to direct ac vi es to -ward sa sfying the demand forenergy in Croa a today by keep-ing in mind secure and reliablesupply, sustainable energy devel-opment and overall developmentin Croa a, and, in that context,the compe veness of the en -ergy system as a whole.The goal of the Strategy is torecognise the energy poten al,as well as limits, to es mate thetrends and the structure of con -sump on, and o er possible de -velopmental op ons.The Green Book (Outline on theStrategy Proposal), will proposethree possible op ons for thedevelopment of electric powersystem, while highligh ng theneed to produce transformed en -ergy from various sources, whichwould provide sustainable devel-opment and sa sfy a growing de-mand un l the period covered bythe Strategy ends.In contrast to the Strategy from2002, this me individual visionsof primary energy will be interde-

pendent, while bearing in mindtheir nancial and environmentale ect.Therefore, all the op ons arebeing considered, including theneed to close down the exist -ing power plants, as well as theperiod in which the construc onand pu ng into opera on of newproduc on and transport facili -

es could be nished.The Expert Commi ee of theMinistry of Economy, Labour andEntrepreneurship will considerall the opinions, and the en republic discussion will be transpar-ently presented in the end.A er the public discussion theExpert Commi ee will proposea text of the White Book (EnergyStrategy Proposal) which will besubmi ed to the Croa an Gov -ernment and to the Croa an Par -liament.“The experts involved in the de-velopment of the Strategy believethat only one nuclear power plantin Croa a should be built, withthe power of 100 MW and onethermal power plant of 600 MW ”,said Deputy PM Damir Polančecon the occasion of presen ng thestrategy to the public.

ENERGY DEVELOPMENTSTRATEGY

“It is es mated that the construc -on of new facili es will require

over 10 billion euro investment,out of which 4.5 billion accountsfor electric power system” theMinister said referring to theproposed scenarios. He also saidthat we shouldn’t mount s re -sistance to the proposal of build -ing nuclear and thermal powerplants, and that we should con -sider all the op ons.“The indicators show that thecondi ons for building a nuclearpower plant are more favourablethat those for building thermalpower plant”, the Deputy PMadded.“The biggest advantage of a nu-clear power plant is a low priceof each kilowa -hour produced,but it will take at least ten to eventwenty years before the construc -

on of the nuclear power plantis completed” Mr Polančec con-cluded.Ministry of Economy, Labour andEntrepreneurship, Croa an Cham-ber of Economy and Economicand Social Commi ees have or-ganized round-table discussionson the topic of Energy Develop-ment Strategy of the Republic of Croa a, and the rst one was heldon November 18 in Osijek.

The 16th Mee ng of theCroa an Economists Associa-

on ˝Economic Policy of Croa ain 2009˝, which was held in Opat-ija from 12th to 14th November,revolved around the topics of macroeconomic policy, nanceand energy, as well as regionalpolicyThis tradi onal conference washeld under the auspices of theCroa an President, Mr StjepanMesić, who opened the mee ngof consul ng economists. The fol-lowing day Croa an Prime Min-ister, Mr Sanader, presented theeconomic policy of the Govern-ment for the upcoming period,while the Minister of Finance,Ivan Šuker, talked about scalpolicy of Croa a.On the last day of the conferencethere were discussions about thedevelopment of energy sectorand shipbuilding industry, as wellas about the regional develop-

ment policy and the role of statesupports in increasing compe -

veness of domes c industry.Economic experts were also dis-cussing the nancial market crisisand the world economic crisis andits e ects.In his speech, the Presidentstressed the need for Croa a tomeet the challenges of the nan -cial crisis in order to develop aclear and e ec ve na onal strat -egy since all the a empts to tack -le the crisis without such strategywould be fu le. He praised thesuccess of the Croa an Na onalBank (CNB) which managed tomaintain the stability of the -nancial system in Croa a, and theGovernment decision to quit sell -ing the shares of INA (Croa an oilindustry), which actually meant itwas not me to sell state prop -erty.The Croa an Prime Minister saidthat, when it comes to Croa an

"Economic Policyof Croa a in 2009"Mee ng of the Croa anEconomists Associa on




ECONOMIC POLICY OF CROATIA IN 2009 RIJEKA-ZAGREB-BUDAPEST MOTORWAY

economic policy in 2009, the ac-tual situa on and possible devel -opment of the situa on woulddepend on the state budget for2009, and the Government wouldpropose to the Parliament ap-proving of the budget as late aspossible, only on December 15 oreven later.The Prime Minister said that wewould have more informa on if the budget had been approvedlater, so we wouldn’t have tochange it recently. ˝In a situa onlike this, it is cri cal to balancethe budget˝, Sanader said add -ing that the budget alloca on,except when it comes to pensionand health budget, would be un-changed or slightly reduced.Sanader endorsed CNB’s policyof maintaining a stable currency,limita on of foreign debt and li-quidity, saying it was crucial toovercoming the crisis.“The judiciary reform and com-ba ng crime and corrup on areour priori es”, Sanader said andadded that the decision had beenmade on the establishment of theJudicial Academy in Split, whereaddi onal training would be pro-

vided for the judges, and that theintroduc on of personal iden -ca on number would contributeto the ght against corrup on.He stressed the importance of the recent Progress Report forCroa a published by the Euro-pean Commission. He said that theReport re ected greater supportto Croa a, adding that it was an im -pera ve for Croa a to implementthe shipyard and judiciary reforms.“What we are proposing to theCroa an society, our social part -ners, ci es and municipali es isthe beginning of something new.All of the changes will be broughtabout within the context of theEuropean accession”, Sanadersaid.Minister of Finance Ivan Šukersaid that the proposed balanc -ing of the state budget could beachieved only by limi ng statespending with the goal of elimi-na ng the risk of macroeconomicinstability. At the moment thebudget suits everyone, you, whoare providing it, and us, respon-sible for its alloca on”, Mr Šukersaid in Opa ja. Mr Šuker alsoadded: “We managed to main-

tain macroeconomic stability andrestric ve scal policy and withsuch restric ve policy, as well asbalanced state budget, we havefocused less on those who triedto get money dishonestly andmore on the ci zens and com-panies. At that me Croa a’smacroeconomic stability was thestrongest argument presented inall the talks and nego a ons.”

As regards the impact of theworld crisis on Croa a, Šukersaid that the measures that hadben implemented previously hadhelped mi gate the e ects of the

nancial crisis in Croa a.He men oned that in recentyears Croa an nancial markethad grown enormously, and thatthe nancial market had stabi -lized due to the implementa onof adequate legal measures, aswell as prudent scal and mon -etary policy. “We are playinga game which can be won onlyby joint e orts and pursuing thesame goal”, Minister Šuker saidand concluded that he believedthose were the values that wouldget us through next year.

The 146.5 km long Rijeka-Zagreb-Budapest motorway

was opened for tra c by theCroa an PM, Ivo Sanader, on Oc-tober 22 2008.“We have been wai ng for thirtyeight years for the Rijeka-Zagrebmotorway to be constructed andto nd the poli cal will and mon-ey to achieve this”, PM Sanadersaid.Rijeka-Zagreb motorway is a partof Pan-European corridor Vb. Itsconstruc on started as early as1971, and cost more than 661.5million euro. The last two sec-

ons, Oštrovica to Vrata (11 km),and Kupjak to Vrbosko (3.5 km),were completed 2 and a half months ahead of schedule.

Now it takes some hour and ahalf from Rijeka to Zagreb, andstar ng from November 1 onehas to pay 60 kuna to use themotorway. There are ve bridg -es, thirteen tunnels, twenty-fourviaducts, forty- ve underpassesand twenty-six overpasses onthe motorway route.The rst sec on from Rijeka toKikovica (10.5 km) was openedin 1971, while the sec on fromZagreb to Karlovac (39.3 km) wasopened in 1972.The motorway and the three-lane two-way road sec ons(46.8 km) were being built at the

stretch from Rijeka to Kupjakfrom 1971 to 1982, and later onfrom 1996 to 1997.

Since the Rijeka-Zagreb Motor-way Company was established in1998, the works were performedrapidly in two stages.The rst stage involved the con-struc on of the three-lane two-way road from Kupjak to Karlovac(60.18 km), and was completedin June 2004. The second stageinvolved the construc on of theextension of the three-lane two-way road from the interregional junc on Bosiljevo II to Kikovica(55.57 km), and was completedin October 2008.Sixteen companies and ins tu-

ons, forty one constructor and

thirteen supervising ins tu onswere involved in the motorwayconstruc on. The Rijeka-ZagrebMotorway Company is responsi-ble for covering the construc onand maintenance costs.On the same day, near Goričanborder crossing, Minister Kalme-ta, together with his Hungariancounterpart Pal Szabo, a endedthe ceremony of opening theMura bridge with access roadsto tra c, o cially marking thecomple on of the construc onof the Rijeka-Zagreb-Budapestmotorway.The motorway connects majorCroa an port of Rijeka with Bu-dapest so now it takes only vehours to get from Rijeka to Buda-pest via Zagreb.

RIJEKA-ZAGREBBUDAPESTMOTORWAY OPENED




INTERVIEW WITH DAMIR POLANČEC INTERVIEW WITH DAMIR POLANČEC

nomic circumstances, or rather, itwill be pushed through and accel-erated.The Government has developedthe public administra on reformstrategy for the period 2008-201.It is a basic document which de-

nes the aims and provides guide -lines for the reform in terms of in -creasing e cacy and competenceof the administra on, adherenceto good ethical prac ces, informa-

za on and curbing corrup on.We are commi ed to develop amodern and responsive publicadministra on system.We are aware that developinga modern public administra onsystem requires lots of hard andserious work, but it will pay o since the e cient public adminis -tra on system leads to de cit re -duc on and balanced budget.Taking speci c measures, such asthose related to administra ve

capacity building, ap-pointment of 300 ethicscommissioners, intro-ducing new laws on ad-ministra ve procedure,and the personal iden -

ca on number star ngfrom the 1st January , allof this will result in theimprovement of the ef -

ciency and responsive-ness of public serviceswhich will in turn resultin curbing corrup on.The Bri sh Ambassadorto Croa a, Mr DavidBlunt, has supported

Croa a’s commitment toimplement the reforms.

The budget for 2009,the year of local elec-

ons, was adoptedamidst global economiccrisis. What are theviews of the generalpublic on the issue?The Government is verysa s ed that there isna onal consensus thatthe crisis can be over-come if everyone shares

the burden.Local communi es have beenasked to conform to the Govern -ment’s principles in dra ing theirbudget. We urged all the poli -cians to be serious in the upcom -ing elec ons. It is not me tomake promises, or rise the pricesof the Public U lity Services, andwe all have to share the burden.

The Government will con nuewith the present scal policy, andexpects the Croa an Na onalBank to con nue with its mon-etary policy of maintaining sta-bility of the kuna, as well as eco-nomic stability in Croa a.We will share equal responsibil-ity with all social partners, rmlybelieving that we will successfullyovercome the nancial crisis. A ereach crisis there is a sense of op -mism so it seems realis c to expecta short-term economic growth.

The PM announced the introduc -on of some measures related

to savings, which was met withmixed reac ons. Do you thinkthat the refraining from throw-ing Christmas par es or present -ing business partners with gi swill signi cantly contribute tothe saving scheme?I think that expensive par es andluxurious gi s in both the stateand public sector are inappropri -ate, especially in the current situa -

on. Tax payers’ money shouldn’tbe spent for buying business gi s.However, we are going to complywith the obliga ons from the col-

lec ve bargaining agreement –providing Christmas presents forchildren and ensuring bonusesfor employees.

Should Croa an ci zens be en -couraged to build up savings,since decrease in consump onleads to decrease in produc-

on?According to the informa on re-ceived by the Croa an Chamberof Economy no signi cant chang-es are expected when it comesto pre-Christmas spending’. Theprices of staple items have beencut, so we do not expect a signi -cant decline in consump on.

How are you going to spendChristmas holidays? Will therebe any presents in your family?I will spend Christmas with myfamily. It is a family holiday andChristmas me should be a

me of spiritual re ec on, notof spending spree which it hasturned into. I come from a simple,working class background and myfamily lived modestly, making lotsof sacri ces.

I am trying to pass on these val-ues to my children, especiallyduring the Christmas period. I be-lieve that with joy, peace, familyvalues, and wishes of prosperityand progress we can experiencethe true spirit of Christmas.

We talked to Deputy PM andMinister of Economy, La-

bour and Entrepreneurship DamirPolančec about some of theseissues, including restructuring of state-assisted shipyards, globaleconomic crisis, and the energystrategy.

By signing the Stabilisa on andAccession Agreement Croa acommi ed itself to restructuringsome industries. Why have youwaited so long to ini ate the re -structuring process?In February 2007, we submi edour plans to the Commission,and we have been wai ng for itsresponse, i.e. evalua ons of theplans and sugges ons for the im-provements. The plans were de-veloped with the aim of openingthe nego a ons on the marketcompe on chapter. Due to the

nega ve experience the EC hadwith restructuring shipyards insome other countries, it changedthe standpoint in order not to re-peat the same mistake in Croa a.S ll, I have to admit that I myself think that priva za on is the onlyright answer to the restructuringproblem.Some companies, such as ourshipbuilding companies, can-not be successfully restructuredwithout the involvement of theprivate sector. Currently, the gov -

ernment lacks nancial means tomake the necessary investments.

The Government has been cri -cized for sacri cing the shipyardsfor the sake of the EU accession.What is your opinion on this issue?Regardless of the EU accessionnego a ons, we cannot con nuewith such prac ces. Ever sinceCroa a gained its independencethe government has allocatedenormous amounts of money tothe shipyards. Changes are neces -sary because of all tax payers whoare paying for the closing down of the shipyards, since many otherindustries with greater poten alare not receiving the same levelof government support.

Recently, the public discussionon the Energy DevelopmentStrategy in Croa a was conclud -

ed. What is the signi cance of the Strategy for Croa a?The world is facing a major -nancial crisis, world’s leading na-

ons are struggling to maintain astable nancial system, and theCroa an Government is doingeverything it can to maintain the

nancial and economic stability.In this respect Croa a’s energyindependence has become ourpriority. The aims of the new en -ergy strategy are energy security,the compe veness of energy

system and sustainable energydevelopment. Croa an EnergySystem must be open and basedon market principles.That is why it is important to har-monize it with the European legis-la on, as well as make it environ -mentally friendly by reducing theemission of greenhouse gases.

Energy Development Strategy isa basic document of the EnergyAct, which considers the need forenergy and contains regula onsfor the development of the ener -gy sector. Based on the adoptedstrategy the Government will de-velop Energy Strategy Implemen-ta on Programme for a four-yearperiod.

Foreign and domes c investorso en express serious cri cismof the ine ciency of the public

administra on. Is the public ad -ministra on reform going to beblocked, due to harsh economiccircumstances?Although the implementa on of the reform is a key condi on forthe EU membership, I have to em-phasise that the e cient publicadministra on is primarily in theinterest of Croa an ci zens andentrepreneurs, and it is the basisof economic growth.Public administra on reform willnot be blocked due to harsh eco -

In early November, the European Commission announced the adop on of the strategyfor the EU enlargement policy and publishing of Progress Report for Croa a in thecontext of the comple on of accession nego a ons by the end of 2009. However,there are s ll a number of outstanding issues that need to be addressed.

Government is doingeverything it can tomaintain the nancial andeconomic stability

Damir PolančecDeputy PM and Minister of Economy,Labour and Entrepreneurship




The Ambassador of the UnitedKingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland in Croa a Dav-id Greame Blunt was receivedby the Croa an PM Sanader inthe mid-October. Mr Blunt ex-pressed his sa sfac on for be -ing given an honour to presentthe United Kingdom in the Re-public of Croa a, and con rmeda strong support of the UnitedKingdom for Croa a’s admissionto the Euro-Atlan c Integra on.Speaking about Croa a’s acces-sion to the NATO he said thatthere was no obstacle for thecomple on of the whole proc -ess of the ra ca on of theProtocol on Croa a’s accessionto the NATO before the sum -mit on the 3rd and the 4th April2009. When it came to Croa a’saccession to the EU, Ambassa-dor Blunt said that Croa a hada strong support of the UnitedKingdom, and o ered help in allthe relevant issues in order forthat process to be nished assoon as possible. PM Sanaderthanked him for the supportand pointed out that there wasno doubt that good rela onsbetween the Republic of Croa aand the United Kingdom woulddevelop during the Ambassa-dor Blunt’s mandate. He alsoadded that Croa a was readyfor more intensive co-opera onwith the United Kingdom in or-der to become a full member of Euro-Atlan c Integra on beforelong, and concerning the goal of strengthening strategic partner -ship of both countries.

General John Craddock, thechief commander of NATO’s

European Forces was on a two-day visit to Croa a in mid-Octo-

ber. At Banski Dvori (the Presi-den al Palace) he met Croa anPrime Minister Ivo Sanader. Gen-eral Craddock congratulated MrSanader on successfully imple-mented reforms in the defencesector and thanked Croa a forits contribu on to global peaceand security. He emphasisedthat Croa a served as a modeland factor of stability in South-east Europe. General Crad-dock also said that he expectedCroa a to par cipate, as a NATOmember, in the summit mee ngmarking the 60th anniversary of the Alliance.The summit is taking place onthe 3rd and the 4th April 2009 inStrasbourg and Kehl.The PM said that Croa a wasgoing to be a reliable ally andwould con nue contribu ng tointerna onal peace and secu -rity. “Croa an ci zens supportCroa a’s accession to NATO, ascon rmed by relevant surveys”,the PM said.He also thanked General Crad-dock for the good coopera -

on of the Strategic Command(SHAPE) and NATO experts withthe Croa an Defence Ministryand the Croa an Armed ForcesMain Sta , as well as for the pro -fessional assistance in the proc -ess of the implementa on of theMembership Ac on Plan.

In late October, on the occasionof marking the United Na ons

Day, the President of the Re -public of Croa a, Stjepan Mesić,opened new o ces of ve Unit -ed Na ons agencies in Zagreb.He said that Croa a had becomeone of the rst UN members tohouse the o ces of the organi -za on’s agencies under one roof.˝This is the proof of Croa a’smaturity, the sign of progressachieved to the status of a mem -ber country in which innova onsin the func oning of the UN aresuccessfully being implement-ed˝, President Stjepan Mesićsaid at the ceremony markingthe 63rd anniversary of the UNOrganiza on. The gathering wasalso a ended by Deputy PM andMinister of Family A airs, WarVeterans and Intergenera onalSolidarity Jadranka Kosor, whosaid that Croa a had becomethe country which was ac velypar cipa ng in the ac vi es of

the UN, aimed at building last-ing peace and security in theworld. Deputy PM Kosor pointedout that Croa a wouldn’t forgetthose who had sacri ced theirlives in defending their home -land and all those who, withinthe fold of the UN, had helped itin the hardest mes.“As the member of the UN Secu-rity Council we have got a veryimportant role we have beenpreparing for in the last period,

and that is the responsibilityfor the most important issuesthe interna onal communitydeals with”, emphasised DeputyPM. She concluded her speechby saying that the UN providedCroa a with invaluable profes-sional and technical supportthrough its agencies, organiza -

ons and ins tu ons, as well aswith aid programmes, which theCroa an Government appreciat -ed and warmly welcomed.

In mid-October at the Banski Dvori, Deputy PM Prof dr. sc. SlobodanUzelac met with the UNHCR High Commissioner Udo Janz. The meet-

ing was followed by Wilfried Buchhorn, the head of UNHCR O ce inthe Republic of Croa a, and Mario Pavlović, senior legal advisor at theUNHCR O ce in Croa a. The subject of the mee ng was the forth-coming Dialogue of UNHCR High Commissioner, which is going to takeplace in Geneva in December 2009.

Con rma onof strongsupport of Great Britainto Croa a

Deputy PM Uzelac withUNHCR High Commissioner

GeneralCraddockcongratulatesCroa a onreforms indefence sector

United Na ons day marked


NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH





In mid-November the presidentof the Croa an Government dr.

sc. Ivo Sanader received at theBanski Dvori Mr Knut Vollabaek,OSCE High Commissioner for Na-

onal Minori es. Saying that washis rst visit to Zagreb a er theyear 1993, Vollabaek said thathe was impressed by Croa a’sprogress. Speaking about theOSCE current ac vi es in othercountries he said that OSCE wass ll at the disposal to Croa anGovernment concerning thecounselling about greater involve-ment of the na onal minori es inthe government administra on,the e orts in strengthening in -tegra on of the educa onal sys -tem, and other issues connected

to strengthening the posi on of the na onal minori es in the soci -ety. The president of the Croa anGovernment thanked for theOSCE role in promo ng commonvalues, especially when it came toissues concerning integra on of the na onal minori es into bothpublic and poli cal life of Croa a,stressing the national minorities to bean important factor in the develop -ment of democratic relations in thesociety due to their proactive acting.They discussed about the posi onof the Croa an minority in theneighbouring countries, as well asabout a huge progress concern -ing the return of the refugees,about actual poli cal scene in theneighbouring region. Deputy PM

Prof dr. sc. Slobodan Uzelac alsoreceived Mr Vollebaek at the Ban -ski Dvori. The mee ng was alsoa ended by the head of the OSCEO ce in Croa a, AmbassadorJorge Fuentes Monzonis-Vilallon-ga. At the mee ng they discussedabout the current issues concern -ing the posi on of the na onalminori es in Croa a, par cularlyabout the regional developmentof the Republic of Croa a as thepla orm and the perspec ve forthe successful reconstruc on of return areas, the return of refu -gees and their housing. DeputyPM Uzelac made the Commis-sioner Vollebaek familiar with theac vi es of the Government onthat plan.

Croa an Prime Minister IvoSanader met with the Euro-

pean Enlargement CommissionerOlli Rehn at Banski Dvori in mid-November.˝The year 2009 could be a sig -ni cant year for Croa a. It couldbe the year in which Croa a will join NATO and complete the ac-cession nego a ons with the Eu-ropean Union. We will do our ut-most to achieve those two goals˝,Sanader said at a joint press con -ference with Enlargement Com-missioner Olli Rehn. The pressconference was also a ended by

numerous government memberswith whom Rehn met previously.Rehn stressed that he arrivedin Zagreb to encourage Croa aand convey the important mes -sage from last week’s EuropeanCommission progress report thatCroa a could wrap up the acces -sion nego a ons by the end of next year, provided that it met allthe requirements and completedits share of the job.˝Based on the progress Croa ahas achieved, the European Com -

mission feels that it can wrap upthe last phase of the nego a onsby the end of 2009, provided thatit meets all the requirements”,he said, repea ng that “this wasnot a blank check and indicatorscould be changed in light of theprogress Croa a has achieved˝,provided that the mee ng of cri -teria was feasible.” Mr Rehn said:˝I assure you that the EC supportsyou and wishes you success inmee ng those challenges˝.Sanader said Croa a par cularlyappreciated the fact that the ECwas determined to set a condi -

on that the year 2009 should bethe year of the comple on of thenego a ons, announcing a nan -cial package for Croa a and theforma on of a task force with theprimary func on of drawing upthe accession agreement in mesthat were not easy for the EU orfor Croa a, due to enlargementfa gue, problems with the LisbonTreaty, and the European and glo -bal nancial crisis. He added thatthe main tasks and challengesahead of Croa a were to con -

nue comba ng organised crimeand corrup on, reforming the ju -diciary and public administra on,and priva sing shipyards.˝We can see there are chancesfor achieving an agreement onthe restructuring of shipyards inorder to con nue with the chap -ter on market compe on whichincludes state support. The im-plementa on will take me, but itis important to achieve an agree -ment so that nego a ons couldcon nue˝, said Rehn.The Commissioner said the Euro-pean Commission adopted a joint

posi on on eight chapters whichcould be opened. As regards themanagement of EU pre-accessionfunds, he stressed that system -a c improvements were evident,as was the progress in the me-dium and long term, while thereremained some challenges to bemet in the short term. He saidthat was the reason he encour -aged competent Croa an au -thori es to work round the clockso that the funds could be used tomaximum e ect.

Croatian Prime Minister IvoSanader held talks with

Slovene President Danilo Türkat Banski Dvori (the Presiden-

tial Palace) in late November.Both, Croatian PM and SlovenePresident, expressed interest inenhanced bilateral cooperationin order to resolve outstandingissues, especially in the contextof the final stage of Croatia’sEU negotiations.In this respect, they concludedthat traditionally friendly rela -tions between the two peoplesand citizens provided a firmfoundation for the coopera -tion between the two states in

building common European fu-ture.They said that both, those inpower and the opposition,

must participate in that proc -ess, and emphasised the needfor intensifying communicationat all levels, including the onebetween the parliaments.In that context, the PM andSlovene President talked aboutCroatia’s accession negotia-tions with the EU, its upcom-ing accession to NATO, promo-tion and protection of minorityrights, cultural cooperation andthe development of overall bi -lateral relations.

Slovene President D. Türk wason his rst o cial visit to Croa aa year ago at the invita onof Croa an President Stjepan

Mesić.The Croa an President and hisSlovenian counterpart support -ed the improvement of rela onsbetween the two countries at alllevels.˝In my opinion it is importantto focus on our wider and long-term interests and to this end anatmosphere of con dence andmutual coopera on should becreated˝, President Mesić saida er the mee ng.

OSCE HighCommissionerfor Na onalMinori esVollebaekvisits Croa a

Croa a and Slovenia to strengthen rela ons

PM Sanader says 2009 could be a signi cantyear for Croa a


NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH



THE MINISTERIAL FORUM ”JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS - EU AND WESTERN BALKANS” THE MINISTERIAL FORUM ”JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS - EU AND WESTERN

The ministerial forum ˝Jus ceand Home A airs – the EU

and the Western Balkans˝ washeld on the 7th November 2008in Zagreb. Besides Croa an therewere the interior ministers of France, the Czech Republic, Ser-bia, Monte Negro, Macedonia,Kosovo, Sweden, Austria, Bos-nia and Herzegovina and Polanddiscussing intensively about themethods of connec ng jointforces and ac ons against crimi-nal ac vi es that had been im -plemented at the whole area of

the Western Balkans.

This year’s informal mee ng of the ministers of jus ce and in -terior a airs of the SE Europe’scountries, EU chairmanship, Eu-ropean Commission, and variousother agencies of the EU (EU-ROPOL, FRONTEX), was held inthe organisa on of the Republicof Croa a, as the host countryand the Republic of France, as thecountry currently presiding overthe European Union.Croa a was represented by

the Minister of Jus ce IvanŠimonović and the Minister of the Interior A airs Tomislav Kara-marko. France was representedby the Minister of Interior A airsMichèle Alliot-Marie, the Minis-ter of Jus ce Rachide Da , andthe Minister of Immigra on BriceHortefeux.Vice-president of the EuropeanCommission and the Commis-sioner for Jus ce, Freedom andSecurity Jacques Barrot repre-sented the European Commis-sion as the chief execu ve EU

JUSTICE AND HOMEAFFAIRS- EU ANDWESTERN BALKANS

body at the Forum. The Councilfor the Regional Co-opera onwas represented by the SecretaryGeneral Hidajet Bišćević.Besides those men oned above,the work of the Forum was at -tended by the representa ves of the Secretariat of the EU Council,the Delega on of the EuropeanCommission in Croa a, the rep-resenta ves of EUROPOL, EURO-JUST, FRONTEX and others.The conference was opened bythe Interior Minister of the Re -public of France Michèle Alliot-Marie, with the subject of theconsolida on of legisla ve of thecountries of the Western Balkanswith EU acquis communautaireby which the e orts for the elimi -na on of organised crime and theconsequences it brought to oursociety would be joined.The Forum enclosed the issuesof borders, migra ons, visas, se -curity and trans-border crime,strengthening the ght againstcorrup on, nancial inves ga-

ons and con sca on of theproperty obtained by criminal of -fences.The Croa an PM Sanader, in hisaddress to the gathering, pointedout that Croa a had undertakensteps in gh ng against corrup-

on and organised crime, but forthe nal success on that way weneeded more quality regional co-opera on.An extension of security at theseareas is a path which requires

decisive reforms not only con-cerning issuing of new laws andalignment with the Europeanlegisla ve, but primarily in theimplementa on of the Europeannorms.One of the bilateral mee ngsheld at the Forum was the one of the interior minister of Serbia Ivi-ca Dačić and the interior ministerof Croa a Tomislav Karamarko.The ministers agreed on the ne-cessity for the co-opera on in the

eld of the interior a airs, which,

rst of all, had to be seen in theexchange of informa on, and nostate in this area couldn’t andshouldn’t be the oasis for hidingcriminals.The Jus ce Minister Šimonovićexpressed his hope that the Re-public of Croa a had jus edcon dence by organising thatevent for the rst me outside theborders of the European Union.Except for that, the ministerpointed out the fact that we weremaking progress, but we s ll hadto do more, faster and stronger,in order to meet all the condi -

ons for the EU accession by theend of 2009.According to the latest Transpar -ency Interna onal survey aboutthe index of corrup on percep -

on for 2008, Croa a marked thebest result (4,4) since 1999.In the European Commission’sReport on Croa a’s progress in2008 we also recognise that acertain progress has been madein gh ng against corrup on, butthere is s ll much to be done.This year, the Republic of Croa aadopted two key an -corrup onpolicies: Strategy on Combat-ing Corrup on, adopted by theCroa an Parliament on 19 June2008, and Ac on Plan within theStrategy on Comba ng Corrup-

on, that was drawn up by theGovernment on 25 June 2008.

The Strategy on Comba ng Cor-rup on paid a special a en on

to the strengthening of the in -s tu onal frame of corrup onsuppression, the measures wereworked out that should contrib -ute to be er co-ordina on andco-opera on among ins tu ons.The Commission for monitoringthe implementa on of the meas -ures of comba ng corrup on wasset up, and due to speeding up of necessary reforms the O ce forStrategic Development within theMinistry of Jus ce, with the Sec-tor for comba ng corrup on as

a part of it, was also established.

Moreover, a rm ver cal of ghtagainst organised crime and cor -rup on was created: the estab -lishment of the police o ce forcomba ng corrup on and or -ganised crime, specialised PublicProsecutor’s O ce and special -ised court departments for per -nent cases.With the goal of further improve -ment of legal and ins tu onalframe for corrup on suppressiona range of new laws was issued,with the amendments of some

exis ng laws.The most important changes inthe legisla on are an cipated inthose elds which a ect thoseinvolved in organised crime andcorrup on.The Criminal Law has been ex-tended with the depriva on of bene ts which is considered,with a good reason, to be gainedillegally.To achieve full success the coun-try cannot ght alone against cor -rup on, it is necessary to createan adequate atmosphere.With the beginning of 2009 weare star ng with an -corrup oncampaign of ˝zero tolerance˝on corrup on at all levels, rmlybelieving that together the Gov-ernment and the courts, but thecivil society as well, will realise adecisive advancement in ght-ing against corrup on during thenext year.At the press conference, the rep -resenta ves of France, Croa a,Czech Republic and EuropeanCommission expounded the im-portance of a co-opera on of the ministries of the par cipantcountries in exchange of informa-

on, which would result in sup-pression of organised crime andlead to the e ec ve depriva onof property obtained by criminalo ences.




PHARE 2005 TWINNING LIGHT PROJECT PHARE 2005 TWINNING LIGHT PROJECT

The Finnish experts in the im-plementa on of the Project

evaluated the coopera on be -tween Croa a and EU memberstates, emphasising that theyhad relied only on the experienc -es in the ght against corrup onwhich had proved successful inthe case of Finland.

Within the PHARE 2005 pro-gramme the project of the Minis -try of the Interior of the Republicof Croa a ˝Improvement of the

Ministry of the Interior System inthe Fight against Corrup on˝ wasformally completed. The 150 000euro worth project lasted for sixmonths. The Police Directorate,the Department of EconomicCrime and Corrup on, togetherwith the twinning partner – In -s tute of Public Administra onof the Republic of Finland was incharge of all the ac vi es,

The Project aimed at improvingthe implementa on of the law

through the improvement of in -s tu onal capaci es of the Min-istry of the Interior in the ghtagainst corrup on by adop ngmore modern approaches, inves -

ga ve techniques and methods,increased transparency and re -sponsibility towards the generalpublic, especially regarding thecomplaints lodged against theMinistry o cials.The project is going to contrib-ute to strengthening administra-

ve capaci es of the Ministry of

the Interior in the ght againstcorrup on and organised crime,since the project was designedto assess procedures within in -s tu ons involved in the ghtagainst corrup on, i.e. assess -ment of the procedures of theinternal control and public pro -curement. Moreover, it is goingto help the Croa an Governmentimprove the implementa onof the Na onal An -Corrup onProgramme in the ght againstwhat is in EU member states

considered to be a ˝disease of a democra c society˝, which isone of the criteria for Croa a’saccession to the EU.

The project consisted of anumber of ac vi es, includingdrawing up the Report on Short-comings and Needs of the Min-istry of the Interior, recommen -da ons of the Finnish experts,that is twinning partners for thereassessment of the An -Corrup -

on Ac on Plan and Program,

guidelines of the Ministry of theInterior in the ght against thatdestruc ve phenomenon of ademocra c society.

Workshops focusing on skillsneeded to combat corrup onwere a ended by some hundredpolice o cers, the representa -

ves of the O ce for Suppres -sion of Corrup on and OrganisedCrime, the representa ves of the state prosecutor and inves -

ga ng magistrates. The Finn-

ish experts evaluated that thecoopera on between Croa a,as a candidate country, and EUmember states had been accom -plished, emphasising that theyhad relied only on the experienc -es in the ght against corrup onwhich had proved successful inthe case of Finland.

COMPLETIONOF CARDS 2004TWINNING PROJECTThe Forensic Tes ng Centre has

introduced a new system of bal -lis c exper se and interna onaldata exchange, which will facili-tate the prepara on process foracquiring professional accredita-

on.

The Croa an Ministry of the In-terior carried out a project ˝Pre -ven on of Tra cking in SmallArms and Light Weapons˝ in co-opera on with the Dutch policeagency and Dutch forensic ins -tute .

During sixteen months therewere some thirty Dutch and150 Croa an experts involvedin the 850 thousand euro worthproject.The analysis of safety standards,and the analysis of the extent towhich the issue of weapons haspresented a threat to the safetyin the Republic of Croa a wascarried out within the project.The second stage involved theanalysis of the legisla on andcomparison with the European

standards. Development of astandardised methodology of thepolice opera on was the thirdstage of the CARDS project, whilethe fourth stage included man -agement of the police force andeduca on of the police expertswith the purpose of be er un -derstanding and interpreta onof the results of previously imple-mented phases of the project.

The Dutch counterparts per -formed a worthwhile independ -

ent analysis of the shortcomingsof the exis ng system, althoughas early as 2001 the ini a ve forthe improvement of the armscontrol methods in the Republicof Croa a was launched.For this reason, within the CARDSprogramme, a dra of the proto -col on the control of rearms anda recommenda on for obtainingdatabase on bombs and mineexplosives was prepared. The de-partment of tes ng of the func -

oning and resistance of rearms

has been established by the draArms Act which is going to besubmi ed to the Parliament inearly 2009. The Forensic Tes ngCentre has introduced a new sys -tem of ballis c exper se and in-terna onal data exchange underthe code name IBIS.This will help the Centre preparefor obtaining the professionalaccredita on, in accordanceto the interna onally adoptedrules at the Croa an Accredita-

on Agency.

Comple on of PHARE 2005

TWINNING LIGHTproject

Ministry of the Interior: resolute ght against corrup on




On the 25th of November,on the island of Brijuni,

Minister of the Sea, Trans-port and Infrastructure,Božidar Kalmeta, presentedeighteen island producersfor 57 of their products withthe medallion engravedwith the words ˝Croa an Is -land Product˝ .During the event he an-nounced that his Ministrywas thinking of subsidizing

island produc on and alloca nggrants to island producers.In 2007 the Ministry launched theproject of marking island prod-ucts with the ˝Croa an IslandProduct˝ brand, with the aim of encouraging island producers tomarket authen c, high qualityproducts. Last year twenty twoproducts of fourteen manufac -turers were branded “Croa anIsland Products”.Mr Kalmeta stressed that to -

57 PRODUCTS BRANDED ˝CROATIAN ISLANDPRODUCT˝

day Croa a was proud to seethat a considerable number of top products had been brandedCroa an Island Products. They in-clude olive oil, wine, cheese, pas-try of Korčula, Vis and Rab, jams,cosme c products, items madeof wool from the island of Cres,stone from Brač, lavender formRab and lace from Pag.

The ˝Croa an Island Product˝project is aimed at boos ng is -land produc on and enhancingquality of island products whichshould be based on local tradi -

on. These products derive fromlimited island locali es and aremanufactured in limited series.The European Union appreciatestradi onal products and Croa an

islands abound in authen c, highquality products that could be -come an export brand.

In order to make the productsaccessible to both domes c andforeign buyers, the Ministry haspublished a catalogue ˝Croa anIsland Products 2007/08˝ with 79products of 32 producers.

CROATIAN ISLAND PRODUCTCROATIAN ISLAND PRODUCT






INTERLIBER INTERLIBER

The tradi onal 31st Interna -onal Book and Teaching Aids

Fair – Interliber, and Music andMul media Fair have just nishedat Zagreb Fair, enriched by an im-pressive number of 290 domes cand foreign exhibitors.

As usual the Fair was held underthe auspices of the Ministry of Cul-ture, with the promo on of morethan a hundred new tles andmany professional conferencesand presenta ons.The Interliber has been developedinto a leading book fair in SE Eu-rope, and Minister Biškupić pre-dicted that ˝Zagreb Bookish Ol-ympics ˝ should have been turnedinto to the leading fair of CentralEuropean countries.

This year, the par cipa ng coun-

es were Austria, Belgium, Bosniaand Herzegovina, Monte Negro,Croa a, Iran, Israel, Germany, Po-land, the USA, Serbia, Spain, GreatBritain and Northern Ireland.The partner country was Israelby presen ng itself as publishingpower with an annual edi on of around 5 thousand tles.

Israel, being this year’s partnercountry, points to the enlarge -ment of cultural interests withthe goal of ng Croa a into

the context of literary maps andinto trans-con nental and global

ows, which was par cularly wel-comed by the Minister of CultureBiškupić, since it was an impetu-ous to the co-opera on of the twocountries on literary led as well.This year Israel is marking the 60thanniversary of its establishment,so the guest engagement at theInterliber is one of the culturalmanifesta ons which Israel duringthe whole year, and all around theworld, is organising on the occa-sion of this important anniversary.The Jews have always been ˝thena on of books˝. The tradi on hasbeen con nued in the State of Is -rael which has far greater numberof published and sold books thantotal number of popula on, incomparison to other highly devel-oped countries.

By par cipa ng at the Interliberthey want to show only a smallpart of newly-published tles inIsrael.In a co-opera on with the JewishMunicipality Zagreb a hand-bookfor learning the Hebrew languagewas promoted.Also, the book of Boris Zaidman˝Hemingway and the Dead-BirdRain˝was presented, which speaksabout a boy’s des ny born informer USSR and his coming to Is-rael. The performance was accom -

panied by the Kleitzmer Orchestraplaying eastern-European Jewishmusic, Israeli dances and Israeli

lm projec ons.

DOMESTIC TITLESA segment which for sure domi-nated the Fair was publishingmarking of the 500th anniver -sary of the birth of the greatestCroa an and world comedy writerMarin Držić.The Lexicon of Marin Držić pub-lished by Miroslav Krleža Lexico-graphic Ins tute, as well as thePro l’s library New Pro les andthe reading (containing Držić’sNovela od Stanca), is intended forbe er understanding of an au -then c text of the famous comedywriter.Dubrovnik libraries held presen-ta ons of mul media exhibi on

about Držić, with the inten on of presen ng not only Držić’s works,but the life of the Renaissance Du-brovnik.One of the greeted tles was ̋ TheFirst School Dic onary of theCroa an Language˝ by Šimpraga-Jojić-Lewis, a norma ve dic onarythat should be developing an at-

tude toward the Croa an Stand -ard Language for the beginningsof one’s educa on. The Dic onaryconsists of the book and a DVD,explaining 2 500 words and their

pronuncia on, with the accent onthe words children meet in eve -ryday life. The DVD provides thegames intended for fun in orderto help children to get familiarisedwith the words in the Dic onary.Contextually, ˝Croa an School Or-thography˝ by Babić, Sanda Hamand Milan Moguš, published byŠkolska knjiga, was warmly wel-comed, since the Orthography wasaligned with the conclusions of theCouncil for Standard Croa an Lan-guage Norm at the Ministry of Sci-ence, Educa on and Sport.This year’s Interliber presented oneof the most important Croa an ac -complishments, the interna onaldocument of our independenceand sel ood of the interna onalrecogni on of the Republic of Croa a, as Lobel Machal would say˝the second interna onal recogni -

on of Croa a˝. Namely, the newcode of the Croa an language waspresented, the one set up accord -ing to ISO 639-2 standard.By now the Croa an language wasregistered together with the Ser-bian, which in no way suited thereality and present me.By an o cial le er from the 17thJune 2009, ISO 639-2 Registra-

on Authority, the request of twona onal libraries and authorisedState Bureau for the norms of Croa a and Serbia on the sepa -ra on and establishment of twocodes – Croa an and Serbian wascon rmed.The Interliber o ers the rst

round of Collected works by RankoMarinković, three novels: Kik-lop, Zajednička kupka, and Nevermore, the book of theatrical es -says, and the cri cs of Geste i gri-mase, reminding of the master of the Croa an prose seven years af -ter his death.˝Mali koncil˝ was also presented,children’s monthly and a magazine˝Lađa , professional publica onintended for all those showing in-terest for the ma er of educa on,especially religious one.

The book by Josip Šen ja ˝Skandi-navizacija Balkana , helve zacijaBosne i Hercegovine – reviews,presenta ons, and commentaries1990-2000˝ warns of the rela onsbetween the Croats and Bosniaks,and between Croa a and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The book combinesaround seventy wri en or u eredar cles about a drama c decadeof the Croa an history.Pro l presents a new novel byMarinko Koščec ˝Cen metre of Happiness˝ which follows existen-

al tales of students’ colleaguesstar ng from the days of studyingwhen they love and cheat eachother, and later shows their livesand a degrada on of their per -

sonali es, while Ljevak publishinghouse surprises us with the novel˝Cruci xion of Passion˝, in which afamous painter Dimitrije Popovićmakes his début as the novelist inthe work inspired by the characterof Mary Magdalene.The same publisher presents the nov-el ˝Nothing sacred ̋by Ivo Brešan.Social history of the book in Croats- the book III – from the beginningof the Croa an Na onal Revival(1835) ll today by an academicianAleksandar S pčević published byŠkolska knjiga, is a respectablethree-book in which the authordepicts a social standpoint of thedevelopment of a book in Croats,by emphasising all the speci cs of booked produc on, distribu onand reading.

FOREIGN TITLESLjevak publishing house has obvi-ously made a good deal by publish-ing a Croa an edi on of Mc Ma-

a˝ by Misha Glenny which askedfor a place more. In some 450pages Glenny, an emigrant formthe former USSR, who now livesin Great Britain, divides, in a formof ˝big news reportage˝, all theaspects of currently the biggestworld evil – ma a.Publishing house Vuković&Runjićpresents the latest work of OrhanPamuk ̋ Silent house ,̋ a poli cal nov -el which con nues the elabora on of

a big theme of non-exis ng iden tyin the O oman historical context.

The same publishing house publishesthe last novel by recently late greatman of the American literature Nor -man Mailer ̋ Castle in the Woods .̋On the other hand, the Verbumbrings a biography of St. Paul, bydr. Josef Holzner, without doubtone of the most famous and thebest displays of life and teaching of this great Apostle of na ons.

All in all, this year’s rich Interliberts everyone. It has con rmed it-

self as one of the most successfulevents of the Zagreb Fair, and thenumber of visitors has proved thatnext year the Interliber will needmore space. This respected cul-tural manifesta on is importantfor the image of our capital as wellas for Croa a in whole.

INTERLIBERZagreb Bookish Olympics




EXHIBITION EXHIBITION

At the Klovićevi Dvori Galleryin Zagreb, the exhibi on ̋ The

altars of the Avant-garde˝ hasbeen opened, by the selec onof Jadran Adamović, displayingmore than 200 recent works –drawings, pictures, installa ons,video-works – of nineteen ar stsand one art group.Those are the ar sts who, wheth -er by the background or place of living, are lining the map whoseboundaries are set by Adamović’sbiographic story, his nomadicrambling on these areas, whilethe bonding is neither genera-

onal nor style kinship, but therecogni on of art and personalviews of life.By their ac ng, birth and livingthey have straddled a wide areaof the Central and East Europe,from the Bal c to the Adria cSea. The key of selec on is hid-

den in the very friendly and pro -fessional connec on of Adamovićwith the authors.It’s a rare visual phenomenonwith such mul -layered and am -biguous posi on as the avant-garde art. In comparison with tra -di onal pain ng realisms, seekingfor op mal visual displaying of the world, the avant-garde andneo-avant-garde realisms havebeen aiming to direct shi ing of the objects outside the art intovery itself.Theore cians point to the devia -

on from the modern autonomytoward anarchic e ects claiming – to be able to recognise whetherart is contemporary or not, wedo not draw on aesthe c criteriaany more, but we draw on socialones.One of the presented ar stswould therefore say: as an ar st, I

If one looks down at the Earth from the Moon thereis virtually no distance between Louvre and the Zoo.(from video-work by Braco Dimitrijević).The Beauty of Freedom

Ar sts whose works arebeing displayed at theexhibi on: Konstan nBatynkov, Ivan Chuikov,Braco Dimitrijević,Perica Doljanin, AndrejFilippov, Elena Elagina,Igor Makarevič, GrupaIrwin, MagdalenaJetelova , Ivan Ka a,Julije Knifer, AlexanderKosolapov, MilomirKovačević Strašni, IvanKožarić, Oleg Kulik,Vlado Martek, PavelPepperstein, DmitriPrigov, Mladen S linovići Dragoljub RašaTodosijević, and Irwingroup.

have been learning from the east(socialism) and form the west(capitalism). Of course, now thatthe limits and poli cal systemshave changed, such an experi -ence will be no longer possible.

Both the limits and poli cal sys-tem caused the downfall of oldand raise of new states, press -ing, in one genera on, its wholecultural iden ty.Just that context is what makesthe experience of the ar sts pre -sented at this exhibi on originaland unique, aside from the rap -port and distance from the ideaof anarchy.

These are simply memories of the world which does not existany more.

Art is, therefore, what makes the

di erence from the mere sen -mental reminiscences – it is theone which nds the power of beauty even in a n plate, pastlumps of sugar, in photographicsequences of an ar st sleeping,which means – dreaming, whichagain means – crea ng. Beautyis, as thought by avant-garde, inthe way how a pair of living lionsin the ar st’s atelier experiencesa half-length portrait or a pictureof the threatening year of 1937posted at an easel, in the waythat pair of animals sni s an ex -cessive pale e, but also in a deadbody of a human or a horse, any -way, frigh ul beauty of severity,but in the dissoluteness of life,its loss, beauty in everyday life, joy and sorrow, war and peace,plenty and misery, recognisablein the audience grown up in atotally di erent reality – maybe

more tranquil and more boring,but less appalling and, at thesame me, less marvellous.

The Croa an authors wererepresented by c ompelling Ju-lije Knifer, obsessed with persist-ence of his meanders, then IvanKožarić with the symbolic paperaltar, Braco Dimitrijević with hisvideo-work with an enigma clink of Louvre and zoologicalgardens, Vlado Martek and hisself-portraits lost in the mapsof equally lost world, MladenS linović with typical self-ironicdetachment and true nostalgictoward materially poor me of his growing up and Perica Dol- janin with early landscapes puri-

ed of each trace of human pres -ence.




TUROPOLJE’S WOODEN BEAUTIESTUROPOLJE’S WOODEN BEAUTIES

The municipality of Turopoljeis characterized by wide low-

lands, which used to be coverdin thick oak forests. It is situatednear the capital of Croa a, butdue to the in uence of its nobili-ty and landed gentry it has man-aged to preserve the adminis-tra ve independence of Zagrebsince the 13th century.Turopolje abounds in archaeo -logical sites worth visi ng. Thisis where Andautonia (todayŠčitarjevo), the seat of an Illyr-ian tribe and the Roman prov-ince of Upper Pannonia used to

be. This is also where archaeol-ogists found the site of the Ro-

man City including parts of themain street, city baths, colon -nades and side streets, as wellas the remains of wall pain ngs,ornaments, vessels, jewelleryand money forged by di erentRoman emperors, from Titoto Vales. In the pre-Christmasperiod we might be mostly in-terested in its wooden chapels,the unique oak beau es thatserved as modest shrines toequally modest inhabitants of Turopolje.

Although some of them dateback to the early Middle Ages,

the eleven chapels which havebeen preserved ll present daydate back to the 17th century.The roof has wooden panelsand it is supported by solid oakbeams. Dis nguished examplesof wooden sacral architectureinclude the Chapel of St.Barbarain Velika Mlaka, the Chapel of St. John the Bap st in Buševac,St. Rocco’s Chapel in CvetkovićBrdo, St. Antony’s Chapel inGustelnica and the Chapel of the Wounded Christ near Pleso.

The most dis nguished oneamong them is the Chapel of St. Barbara, which was built in1642, with further refurbish -ments taking place in the fol -lowing centuries. Originally, theen re Chapel, the shrine withthe apse, vestry, ves bule, andthe bell-tower above the mainentrance, was built of split oakplanks. Post-Baroque interven-

ons include renewal of theroof-frame and construc on of a new wooden bell-tower, whilein the 19th century it was deco -

rated with wood carving. One of the most interes ng aspects of the Chapel pain ngs is a uniquepain ng technique of temperaon wood, which was employedin pain ng the ceiling and wall-panelling of St. Barbara’s Chapel.Some 150 painted planes havebeen preserved.The closed retable of the mainwing altar depicts eight scenesof Christ’s passion, while theopen one depicts four scenesfrom the life and martyrdomof St. Barbara. The main altarpain ng shows the standing g-ure of the saint.Other chapels are precious, too,and tes fy to the excep onalskills of Turopolje carpentersand Croa an ar sts who deco -rated the interior of some of them.The visitors who arrive in Zagrebby plane, on the ride form Za-greb Pleso Airport to the centreof the city, can no ce anotherwooden beauty –the Chapelof the Wounded Christ. Otherchapels can be visited by previ-ous arrangements, while in theChapel of St. Barbara mass serv-ice is held daily.This year a special Christmas EveMass will be held in the Chapel,marking 366 years since its con-struc on.

Turopolje’s ElevenWooden Beau es




It may be an exaggera on tosay that the Croa an part of

the Adria c is genuinely beyondcomparison, but there is a soundrea¬son to get completely car -ried away by the wealth anddiversity of the unexpectedlybeau ful vistas revealed behindevery new cape and with everypassage through a new strait;the discovery of sights seeminglynewly created by nature.While sailing along the Adria ccoast, it’s easy to imagine that itis the most beau ful sea gardenyou have ever seen. Even if it wasonly a gment of your imagina-

on conjured up by your enthu -siasm, an overwhelming experi-ence of this unique area wouldsoon turn it into reality.

ADAC CHOICE ANDACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe total coastline running alonga small, 783-kilometer-long Adri-a c Sea, is, together with thatof the islands, 7,868 kilometerslong, with 74 per cent or 5,835kilometers belonging to Croa a.No Mediterranean country hassuch a rich archipelago with 66islands, 652 islets, 389 rocks,and 78 reefs that contribute toex¬cep onal indenta on of thecoast and result in a slightly exag-

gerated label “country of a thou -sand islands” usually a ached toCroa a.The respected bimonthly ADACReisemagazin places Croa a atthe very top of a range of nau calregions in the world. Accordingto ADAC, the sea in Croa a is thecleanest one in the Mediterrane -an, receiving the highest scoresfor its clarity, transparency, andquality. This acclaimed maga-zine dedicated an en re issue toCroa a, introducing it as a regionthat o ers more than a standardsun and beach vaca on.

CLEAR SEASAT 56 METERSAnd everywhere you look you’ll

nd stunning scenery, just likethe one you can enjoy when yougo sailing, for it is most unusualto nd a transparent sea at 56meters! In the cradle of love be -tween man and nature, the Adri-a c is the real guardian of thelast hidden havens where natures ll rules: a paradise for Robin-son Crusoe lovers.The Croa an Adria c has itseight world wonders which in-clude na onal parks and natureparks, such as Brijuni islands inthe north to the wooded Mljetwith ords in the extreme south.

NauticaltourismIn this issue of Croa a In Focus we areintroducing you with the nau cal tourism,which represents one of the most importantbranches of tourism in Croa a.In the forthcoming issues we will make youfamiliar with the development of nau caltourism in each of the Croa an Adria cregions and we are sure that, a er readingabout them, you will wish to come and enjoyin this impressive, rich and unique azureenvironment.

NAUTICAL TOURISM NAUTICAL TOURISM

Photo by: Ivo Pervan

Photo by: Renco Kosinožić




There are huge contrasts andamazing natural beauty thatawaken the adventurous spirit ineven the most reserved visitors.

BRIJUNI, KORNATI,MLJETThe rare and excep onal beautyof Brijuni adorns the north Adri-a c, while the na onal parks of Risnjak, Sjeverni Velebit, and Pa-klenica tower above the Kvarnerand Zadar island group towardsthe central Adria c.In the hinterland, on the mainroad to Zagreb and only twohours from the sea, are thePlitvice Lakes with magni ¬centwaterfalls. To the south, the KrkaFalls tumble directly to the seathat penetrates deep into themainland through the Sibenik is-land group.The Zadar and Sibenik regionsare entwined by world famousa rac ons: Telascica NaturePark and Korna Na¬ onal Parkadorned with 149 islands of theKorna archipela¬go. Sailingamong the numerous islets nearthe western cape of Solta andthe lonely Drvenik, you nd your-self in the very heart of Dalma awith its metropolis Split. Its ar-chipelago is adorned by Bol onthe island of Brac. Then there is

Hvar with its Pakleni Islands, Sce-dro where you reach the extremesouth, and the Dubrovnik regionthat stretches from Korcula toLastovo and Mljet.

DUBROVNIK FORDESSERTIf you save visit to Dubrovnik fordessert, then it will remind youthat many of the wonders of theAdria c were created by man.Besides the Arena in Pula, youwill also nd other tes moniesof history and culture such asthe rst wri en document of theBaska Tablet on the island of Krk.Dalma a will leave you breath-less with its excitement and thecharming medieval architectureof the towns and the ancientorigin of Split, Sibenik, Trogir, Za-dar, Nin, and the islands of Hvarand Korcula.. They are all world-renowned des na ons and

cultural monuments under thepro¬tec on of UNESCO .The chain of lighthouses, massivehouses with towering lanterns,built during the rule of FrancisJoseph and the Austro-Hungari-an period, is not only tes monyto great mari me tradi ons andsafe naviga on, but is also a sym-bol of the last call of the wildsea.Almost 50 unrivalled “eccentrics”,one hundred islands, and onehundred capes enliven the routefor those sailing the Adria c fromSavudrija to Sv. Andrija (Saint An-drew) in front of Dubrovnik. Theancient lanterns shine their lighton the roman c soul of everyvisitor to the Adria c and awakenthe imagina on for a RobinsonCrusoe adventure.

SUMMER INMID-WINTERThe Croa an Adria c predicts allyour wishes and dreams. With itsdensely protected island groupsca ered from north to south, ito ers hidden coves s ll in sight,so safe from sud¬den storms orstrong winds.The radio network gives regularinforma on on safe naviga on,for which the Adria c is well-known. Equipped marinas andprotected coves with berths arewithin easy reach.Even if a erce wind is blowing,a navigator can relax and feel athome in the Croa an sea.

Few navigators can boast clima ccondi ons where winds, such asthe summer mistral, and the win-ter north and south winds, blowgently and steadily from both,unusual and well-known direc-

ons. But the unseen advantageof the Croa an Adria c is the allyear round tourist season. In thewinter, when the weather mays ll be warm, you can enjoy thesea as much as in the su mmer ands ll be sure to nd a quiet placeeven during high season.

NAUTICAL TOURISM NAUTICAL TOURISM

Photo by: Juraj Kopač

Photo by: Damir Fabijanić

Photo by: Damir Fabijanić




The days of the Croa an Tour-ism were held from the 22nd

to 24th October in Opa ja andgathered more than a thousandpar cipants from Croa a andabroad, from the representa -

ves of professional associa onsand organisa ons in tourism tothe representa ves of the WorldTourist Organisa on, EuropeanCommission and representa vesof Tour Operators and Europeanassocia ons, while the range of professional mee ngs was at -tended by some hundred journal-ists.We are speaking about the big-gest mee ng of the Croa anTourism that provides an ex-change of experience within aprofession and discusses aboutthe key subjects for the touristsector, with the evalua on of thecurrent tourist season with theannouncement of the next.Minister of Tourism Damir Bajs,while opening the Days of theCroa an Tourism, especially em-phasised his sa sfac on withthe fusion of two most impor-tant manifesta ons of the year.

Opa ja is the mee ng point of allthose important for tourism andby whom the Days of Croa anTourism start as the crown of thisyear’s season.Formal gathering of the Croa antourist employees is held on theoccasion of presen ng awardsand acknowledgements in theac on of evalua ng the qualityof the Croa an tourist des na -

ons, companies and individualsin the ac ons -˝Tourist Flower-Quality for Croa a 2008˝, imple-

mented by the Croa an Radioand Television in co-organisa onwith the Croa an Chamber of Economy and ̋ Blue Flower˝, then˝Green Flower˝ and ˝Employeeof the Year˝, implemented by theCroa an Tourist Board.The mee ng with the representa -

ves of the interna onal organi -sa ons and with the representa -

ves of ins tu ons in charge of tourism from the neighbouringcountries will give a star ngimpetuous for opinions aboutthe following season, possiblechanges of opinions or a con r-ma on of well chosen ways, saidMinister. Op mis c expecta onsfor 2009 are based on posi ve re -sults of this year’s tourist season,by investments in this year andthe announcement of new quali -ty capaci es for the next year and

many new programmes, whichis all going to contribute to evengreater compe veness of theCroa an tourism as a strategicbranch of the Croa an economy,according to Bajs.Croa an tourism is ge ng onvery well, highlighted CordulaWohlmuther, the representa veof the World Tourist Organisa-

on, but also con rms that, as inother countries, there are newchallenges ahead it, par cularlyin crea ng price policy and pro-mo on on foreign markets.The head of the O ce for Econo -my of the Embassy of the Repub-lic of Italy, Paolo Palminteri, re-minded of numerous friendly andeconomic rela ons between thetwo countries, expressing his be -ing convinced that the future of the Croa an-Italian co-opera on

THE DAYS OFCROATIAN TOURISM

was in joint projects on the locallevel.On the second day of the event,the Days of Croa an Tourism ful-

lled the space of several Opa jahotels, where a range of profes -sional mee ngs took place, fromthe mee ngs of Tourism BusinessCouncil at the Croa an Chamberof Economy, and the Croa anHotel-Keeping Forum with theanalysis of the sector’s businessac vity, the conference of theTourism Council of the Croa anTourist Board to the mee ngs of counselling for both congress andincen ve ac ons, and counsellingfor the cultural tourism.

Days of Croa anTourism – aboutCroa an tourism onEuropean market,e ects of the seasonand about thefollowing seasonThe tourist year 2008 is the yearof a constant growth, with theinvestment of more than 6 billionkuna into it, highlighted Minis-ter Damir Bajs, at the mee ng of tourist employees with the rep-resenta ves of the Croa an Gov-ernment, adding that it is goingto be another good year for theCroa an tourism, which is provedby already realised physical and

nancial results, but the year

2009 is considered to be a hugechallenge.In the following year we are ex-pec ng tourist achievements atleast to be like those of this year’s,with the growth of nancial ef -fects of 3% related to this year.Minister of tourism presentednew Ministry’s programmeswhich would open wide oppor-tuni es of a co-opera on onfurther boos ng of the quality of our tourism, reminding that theCroa an tourism was opera ngposi vely in the atmosphere of the crisis that had started earlierthan the current bank’s.Announcing the programmes, theminister emphasised actual im -plementa on of the programmeof educa on and training of thesta in the tourism which sup -ported the promo on of touristoccupa ons, and programmes inprepara on, like the support inrenova on of passenger-excur -sion boats, as well as non-refund -able aid to undeveloped Croa a’sarea in tourist terms.On the third day of the event, ana onal tourist forum was held,with the subject ˝Croa an Tour -ism in the European Context˝, atwhich the o cials of the Euro -pean Commission’s departmentfor tourism and the European as -socia on of hotel and restaurantmanagers par cipa ng in the

event pointed to the importanceof coopera on in the service sec-tor, both on EU and regional lev-els. More than a thousand par c -ipants gathered at the mee ngswho expressed their great expec -ta ons for the Croa an Govern -ment’s role in tackling problemsin tourism and providing aid tothe tourist sector.Minister Bajs informed that anew law on tourist and otherconstruc ng land was in the lastphase of prepara on, while theother one, the golf one, was be -ing completed. Moreover, hesaid, Ministry of Tourism will en-sure a redistribu on of alreadyexis ng means for addi onal pro-mo onal ac vi es on the mostimportant markets, among otherthings because of the preparingfor enhanced compe veness onthe world market, something thatCroa an Tourism is already usedto, since it has been opera ng inthat way for years.The Days of Croa an Tourismended with awards presenta-

on - ˝Tourist Flower – Qualityfor Croa a˝, implemented by theCroa an Radio and Television inco-organisa on with the Croa anChamber of Economy and ˝BlueFlower˝, then ˝Green Flower˝and ˝Employee of the Year˝, im -plemented by the Croa an Tour -ist Board.

THE DAYS OF CROATIAN TOURISM THE DAYS OF CROATIAN TOURISM

Photo by Bosiljko Domazet

P h o t o

b y B o s i l j k o D o m a z e t




Opa ja is an elite tourist des -na on, as well as the cen -

tre of the riviera with the oldesttourist tradi on in Croa a. It issituated in the Bay of Kvarner,where the Mediterranean shoresdraw closer to the Central Eu -ropean land, at the foot of Učkamountain. Sheltered from the

erce winds by islands and Učkamountain, it is easily accessible inall seasons.

Centred around the Benedic neAbbey, and rst men oned inthe 12th century, Opa ja has theoldest tradi on of tourism, dat -ing back to the year 1844 whenthe rst summer residence, VillaAngiolina, surrounded by lav-ish park, was built. The Villa waserected by merchant Higinio vonScarpa. It was frequented bysome dis nguished guests suchas Croa an governor Josip Jelačić,Austrian empress Maria Anna,which soon made Opa ja a popu-lar excursion des na on of the

inhabitants from Rijeka, Italy andAustria.The town ourished as the newtravel routes were introduced,and the new railway line towardVienna establishing the connec-

on between Zagreb and Buda-pest was constructed in 1873.

On the ini a ve of some eminentdoctors such as Dr Schroeter, DrBillroth, Dr Oertl and all the oth-ers who valued Opa ja’s naturalbeauty, the Society of the South -ern Railways from Vienna, head-ed by Friedrich Schuer embarkedon the task of conver ng Opa jainto one of the most prominentand visited tourist centres in Eu -rope. A er the rst hotel washas ly built in 1884, EmperorFranz Joseph proclaimed Opa jaa health resort in 1889. It was vis -ited for its numerous hotels andsanatoriums in grand villas. Zora(Dawn) reading room was openedin the same year and soon be-came a cultural hub of Croa a. In

1894,on the ini a ve of JaromirBaron von Mundy, the founderof the Vienna ambulance service,Opa ja got its rst AmbulanceService.

Opa ja was frequented by manykings and emperors, par cularlyin the winter me. Numeroustourists and owners of the vil -las contributed to its hor cul -tural grandeur by plan ng exo c

plants. Opa ja was so a rac vethat it was visited by the thenmost prominent personali es of the noble rank - princess Luisavon Sachsen Coburg, Romanianking Charles I, Swedish-Norwe-gian king Oscar, etc.

Opa ja is culturally and linguis -cally heterogeneous due to itshistorical development, as well asvarious economic resources.Thecoastal dwellers were orientatedtowards mari me a airs, agricul -

ture and sheries for centuries,while the karst region dwellerswere ac ve in forestry, agricul -ture and ca le breeding. With thedevelopment of shipbuilding andother industries, that couldn´t sur -vive due to the vicinity of big portand industrial centres of Rijekaand Trieste, the economic struc -ture of the area changed signi -cantly, while the focus of the areaturned to tourism and all the ac -companying ac vi es (such as ca-tering industry, trade, educa onand culture, health service, handi -cra s). Contemporary trends in

tourism have le their mark in

mari me and nau cal tradi onthat is kept alive through numerousnau cal and water sport ac vi es.

Not only did tourism bring eco-nomic prosperity and architec -tural gems to Opa ja, but it alsocontributed to the increase of ur -ban greenery and lush parks. Twoof the parks are protected as partof the architectural heritage. Theone surrounding villa Angiolinais one of the most beau ful gar-dens on the Adria c. It consists of

two parts, the southern one withexo c plants and grassland, andthe northern one, thickly plantedwith laurel, pines and cedar trees.Camelias, bamboos and bananasare a valuable asset to the park.The park is also the most visitedone since it stretches along thelength of the popular promenade.The second park was constructeda er the year 1900 and is situ -ated just under the new beltwayof Opa ja, with the diverging roadrunning toward the centre of thecity. Although it contains walk-ing paths, this park is less a rac-

ve and less visited because of its

young trees.The area abounds in historical andcultural monuments, both urbanand rural ones, including buildingsand parks that enrich the touristo er and create the condi onsfor more successful economicprogress of Opa ja.Opa ja boasts old buildings, foun-tains, well-tended parks and il-luminated coastal promenade.Today one can nd modern androman c hotels, campsites,private accommoda ons and

boards. Congress halls with state-of-the-art equipment are alsoadded to the tourist o er. Restau -rants o er a wide variety of menuchoices sure to please everyone.Besides a wealth of possibili esfor relaxa on at the seaside orin the mountains, one can enjoyplaying tennis at some of the ten -nis courts or seaside strolls. Thereis plenty of fascina ng c ontent year-round including concerts, operas,theatre performances, fes vals.The awesome contrast of the seaand the mountains, lavish greenpark and clear blue sea, historical

charm of old buildings and mod-

ern comfort, raucous fairs andcalm holiday resorts – all of thisdraws numerous tourists to Opat-ija year-round.

˝The Old Lady˝, ˝The Pearl of the Adria c sea˝, ˝The Queenof Tourism˝ are just a few of themany names given to the town. Itsbeauty and charm leave no visitorindi erent, so numerous touristsreturn throughout their life to thetown which, as they say, makesthem feel extraordinary.

OpatijaQueen of tourism

P h o t o

b y E g o n H r e

l j a n o v i ć

P h o t o

b y P e t a r K ü r s c h n e r

P h o t o

b y P e t a r K ü r s c h n e r

CROATIAN TOWNS CROATIAN TOWNS




The 12th European shortcourse swimming champion-

ship was held in Rijeka from De-cember 11th to December 14th2008. The event that once againput Croa a at the top of theworld! Among 500 compe torsfrom 45 di erent countries theCroa an swimmers again provedan extraordinary quality by add-ing two gold medals, two bronzeones, one world and one Euro-pean record to Croa a’s treasuryof success.The new pool complex of Kantr-ida a racted many spor ng fans

that experienced a fantas cChampionships and a very goodorganisa on. Some 400 mediarepresenta ves made this eventto be properly followed.During four days of the Champion-ship Croa a was represented bythirty-one swimmer: Anja Trišić,Smiljana Marinović Lidija Franić,Sanja Jovanović, Monika Babok,Maja Pavlović, Ivana Pijanović,Matea Peteh, Željana Knežević,Adrijana Benčić te plivači Do-minik Straga, Marko Strahija,

Nikša Roki, Mario Todorović,Saša Imprić, Bruno Barbić, AnteCvitković, Mario Delač, GordanKožulj, Vanja Rogulj, Saša Gerbec,Ivan Tolić, Ivan Perhat, NikolaDelić, Igor Čerensek, Alexei Pu-ninski, Hrvoje Capan, Ivan Bilić,Duje Draganja, Erazmo Maršanićand Michael Kostešić.Four medals and the sixth placeon the best European na onsscale is the proof of a con nuoussuccess of Croa an swimmersin achieving top results at grandspor ng events.On the rst day, Duje Draganja

and his bronze medal in the50-metre freestyle announced afrui ul start for Croa a. Draganja

nished the race with a me of 21.15. The gold and silver medalswent to French swimmers Amau-ry Leveaux (20.63) and Freder-ick Bousquet (20.69). Draganja’smedal is the 24th Croa an medalat European short course champi -onships and the sixth bronze.The day a er, on Friday, the bestCroa an female swimmer SanjaJovanović won golden medal in

Rijeka European Championship.She swam 56.87 on 100m back-stroke. She beat Katerina Zub-kova from Ukraine and a famousLaure Manadou from France.This was not the end, as only 24hours later Sanja won gold on50m backstroke. She set up thenew world record of 26.23 sec -onds. Our swimming heroinewas proclaimed the most suc -cessful swimmer of the EuropeanChampionship by winning twogold medals on 50m backstroke,together with the new worldrecord, and the European recordon 100m backstroke.Yet another bronze medal in theend! On the last day of the com -pe on, on Sunday, Croa a’smen’s relay 4x50 meters med-ley team (Duje Draganja, Mario

TERRIFICSUCCESS OFCROATIAN

SWIMMERSIN RIJEKA

Todorović, Aleksej Puninski andBruno Barbić) won a bronze med-al closing grandiosely this 12thEuropean short course swim -ming championship in Rijeka.They nished the race in 1 minute23.68 seconds, and xed Croa anrecord swam in quali ca ons.

The French team (Bernard, Gilot,Leveaux and Bousquet) set a newworld record 1 minute 20.77 sec -onds, while Italy was the secondwith 1 minute 23.37 seconds.This Championship was markedby 17 world records, 14 Europeanrecords and 14 Croa an records.The rst ones to send messagesof congratula ons were the Presi -dent of the Republic of Croa aStjepan Mesić and Prime Ministerdr. sc. Ivo Sanader.

European short courseswimming championship,Rijeka (11-14 December)1. Russia2. France3. Italy4. The Netherlands5. Spain6. Croa a7. Slovenia8. Germany9. Denmark10. AustriaUkraine, Sweden, Serbia, GreatBritain, Finland, Hungary,Switzerland, Lithuania, Norway,Poland and Slovakia

SPORT NEWS FLASH SPORT NEWS FLASH




Documents

Croatia in Focus, br. 40, December 2008 / January 2009