Full Coverage: Croatia

30.11.2005 Between November 22 and 24, a shipment of six truckloads of corn returned to Croatia, originally exported to Hungary, to a known buyer, by Agragold Company from Zagreb. The Hungarians returned the corn accompanied with a report by a Budapest laboratory which states that the shipment contained genetically modified corn, report Osijek Greens.

29.11.2005 The Eko Kvarner environmental association confirmed yesterday, on basis of information received from international institutions and Russian NGOs, that the Russian oil companies have given up on the opening of new oil transport line, through the Adriatic, implemented in the Druzba Adria Project.

28.11.2005 The Matija Gubec civic initative for resistance to the space for political discretion, came out with public reaction on the ruling adopted by the Constitutional Court to abolish the Law on Changes and Amendments to the Law on Public Gathering.

26.11.2005 The “No Shame” action organized yesterday in Zagreb by the Autonomous Women’s House Zagreb, B.a.B.e. women human rights group, and the ROSA Centre for women victims of War>, and with participation by the Zenska Soba (Women Room) organization, marked the International Day of Fight against Violence against Women. The topic of the action was the violence against women and the legal and judicial treatment of the criminal offence of rape.

25.11.2005 The National Foundation for Civil Society Development and the International Relations Institute, in cooperation with the UNDP Croatia, organized yesterday, November 24, a round table discussion in Zagreb, on the topic Civil Society and the State - Partners in the Negotiations on EU Accession?

23.11.2005 The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia annulled earlier today the changes in the Law on Public Gathering which banned, some four months ago, all public gatherings within 100 metres from the buildings of the Croatian Sabor, the Presidential Offices, the Government of Croatia and the Constitutional court.

22.11.2005 Vesna Skare Ozbolt, Minister of Justice in the Croatian Government, announced last Sunday, November 20, that she will propose changes in the Criminal Code, which will erase slander and libel as criminal offence in all cases of public expression, including journalism, works of fiction, scientific works and other activities.

21.11.2005 Under the auspices of the Zagreb Culture Capital of Europe 3000 (ZCCE3000), and the series of public debates on “What kind of Cultural Institutions do we need?”, the model of the Centre for Independent Culture and Youth was presented on Friday, November 18 in Zagreb.

18.11.2005 Zagreb and Budapest – 18 November 2005. Croatian legislation addressing the needs of people with intellectual disabilities (people whose learning ability is significant lower than average) is not in line with international standards. This is a finding of the monitoring report Rights of people with intellectual disabilities: access to education and employment in Croatia, released today. The report was produced by the Open Society Institute, in cooperation with the Croatian Association for the Promotion of Inclusion.

18.11.2005 On Tuesday, November 15, Croatia completed the second phase of screening of in-depth harmonization of Croatian and European legislation, on the chapter of Science and Research. According to plans, the European Commission should prepare, over the next two months, a report with recommendations to open negotiations on the Chapter.

17.11.2005 The Centre for Peace Studies will send a questionnaire to 150 Croatian employers, to inquire about their views and approaches to minority and “vulnerable” groups in their respective employment policies.

11.11.2005 Dragan Primorac, Croatian Minister of Science, Education and Sports, signed the Decree to allocate additional funds of 26.4 Million Kuna to Croatian Universities. The additional funds will cover the costs created by the increased number of students enrolled for 2005/06 Academic Year.

10.11.2005 The Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) expressed its concern over the latest developments and events regarding the selection of site to build new church in Zagreb quarters of Travno.

09.11.2005 Zelena Akcija environmental organizations supports the campaign implemented by “Travno – My Neighbourhood” association, which aims to move the construction site of the future church from the central park in Travno to the location in Vatikanska Street, some 100 metres awar from the planned site.

09.11.2005 On the occasion of November 9, the International Day of Fight against Fascism and Anti-Semitism, the activists of the Karlovac Human Rights Committee and the Union of Antifascist Fighters and Antifascists (UAFA) of Karlovac County, painted over several graffiti in Karlovac they consider expressions of hate-speech carrying nationalist messages.

07.11.2005 The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports presented the experimental curriculum for school year 2005/2006. The experimental plan is based on the basic instructions provided by the Ministry, and shall be implemented in 49 elementary schools in the Republic of Croatia.

03.11.2005 On October 27, the GONG signed the Charter of the Civil Society Forum thus becoming a member, together with the earlier signatories: B.a.B.e., Women Studies Centre, CESI, Partenrship for Social Development, Serb Democratic Forum and Zelena Akcija.

03.11.2005 The Coalition for Promotion and Protection of Human Rights organized round-table discussions on the draft-Law on Free-of-Charge Legal Assistance in Split and Osijek, back in September of this year. The meetings were sponsored by the Swedish Helsinki Committee, and gathered NGO representatives from Dalmatia and Osijek-Baranja regions, respectively.

02.11.2005 The building of the former military base Svetice in Sisan (Istria) is the site of the certified course on permaculture, organized by the Balkan Ecovillages Network. The course, which will end on November 4, was designed to educate its members in the skills that will enable them to organize similar seminars and courses in Croatia, with the goal to promote the idea of sustainable development through permaculture.

02.11.2005 Professor Marijan Jost says it clearly in the interview he gave to ALERT: EU is a big importer and consumer of organic food – therefore, there is no place for GM seeds in Croatia!