Full Coverage: Croatia

28.04.2006 The Croatian Law on Copyright and Associated Rights was adopted in 2003, and is harmonized with the majority of international treaties in that area, as well as with EU directions and recommendations. This was confirmed through the screening of legislation in the area of intellectual property rights and copyrights, conducted under the auspices of negotiations on Croatian membership in the EU, in February of this year. The only objection on this Law refers primarily to the inefficient implementation.

27.04.2006 Zelena Istra warned yesterday that the General Urban Plan for Istria Districts includes plans for construction of no less than 23 golf courses, which are used as an excuse for further urbanization and “apartment-ization” of undeveloped sections of nature and coastal land.

26.04.2006 Zelena akcija, Zagreb-based environmental NGO, organizes an action today, at the Ban Josip Jelacic Square in Zagreb, to mark the 20th Anniversary of Chernobyl Disaster.

19.04.2006 According to Transparency International Croatia, the property cards submitted by the Croatian state officials will be published on internet later this week. The information was confirmed by Josip Leko, Chairperson of the State Commission on Conflict of Interest.

13.04.2006 Phillip Morris Co. from Zagreb announced yesterday the start of the implementation of its campaign to restrict accessibility of cigarettes to minors, under the name “No to Youngher than 18!” The Croatian Ministry of Health today announced a ban of the campaign.

12.04.2006 Organized by the European Commission and Austria, the current Presiding Country of the EU, the “Co-Existence of Genetically Modified, Conventional and Organic Crops – Freedom of Choice” conference was held in Vienna, April 4-6, 2006. Professor Marijana Petir reports and comments on the Conference on behalf of Kneja.

12.04.2006 The Queer Zagreb Festival, to be held April 25-29, will bring to Zagreb some of the most prominent and important names of European and global dance and theatre scene. The Festival will be opened by Raimund Hoghe, the long-terms dramatist of the famed Pine Bausch, with the performance of his Swan Lake, 4 acts Project.

11.04.2006 Croatian Youth Network (CYN) is an alliance of 39 non-governmental organisations of youth and for youth in Republic of Croatia which acts as the national umbrella youth organisation (National Youth Council). CYN is a non-governmental, not-for-profit and non-partisan association founded in december 2002. CYN advocates and promotes the interests and positions of young people on the principles of tolerance, understanding and respect for their rights and needs. CYN as a national umbrella youth organisation consists of 39 youth organisations and organisations working for the youth which became members of the network on voluntary basis. Five of these organisations are active on national level, while 34 of them are local assotiations working in 12 Croatian regions.

10.04.2006 “Citizens Have the Right to Know” NGO coalition that emerged from the 2003 campaign to adopt the Law on Free Access to Information, sent last Friday an open letter to the Parliamentary Clubs in the Croatian Sabor, demanding from the MPs to renounce the Draft-Law on Confidentiality of Information.

08.04.2006 Last week, the Government of Croatia presented the Draft-Law on Confidentiality of Information, and the Sabor (Croatian Parliament) voted in the National Programme for Prevention of Corruption 2006-2008. The two documents, although on first sight unrelated, present serious contradictions, both between themselves and with other Government’s policies.

07.04.2006 The European Youth Forum published a report on the situation in the youth sector in Croatia in its “E-Youth Opinion” Newsletter. The report is based on the visit by the EYF delegation to Croatia, in early March 2006, on invitation by the Croatian Youth Network.

06.04.2006 The High Working Group charged with the expansion of TEN-T (Transeuropean Transport Network) published a report in Decembre 2005, in which it identified a total of 78 priority transportation projects with a total value of 45 billion EUR. Zelena Akcija Croatian environmental organization representatives were part of the CEE Bankwatch international NGO network delegation that visited Brussels to take part in the consultations on the EU plans for expansion of TEN-T.

06.04.2006 The Student Centre of the Zagreb University will host, May 19-21, 2006, the first FemFest international feminist festival in Croatia. A symposia planned to take place on May 19-20, will be a big part of the Festival.