Findings of research on young people in Croatia show a decreasing acceptance for constitutional values, no trust in social institutions and a loss of interest for politics, leading to inadequate political socialization of young citizens and their low democratic potential. An additional cause for alarm in this respect is the latest refusal to introduce mandatory…
Month: November 2014
Committee okays all proposed changes to electoral law
The parliamentary Committee on the Constitution endorsed in the first reading on Thursday all five proposed amendments to the Election of Members of the Croatian Parliament Act, and Committee Chairman Pedja Grbin said that before the second reading the Committee aimed to find solutions that would be acceptable to all. All the proposed amendments provide…
Constitutional Court to be asked to decide on required number of referendum signatures
The parliamentary Committee on the Constitution unanimously decided on Thursday to propose to Parliament that it formally request an interpretation from the Constitutional Court whether the civil society initiative “In the Name of the Family” gathered enough signatures for a referendum to amend the section of the Constitution relating to parliamentary elections. The initiative has…
Amending the constitution – the precondition for the HDZ to support any change to electoral rules
The Croatian parliament will start a new session on Wednesday next week and already on Thursday it will start a debate on proposals for changing electoral rules that were submitted to the Parliament Presidency by November 3, Speaker Josip Leko said after a session of the Parliament Presidency on Tuesday. The parliament speaker said that…
Public administration reform (still) stuck in the middle
Without an efficient public administration, there is no such thing as a fair democratic society or a sustainable economy; it is the best strategic investment in existence. However, administrative reform requires expert preparation, social dialogue and political consensus – these were the messages sent out in an open letter to the Government, Croatian Parliament and…
How to avoid corruption and clientelism in governing public goods?
Although water is a common good, water services in Croatia are governed authoritatively and hierarchically, with the debate on a new model of governance still limited to „a choice“ between two supposed alternatives: either privatization, or status quo in terms of an ineffective, corruptive and clientelistic mode of resource governance. Instead, the reform of governing…