Croatia’s parliament ratified the Kyoto Protocol, which commits nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ‘Croatia Today’ reports.

The former Yugoslav country that hopes to join mainstream Europe in 2009 signed the Kyoto treaty in 1999, but held off ratification until getting approval for a higher limit of annual carbon dioxide emissions.

Without the higher limit, “our economic progress would be slowed down significantly”, a state secretary in the Environmental Ministry, Nikola Ruzinskisaid said. Instead of 31.12 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, the limit for Croatia – as a transitional country whose economy is still recovering after the war in the 1990’s – was set at 34.62 million tonnes. Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, 35 nations and the European Community pledged to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to global warming to 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

Ruzinski said Croatia is expected to become a European Union member by 2012 – and it would therefore join the EU plan, approved in February, to trim gas emissions by at least 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. Some parliament deputies warned, however, that despite its pledges, Croatia has failed to develop the production of bio-fuel despite being a largely agricultural country and therefore having the prerequisites for doing so.

Among the industrialised nations, only Australia and the United States which is responsible for about one quarter of the world’s greenhouse emissions have not ratified the Kyoto treaty. Washington claims it would hurt its industries.

The Croatian National Bank (HNB) and the Central Bank of Ireland have issued a silver coin with a motif by Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the work which Mestrovic gave as a gift to the Free Republic of Ireland and which has been on the official seal of Ireland's central bank since 1965. The Croatian edition of the coin, presented in Zagreb today, is made of silver in a KN150 denomination, while the Irish edition, launched simultaneously in Dublin, is of a EUR15 denomination.

HNB Governor Zeljko Rohatinski said that this was one of the rare examples of commemorative coins issued jointly by the central banks of two or more countries and the first such case in Croatia.

Rohatinski pointed to the symbolic of the joint commemorative money issue of an EU member country and a country aspiring to become one. Croatia's integration with the EU means not only adopting EU standards, adjusting legislation and consolidating institutions, but enabling the economy to cooperate and make money, rather than borrow it, he said.

A member of the Council of the Central Bank of Ireland and honorary consul to Croatia, Gerry Danaher, said that the coins would be a lasting symbol of constantly growing links between the two countries, which was reflected in Ireland's enthusiastic support for Croatia's EU membership. Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec said that Ireland had always been a model to Croatia in terms of how to organise the economy, use foreign investments, achieve market openness, educate workforce, reform public administration, etc.

Mestrovic made his work "Girl with the Harp" in 1927 at the proposal of Irish poet William Butler Yeats as a model for the first coins of the Free Republic of Ireland.

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline (6th Feb) announced 16 new routes across Europe and its 19th base in Dusseldorf today. This expansion brings Europe’s lowest fares to four new airports, Alicante (Spain), Maastricht (Netherlands), Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and Zadar (Croatia). Ryanair now operates 454 low fare routes from 130 airports across Europe.

Announcing today’s expansion, Ryanair’s Peter Sherrard said;

“In the next year, 50M passengers will save over €5bn with Ryanair’s lowest fares and no fuel surcharge guarantee. Today’s expansion will drive down prices to 4 exciting new destinations, Alicante, Maastricht, Palma and Zadar and sees the launch of our 19th European base in Dusseldorf Weeze.

For more details visit www.ryanair.com.

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader insisted that Croatia deserved to become a full member of the European Union by the end of the decade, 'Croatia Today' reports.
Speaking on the 10th anniversary of the Balkan country's accession into the Council of Europe and a year after officially opening entry negotiations with the EU, Sanader said Croatia should not be left out in the cold after Romania and Bulgaria join the bloc in January 2007.

"We cannot accept hopelessness, depression and pessimism, while the future should not only be a dream, but a tangible possibility," Sanader said. Sanader was responding to recent signals from Brussels that the EU would close the door to new applicants until after 2014.

Last week, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said there should be no more EU enlargement before the 25-member bloc first resolves institutional problems preventing it from taking on new members. The EU must also resolve the future of its stalled constitution, which was voted down in referendums in France and the Netherlands last year, he said.

Also knocking on the EU's doors are Croatia's ex-Yugoslav neighbours, former Soviet republics such as Ukraine, and mostly Muslim Turkey. Premier Sanader said that Croatia's bid should be fast-tracked because its transition process was more difficult than other developing countries as it was beset by a devastating war.

He added that his government was prepared to boost its efforts to become ready for entry by 2008.

The Croatian government today initiated one of the most ambitious projects aimed at making business easier, with the reduction of a series of unnecessary laws, regulations, decrees and regulatory books – titled the Regulatory Guillotine, 'Croatia Today' reports.

A special taskforce HITROREZ was established for this purpose with a goal to shuffle through all existing laws in Croatia in the next 10 months and to pinpoint those which are unnecessary and not in accordance with modern standards, and which need to be simplified, thus making them transparent, understandable and simple. This also means that Croatia will cut as much as 40% of existing laws and decrees. The main initiator of this idea is USAID, while this project would also involve US consultancy Jacobs and Associates.

To acquire real estate in Croatia, foreign buyers will no longer need permission from the ministry of foreign affairs – only from the ministry of justice – said the Croatian parliament today. Up to now, the ministry of foreign affairs has been receiving the applications, and has then forwarded them on to the ministry of justice, who in turn gave it's opinion on the application to the ministry of foreign affairs, who then processed the application – making it a very long-winded process.

Croatia has never discriminated against citizens of any country, and concerning the matters of real estate acquisition, it has always proceeded on the basis of reciprocity, pointed out Mrs. Grabar-Kitarevic. According to her, at the moment there are approximately 4000 unsolved requests lodged by foreigners, for acquisition of ownership of property in Croatia. This new move should help to alleviate some of the backlog.

Croatia will join the European Union by 2009 but adoption of the euro will likely lag behind that by several years, its president predicted in an interview on Saturday. "I think we will manage to meet this goal of ours of joining the EU by 2009," Croatian President Stjepan Mesic told media during a three-day visit to San Francisco, reports Croatia Today. "And by that time I feel that we will also have joined NATO." "We shall accelerate this reform process going on in Croatia and also this process of adopting European standards. This is in our interest." Addressing the media, the president was a little less certain when asked about adopting the currency of the European Union.

"Most probably we will not introduce the euro at that point (2009) but this is also an issue of time. It is possible but not essential," Mesic said. "This could happen either by the time we join the EU or by 2012; I don't think there will be a point of retaining our currency after 2012, so that we can facilitate trade."

"We in the transition process are tired of the transition process, and we wish to solve this problem by accelerating the integration."

EasyJet, Europe’s leading low-fares airline, today announced the introduction of 10 more routes for this summer, including the addition of five new cities.

Following last week’s announcement of flights to Rijeka in Croatia, EasyJet today announces the start of services to Split, Croatia’s second largest city, from London Gatwick. Bristol is also connected with Rijeka.

Andrew Harrison, EasyJet Chief Executive, said:

“This is a significant announcement from EasyJet. As well as adding a further Croatian city to the network we are delighted to be growing even further at our Bristol base, from where we will carry almost three million passengers in the coming year.”

London Gatwick to Split (Croatia) from 2nd of May, 4 times weekly (Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat) £25.99 / €30.99

Visit www.easyjet.com for more information.