Brief news bulletin no. 8022 pm kosor opens international investment forum in zagreb zagreb, Oct 10 (Hina) The government will continue to implement the policy that guarantees the stability of business and the security of and return on

Croatia has so far been among the best transition countries in attracting foreign direct investment. From 1993 until the end of the first quarter of 2011, foreign direct investments in Croatia amounted to over EUR 24 billion, two thirds of which came from old EU member states.

Incentive measures are offered to all investors, including a lower or no profit tax, several forms of non-repayable financial assistance to preserve and create jobs, Kosor said.

World Bank figures show that Croatia has moved up five positions when it comes to the ease of doing business and is ranked 84th among the 183 countries covered by the WB report. I believe next year we will move up another seven positions, the PM said.

Kosor expressed hope that the international investment fund, attended by numerous foreign and domestic investors and business people, would result in investment projects, some of which she discussed with investors prior to the conference.

I am more than satisfied with those talks, the decision to introduce the position of deputy prime minister in charge of investments has proved itself correct, she said.

Deputy prime minister in charge of investments Domagoj Ivan Milosevic said the purpose of the forum was to present the international investment community and Croatian business people with investment opportunities in Croatia, once the country enters the EU market of 500 million consumers.

The two day forum is organised by the Croatian government with the support of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the Croatian Employers' Association, the international investment bank Macquarie, with media sponsorship provided by the Financial Times and Bloomberg.

Croatian Chamber of Commerce president Nadan Vidosevic said Croatia, which is expected to join the European Union soon, can be a reliable partner to potential investors given its experience in doing business in the region.

INVESTMENT FORUM: CROATIA MUST SPECIALISE IN PARTICULAR AREAS AND OFFER TOP QUALITY

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - Croatia must specialise in particular areas, offer top quality, ensure fair conditions for all competitors and continue to suppress corruption and remove administrative obstacles to investment so to be able to make full use of its future membership of the European Union in attracting foreign investments, said the first panel discussion held as part of the international investment forum "Invest in Croatia 2011," which started in Zagreb on Monday.

The two-day investment forum is organised by the Croatian government with the support of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the Croatian Employers' Association, the international investment bank Macquarie, with media sponsorship provided by the Financial Times and Bloomberg.

Ferit Sahenk, the president and CEO of the Turkish Dogus Group, said that Croatia's admission to the European Union was important because it sets standards which raise the security of foreign investors.

Frank Stronach, the founder and honorary chairman of Magna International Inc, said Croatia as a small country must become specialised in particular areas because it cannot compete with big countries when it comes to serial production. He said special attention must be attached to the quality of education in small, specialised institutions of higher education.

He sees Croatia's chance in elite tourism and the production of high quality ecological agricultural products.

Sheikh Mohammed A. al-Thani of Qatar is also confident that tourism is an important sector for foreign investments. He said Croatia's tourism was still "a virgin territory" for foreign investors.

Asked to assess the anti-corruption campaign in Croatia and its results, David Fass of Macquarie Group Ltd, a leading Australian investment bank, said that the subject of corruption should not be raised too often in contacts with foreign investors.

Other participants in the event, including Croatian deputy prime minister in charge of investments Domagoj Milosevic, believe it is good to familiarise investors with anti-corruption activities.

Sheikh Mohammed A. al-Thani says that corruption could make Croatia less interesting to the investment community.

The investment forum will resume tomorrow with a speech by the president of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Nadan Vidosevic.

According to the Croatian National Bank (HNB), foreign direct investments in Croatia from 1993 to the end of the first quarter of 2011 amounted to HRK 24.3 billion. The biggest investors were Austrians (EUR 6.1 billion), followed by the Dutch (EUR 3.7 million), Germans (over 3 billion), Hungary (EUR 2.2 billion), etc.

IKEA TO BE OPENED IN CROATIA 12 MONTHS AFTER BUILDING PERMIT ISSUANCE

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - The exact date of the opening of the IKEA centre in Rugvica, east of Zagreb, is still not known as investors have not yet been issued a building permit, and as soon as the permit is issued, the construction of the centre will start and last 12 months, the regional director for this Swedish furniture chain in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Romania, Dragan Skalusevic, said in Zagreb on Monday.

Skalusevic, who was attending an international human resources management conference in the Croatian capital, said that IKEA was investing between 50 and 60 million euros in its store in Rugvica and planned to invest an additional EUR 200 million in an IKEA shopping centre.

The IKEA shop is to employ between 250 and 300 workers, while the shopping centre will provide jobs for approximately 2,000 people, he added.

ECONOMY MINISTER MEETS UNION REPRESENTATIVES AT SISAK STEEL MILL

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - Economy Minister Djuro Popijac and union representatives at CMC Sisak agreed on Monday to cooperate on all the next steps following the announcement by the US company CMC that it would close or sell the steel mill in Sisak, and they expect a new meeting with the management about CMC's intentions regarding the mill.

CMC announced on Friday it was leaving CMC Sisak, formerly Sisacka Zeljezara, either by selling or closing down the steel mill, which brings into question 1,130 jobs.

"We agreed to cooperate with the unions on all the next steps, because we want to make sure the jobs are saved, that production is maintained, and we will seek solutions with the current owner," Popijac said after a meeting.

He said CMC had still not directly stated what it intended to do, adding that this would become clear in the next couple of days, after a meeting with the management.

"The ministry and the government will certainly do everything to prevent any disruptions," said Popijac.

Asked to comment on media speculations that CMC's announcement had to do with its inability to contact the economy ministry, he said many talks were held with the company in Croatia to discuss problems and demands as well as help it with key energy partners - the HEP power company and the INA oil and gas company - adding that CMC should have no complaints about that.

Asked if it was possible to lower energy prices for CMC as a big consumer, Popijac said HEP leaders told him that the Sisak steel mill paid the lowest electricity price possible, adding that the gas price was reduced to 2.1 kuna per cubic metre.

The president of the metalworkers' union, Vedran Dragicevic, said the economy ministry could not allow 1,100 people to be laid off just like that and that Croatian laws did not allow it either.

He said the company's order book was full for the next eight weeks and that production would continue.

(EUR 1 = HRK 7.49)

Last month 33,107 people were removed from the unemployed records, 43.2% more than in the same month of the previous year.

Most of the job seekers, 16%, found work in the manufacturing industry, followed by education (15.7%), trade (11.7%), public administration and defence (10%), construction (7.8%), and agriculture, forestry and fisheries (7.4%).

In September, there were 31,429 newly-registered job seekers, of whom 19,383 had been laid off and 4,258 had finished school.

Unemployment benefits were used by 65,122 job seekers, or 23% of the jobless people.

JOSIPOVIC AND VUJANOVIC SAY CROATIAN-MONTENEGRIN RELATIONS VERY GOOD

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and his Montenegrin counterpart Filip Vujanovic said after an hour-long meeting in Zagreb on Monday that relations between the two countries were very good and could serve as a model to other countries in the region.

"Relations between Montenegro and Croatia are very good, I would say exemplary, considering what they were like in the 1990s," Josipovic said. Vujanovic concurred, saying that their relations were "an example that should be followed by the region."

"We must continue to encourage mutual cooperation and stability," Vujanovic said.

The Montenegrin president again congratulated Croatia on completing accession negotiations with the European Union, adding that its forthcoming entry would benefit his country and the region.

"It's a success not just for Croatia but also for the region and for Montenegro as its neighbour, because it is certain that Croatia will strongly promote Montenegro's strategic interests," Vujanovic said.

Josipovic confirmed that Zagreb would provide strong support to Montenegro in the EU and NATO integration processes.

"It is in our interest that Montenegro and all other countries in the region enter the EU," Josipovic said, expressing hope that at NATO's next summit in Chicago Podgorica would be extended an invitation to join the alliance.

Vujanovic and Josipovic commented on a meeting of the Igman Initiative which is due to take place in Belgrade on Friday. Vujanovic said that he expected the conference to have "positive effects".

"It will be an opportunity for us to encourage the formation of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to send out a message that Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro support a single Bosnia and Herzegovina and respect its three constituent peoples," Vujanovic said.

Josipovic said he saw the Belgrade meeting as an initiative for democratic development and that he did not expect talks on bilateral issues.

When asked about the currently strained relations between Croatia and Serbia, Josipovic said he expected the issue of jurisdiction and legal standards for war crimes prosecution to be resolved by an international treaty.

The two presidents also discussed closer economic ties and the status of the ethnic minorities in their respective countries.

On Tuesday, the second day of his official visit, Vujanovic is scheduled to meet Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.

Josipovic officially visited Montenegro in July 2010, when the two countries' heads of state agreed cooperation between Croatia and Montenegro was improving on all fronts.

Croatia and Montenegro established diplomatic relations with Montenegro in July 2006.

JOSIPOVIC SAYS RELATIONS IN REGION HAVE IMPROVED

PODGORICA, Oct 10 (Hina) - Montenegro has made significant progress internally and in its relations with its neighbours, Croatian President Ivo Josipovic has said in an interview with the Podgorica-based "Pobjeda" daily, which hit newsstands on Monday.

"Montenegro resolutely put the past behind itself," the Croatian president said, adding that "the country's ambitious home policy, openness to investments, introduction of the euro as the national currency and an unequivocal wish to live in peace and cooperation with its neighbours are great recommendations for the opening of negotiations" with the European Union.

Josipovic said that relations between Croatia and Montenegro were very good and that the existing outstanding issues did not significantly affect the bilateral relations.

"Of course, there are the 'loose ends' of the war but they no longer dominate our relations," the Croatian president said.

"Certainly in border areas and in Dubrovnik there is particular sensitivity to the war times. However, people in those areas also understand that the prospects of our relations lie in peace and cooperation, joint projects and mutual understanding. I do not doubt that cooperation will be strengthened and joint infrastructure projects are possible and desirable," he said.

With regard to the region, the president said that he did not believe that new destabilisation of the Balkans was possible and he ruled out any war in the region. However "a wise and responsible policy must always be cautious and tirelessly build bridges of friendship," he added.

He said that the regional relations had improved over the recent years regardless of "occasional sparks and escalations".

EU, NOT US, EXERTED PRESSURE OVER BORDER ARBITRATION DEAL, SAYS US AMBASSADOR

LJUBLJANA, Oct 10 (Hina) - US Ambassador in Ljubljana Joseph A. Mussomeli has said the role of the US during the signing of a border arbitration agreement between Croatia and Slovenia two years ago was not to exert pressure on either side, but diplomatic mediation so that a solution could be found, adding that the European Union was especially interested in that.

Slovenia and Croatia asked us to help them find the common ground, which we did to the extent we were asked, Mussomeli was quoted by the Slovenian weekly Reporter as saying in an issue that hit newsstands on Monday.

I think tougher pressure on Slovenia came from your European allies, as they did not want Slovenia to halt Croatia in drawing closer to the EU. But there were no threats, Mussomeli added.

He was commenting on a widespread belief in Slovenia that the Borut Pahor Cabinet succumbed to US pressure when it agreed to unblock Croatia's EU accession negotiations through the border arbitration deal.

Mussomeli also said the US role did not go beyond the framework of political mediation and that the EU was interested in the Croatian-Slovenian border dispute being solved so that Croatia's entry talks could resume.

BEBIC COMMENTS ON BILL TO INVALIDATE LEGAL ACTS OF FORMER YUGOSLAVIA AND SERBIA

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - The Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Luka Bebic, said on Monday, in a comment on the government-sponsored bill to declare the legal acts of the former Yugoslavia and Serbia relating to the 1991-1995 Homeland War null and void, that every country had a right to prosecute crimes committed on its own territory, but that in this specific case Croatia "should keep a sense of proportion".

"I'm not in favour of quarrelling and tensions, but we must protect the dignity of our people, our state and our legal, political and constitutional system," Bebic told reporters after a ceremony marking Archive Day in Zagreb.

Bebic said he had not attended a parliamentary debate on the bill because he had been in Dubrovnik as host of a session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

"I don't know details, but the proposed declaration, which I haven't read either, calls for cooperation," Bebic said. "I always support cooperation, but I'm against people from the outside judging who did what in Croatia. Crimes were also committed at the Stajicevo camp (in Serbia), so they should prosecute them," he added.

"Who says that Brussels is against the bill?" Kosor said in a prime-time news programme of the commercial television network Nova TV when asked by the programme's host whether she would withdraw the bill from Parliament should Brussels continue to insist on it.

Kosor said that the Commission's letter contained several questions to which the government has responded. "I believe our colleagues in Brussels will be very pleased," she added.

"Today I spoke to Mr Ambassador about the protection of Croatian national interests, the fact that we adopted resolutions on independence back in 1991 and that the documents which are cited in the indictments from Serbia are not binding on us," Kosor said. "What we are seeing is that Croatian veterans are again being humiliated and that Croatia's stability is being undermined."

Kosor reiterated that President Ivo Josipovic and the opposition thought that the bill was bad and unnecessary, but that they had no answer as to how to stop the prosecution of Croatian war veterans in 2011.

"It is interesting that neither the President nor the opposition criticise the Serbian law of 2003, which was amended in 2010 to expand Serbia's jurisdiction to include Croatia, but think that the bill proposed by the Croatian government is bad. The opposition think it is bad, but they have no solution," Kosor said.

"The present mechanisms are certainly not enough. We have two agreements by the two prosecutors' offices and the two ministries, but they have not produced a desired result," Kosor said when asked why the government had responded by proposing a bill only after an indictment had been issued against Vladimir Seks, the deputy speaker of Parliament and senior official of the ruling HDZ party. She said that the government had invested a lot of effort before, citing the case of veteran Tihomir Purda.

PM KOSOR ADDRESSES ELECTION ISSUES IN INTERVIEW WITH NOVA TV

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - In an interview with the Nova TV commercial television, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Monday evening the government would do everything that it could do at this moment for Djakovstina workers, announcing the arrival of Economy Minister Petar Cobankovic to Djakovo.

"I understand the difficult position and the situation of the Djakovstina workers, but the fact is that the government is doing what it can at this moment. Minister Cobankovic will most definitely visit Djakovo again and in the meantime he is searching for a solution which is not simple," Kosor said, adding that she would discuss this important issue with Cobankovic already on Monday evening.

Asked about the the elections, which constituency she would run in

and if she was afraid to run again Zoran Milanovic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Constituency No. 1, Kosor said: "Do I look like I'm afraid?", adding that nobody in her Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) knew yet which constituency they would run in. "I think that in this moment, this is irrelevant. We are at the helm of the government and we have a job to do until the parliament is dissolved, but also as a technical

government, until the election," Kosor said.

Asked if the HDZ had crossed the line of good taste in the election campaign with statements by deputy Josip Djakic, Kosor said she wanted the campaign to be at the level of mutual respect.

At an HDZ rally in Osijek last week, Djakic said that seeing the names of the Opposition leaders, he thought that a Serbian rather than a Croatian government was being formed.

"He could have gone without saying that and I am not happy about it. But I am also not happy about daily insults against the HDZ and me personally," Kosor said.

Asked if she was prepared to answer election questions on TV together with Opposition leader Zoran Milanovic, Kosor said. "Always, if the election regulations will allow it."

Asked if her HDZ still claims that President Ivo Josipovic is the leader of the opposition, Kosor said President Josipovic often spoke in a way which could be interpreted very clearly that he is rooting for the opposition in the coming elections.

Asked why the HDZ in the election campaign insisted on topics such as "Yugosphere" and "Red Croatia" and if that was Croatia's biggest problem, Kosor answered in the negative. "However, the problems is

that some people do not wish to forget the past and everything that had happened in Croatia, this is why we have different opinions on the government-sponsored bill to invalidate the legal acts of the former Yugoslavia and Serbia relating to the 1991-1995 Homeland War."

Speaking about corruption, Kosor said the HDZ is entirely open for the fight against corruption, adding that opposition parties gathered in a coalition with the SDP were not.

HDZ APPOINTS PARTY CO-ORDINATORS FOR CONSTITUENCIES

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - The presidency of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) appointed the party's co-ordinators for ten constituencies ahead of the parliamentary election, at a session chaired by HDZ president Jadranka Kosor in Zagreb on Monday.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 1, covering northwestern parts of Zagreb County and parts of the City of Zagreb, is Gordan Jandrokovic.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 2, covering eastern parts of Zagreb County and of the City of Zagreb as well as Koprivnica and Bjelovar counties, is Djuro Popijac.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 3, covering Krapina, Varazdin and Medjimurje counties, is Tomislav Karamarko.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 4, covering Virovitica and Osijek counties, is Vladimir Seks.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 5, covering Pozega, Slavonski Brod and Vukovar counties, is Petar Cobankovic.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 6, covering southeastern parts of Zagreb County and of the City of Zagreb plus Sisak County, is Ivan Suker.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 7, covering southwestern parts of Zagreb County and of the City of Zagreb plus Karlovac County and parts of Rijeka County, is Martina Dalic.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 8, covering Istria County and parts of Rijeka County, is Davor Bozinovic.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 9, covering Lika-Senj and Sibenik Counties plus parts of Split-Dalmatia County, is Bozidar Kalmeta.

The co-ordinator for Constituency No. 10, covering parts of Split County and Dubrovnik County, is Branko Bacic.

The decisions on their appointment were made unanimously.

According to a press release, the HDZ presidency also discussed current political issues and the party's activities.

USKOK PROBING HOW SANADER'S DEPOSITION WAS LEAKED TO NEWSPAPER

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - The Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) is investigating how a deposition given by former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader during his first interview with the USKOK deputy chairwoman was leaked to the media and whether the Vecernji List daily and its journalist committed the crime of publication of an official secret by releasing details of Sanader's deposition.

After the Zagreb-based daily published parts of Sanader's deposition in its issues of 9 and 10 October, USKOK on Monday launched an investigation to find out who disclosed the information from that file, USKOK said on its web site on Monday afternoon, giving only the initials of Ivo Sanader, who is suspected of fraud in several cases.

The articles in Vecernji List show that its reporter could obtain that information only by viewing the DVD on which the suspect's deposition was recorded, the agency said.

It was established that apart from USKOK and the suspect's defence team, copies of the DVD were also available to the defence teams of others suspects in the case in question.

USKOK emphasised in its statement that it was tendentious to claim that the copies were provided from USKOK to unauthorised people.

"The purpose of those claims is to shift attention from possible offenders and to discredit the work of the State Attorney's Office in order to create an impression that such 'information is leaking from USKOK'," the agency said.

USKOK said it had warned responsible people at Vecernji List several times about the ban on the publication of information from prosecution in cases under USKOK jurisdiction, if the publication is not allowed by the USKOK chairman, as it was in contravention of the Penal Code.

Since the warnings were in vain, USKOK launched the investigation to establish whether the daily had committed the crime of publication of an official secret.

He recalled the beginnings of the Customs Administration in the early 1990s war years, the application of a uniform customs declaration 12 years ago, and the successful completion of negotiations on customs with the European Union in October 2009, when Croatian customs regulations were completely aligned with those in Europe.

Covic said the criminal activities of individuals in the Customs Administration, regardless of their rank, could not be linked to the entire customs system. He added that 60 disciplinary proceedings were under way and that 56 employees have been suspended.

Addressing the same news conference, World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretary-General Kunio Mikuriya commended Croatia's Customs Administration for its development in difficult conditions and its progress to world standards in recent years.

Croatia's Customs Administration has responded well to the challenges of globalisation and openness of world economies and it helps international trade, protects citizens' health and safety, and impacts Croatia's competitiveness, said Mikuriya.

Croatia's Customs Administration is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It employs 3,138 people and the public revenue it collects accounts for 34.3 per cent of all budget revenues. It joined the WCO in 1993.

On 31 August 2011, the number of foreigners from the 27-strong EU bloc and EFTA member states living in Switzerland came to 1.29 million, which was by 4 per cent up on the year.

Members in the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) are Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway plus Switzerland.

At the end of August, there were 1.751 million foreign nationals in Switzerland, making up 22.3 per cent of the country's total population.

The biggest influx of immigrants was from Kosovo (17,864) and they were followed by 14,395 citizens of Germany.

There are as many as 289,555 Italians and 272,906 Germans living in Switzerland.

They are followed by the 220,446-strong Portuguese community and there are 105,737 Serbs living in Switzerland. The French community has 97,288 members.

SLOVENIA EXPECTS EU RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

LJUBLJANA, Oct 10 (Hina) - Slovenian Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar said on Monday he believed the European Commission would recommend on Wednesday that Serbia be given the status of a candidate for EU membership and that it would propose a date for the start of accession negotiations with Montenegro.

Zbogar made the statement in an interview with Slovenian news agency STA in Luxembourg where he was attending a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Serbia deserves membership candidate status because it has met the requirements concerning its cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal by handing over Bosnian Serb wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic and military commander Ratko Mladic, and it would encourage it to implement reforms and deal with unresolved issues despite tensions in Kosovo, Zbogar said.

EU CALLS ON BOSNIAN LEADERS TO URGENTLY FORM STATE GOVERNMENT

LUXEMBOURG, Oct 10 (Hina) - European Union member-states' foreign ministers have urged the political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to immediately form a state government.

"The Council called on the political leadership of Bosnia and Herzegovina to form, through an inclusive process, a state level government as a matter of urgency and to address the outstanding urgent and necessary reforms to achieve qualitative steps forward on its path towards the EU. It noted the talks of the political leaders and encouraged their rapid translation into concrete results," the council of foreign ministers said after their meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.

Bosnia still has a caretaker government given that major political parties have not yet managed to agree on the allocation of ministerial posts although one year has passed since the 3 October 2010 general elections.

"Recalling its Conclusions of 21 March, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen its support to Bosnia and Herzegovina," the EU foreign ministers' council said in its conclusions today.

"In this context it welcomed the arrival of Peter Sorensen as EU Special Representative and Head of Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and welcomed him taking the lead in supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina in EU related matters. It looked forward to the implementation of all the elements of the EU policy. The Council expressed its gratitude to the High Representative Valentin Inzko for his work and efforts undertaken during his time as EU Special Representative," the council said.

"As regards the EU overall strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council looked forward to the discussion with the international community on the reconfiguration of the international presence, including its downsizing and possible relocation of the OHR, in the appropriate forum," the statement reads.

Abu Hamza, who has a long criminal record, is also banned from returning to Bosnia in the next five years, the Bosnian foreigners affairs service reported today.

In Bosnia, Bin Ali served a seven-year-term for the murder of another Arab in the country. He was additionally sentenced to three years and ten months in prison for robbery, fighting and threats.

After serving his prison term in the penitentiary in Zenica, he was transferred to the immigration centre near Sarajevo where he waited for the deportation.

Bosnia's security agencies believe that Abu Hamza is connected with terrorist organisations.

He fled Tunisia before he was due to serve a prison sentence of 12 years.

Saljic told the press that the Scheveningen detention unit administration said Mladic had been transferred to a hospital, without revealing which one.

The ICTY neither confirmed nor denied this information.

Former Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladic is charged with genocide in Srebrenica, siege of Sarajevo and persecution of civilians. He was arrested in Serbia in May, nearly 16 years after he was first indicted by the U.N. court.

The fifth edition of the annual Croatian-French administrative law days began in the Adriatic city of Split on Monday with the main topic being the administrative judiciary facing European challenges. Addressing the event, Justice Minister Drazen Bosnjakovic said that a new system of administrative courts in Croatia would become effective as of 1 January 2012. "Croatia has conducted a large-scale reform of its administrative courts and as of 1 January 2012 we will have two-instance administrative courts," Minister Bosnjakovic said. Four first-instance administrative courts will be set up in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek. Jean Marc Cassam Chenai of the French Embassy in Zagreb said that the event in Split had become traditional. The event was organised by the University of Split, Paris II University, the French state council and the Split-based centre for European documentation and research "Robert Schuman".

Human resources management is becoming more and more important as a strategic management whose quality and well-functioning for companies is equally, if not more important than other segments of business processes given the globalisation, new technologies and fluctuation of labour. This was said at a region human resources conference, the 10th Arena 2011, which is being held in Zagreb on Monday. The event, organised by the Infoarena company, gathered some 250 participants from Croatia and the region. The conference was addressed by by the director of the German consulting company A.T. Kearney, Melanie Seier Larsen, a former HR director of Fiat Serbia and president of the Serbian HR Association, Nebojsa Rako, HR director in the Croatian Post Mario Bebic, etc.

Someone broke into the Croatian Labour Party's election headquarters in Zagreb over the weekend, stealing 1,500 kuna (approx. 200 euros), the party said on Monday. Police confirmed the offices were broken into between October 8 and 10 and that the damage was being established. The party said the motives were being established but that "fortunately, the strategic documents regarding the election campaign are elsewhere."

The film "Just Between Us" by Croatian director Rajko Grlic has won the Best International Feature award at the Raindance Film Festival in London, the Croatian Audovisual (HAVC) centre reported on Monday. "British Indie Stranger Things (Best UK Feature), Croatian/Serbian/Slovenian co-production Just Between Us (Best International Feature), Bulgaria's Tilt (Best Debut Feature) and Italian short Reset (Film of the Festival) were among the winners at this year's Raindance Film Festival Awards. The prestigious jury, which included actor Dexter Fletcher, director Gillies Mackinnon, and TV/radio presenter Alex Zane, selected winners in the eight awards categories," according to a statement issued on the festival's web site. The 19th Raindance Film Festival, which started on 28 September and closed on 9 October, brought 94 UK feature film premieres and 137 shorts to London, cementing Raindance's position as Europe's leading independent film festival, the statement said.

Oryx Group launched a taxi service in Zagreb on Monday with 120 new cabs, and the group's owner, Pavo Zubak, said at a press conference that they had opened 300 new jobs. Zubak said that his company occupied the middle ground in terms of pricing, and that apart from cash payment, customers would also be able to pay with special Oryx Taxi vouchers and cards that would enable savings of 12 per cent on average. The start fare is 14 kuna (1.86 euros) and 5.8 kuna (0.77 euros) is charged for each kilometre covered. There will be no additional charge for night rides or for rides on Sundays and holidays.

After three consecutive trading days of rise, the Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE) indices fell on Monday -- the Crobex by 0.86% to 1,806.60 points and the specialised Crobex10 by 1.36% to 990.05 points. The regular turnover was HRK 27.4 million and more than half of it was generated by the agribusiness Belje. Belje turned over HRK 14.2 million, closing at HRK 113.94 per share, up 26.60%. Only two other stocks turned over more than a million kuna. The telecommunications company HT turned over HRK 4.2 million, with a price decline of 1.31% to HRK 240.01, while the shipping company Atlantska Plovidba ended the day at HRK 392.02 per share, down 5.28%, with a turnover of HRK 1.6 million.