The official campaign in the run-up to the first round of the elections will take a fortnight.
Presidential hopefuls can collect signatures of voters for their candidacies from 22 November until midnight of 3 December, and the minimum number required is 10,000 signatures. The State Electoral Commission has a 48-hour deadline as of 3 December to announce the official list of eligible candidates.
The official campaigning starts with the publication of that list and ends at the midnight 20 December. A ban on electioneering is imposed on the day before election day and until the closure of polling stations.
The second round of the elections is envisaged for 5 January.
In the event that not one of the presidential candidates wins more than 50% of the votes on 22 December, the two first candidates will compete in the run-off vote in two weeks' time.
National plan for archive activities from 2020-2025 endorsed
The government on Thursday adopted a national plan for archival activities from 2020 to 2025 with the aim of providing preconditions for the successful performance of those activities.
The adoption of national plans is an obligation under the legislation on archive materials and archives, which was adopted by the parliament last year.
Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Korzinek described the plan as the first comprehensive strategic document with targets set in the period until 2025.
Currently, 117,000 metres of archive materials are stored in archives, and 150,000 metres of that material is stored outside the archives. This is a challenge for archivists and that all needs a systematic approach, said the minister.
The digitisation of material is also continuing.
The government today authorised the Central State Office for Croats outside Croatia to transfer 6 million kuna of assistance to the university in Mostar as well as to the Croatian National Theatre in that city in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bills on biometric data processing, Coast Guard tabled to parliament
The Croatian government on Thursday forwarded to the parliament the final bill on the processing of biometric data which is aimed at enabling a more reliable and easier identification of foreign nationals, as well as the final bill on the Coast Guard, which regulates all issues regarding the functioning of that service.
Apart from facilitating the identification of foreigners, the new bill on the processing of biometric data will also help Croatian nationals in the protection of data and prevent identity theft, Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic said at today's government session.
He added that the bill would enable a more reliable, more accessible and easier identification of foreigners in Croatian and European information systems based on a number of biometric data, notably fingerprints. "That will prevent abuse and contribute to a more efficient provision of the right to asylum in cases when it is justified," Bozinovic said.
He recalled that one of the main problems with illegal migrations and related offences was the identification of foreign nationals without identification documents.
Groups of foreign nationals found to be illegally moving through Croatia give false identification data about themselves, and foreign nationals who are perpetrators of criminal acts depict themselves as victims to avoid prosecution, Bozinovic said.
At the same time, the bill will additionally strengthen the fundamental rights of Croatian nationals because it will prevent identity theft and significantly facilitate the discovery of identity-related fraud, which will additionally protect Croatian citizens' data.
Final bill on Coast Guard
Under the final bill on the Coast Guard, its primary task is to monitor and protect Croatia's rights and interests at sea and implement its jurisdiction over the protected fisheries zone and the high seas.
In Croatia's territorial waters and inland waterways the Coast Guard provides support to state bodies in monitoring and protecting the country's rights and interests at sea, which is also one of the missions of the Croatian Army, Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic said.
The bill defines powers of authorised personnel and determines conditions for authorising them to perform inspections at sea.
Gov't introduces Grand Order of President of the Republic Franjo Tudjman
The Croatian government on Thursday forwarded to the parliament amendments to the Decorations and Awards Act introducing a new decoration - the Grand Order of President of the Republic Franjo Tudjman with Sash and Morning Star.
The decoration would be bestowed on Croatian nationals every year on the anniversary of the death of Croatia's first president on December 10 as an expression of Croatia's highest recognition for the promotion of Croatian state and national interests in the country and abroad, notably the promotion of national unity, state building and spiritual values of the Croat people.
"This year we mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the first Croatian president Franjo Tudjman and that provides an opportunity for Croatia to introduce a high decoration which will put the founder of the democratic, sovereign and independent Croatian state and the supreme commander of the Croatian Army in the Homeland War, among the highest Croatian state leaders," Public Administration Minister Ivan Malenica said while explaining the bill.
That way, the Croat people and Croatian nationals will express their lasting gratitude for Tudjman's historical achievements, he added.
Deadline extended for payment of Chinese investor for Kumrovec ex-political school
The government on Thursday extended a deadline for the payment of the necessary amount by the Zhongya Nekretnine company for the Kumrovec-based Hotel Zagorje until 31 December.
In mid-June the government decided to sell the Kumrovec-based Hotel Zagorje, which used to be a political Communist school in the former Yugoslavia, to Zhongya Nekretnine company that has been the sole bidder, at the price of HRK 14.09 million (EUR 1.9 million).
Chinese businesswoman Yu Jiang is a co-owner of the Zhongya Nekretnine company and during her visit to the compounds in that northwestern Croatian region she said that according to an initial estimate, around EUR 20 million would be invested in the entire project.
The premises of state-owned Hotel Zagorje, which is in a dilapidated condition, covers 27,000 square metres.
The new owner was expected to pay the purchase price within 30 days upon the conclusion of the sales contract. Upon the company's failure to do this within the initial deadlines, the government enabled the bidder to pay the necessary amount until the end of this year.
In the event that the bidder missed the new deadline, the advance payment of HRK 598,000 will be retained by the government.
Text: Hina