By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
ZAGREB, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Six banks have agreed not to take legal action against Croatia over its conversion of Swiss franc loans into euros in 2015 at the lenders’ expense, the finance minister said on Tuesday.
Many individuals and companies in Croatia and eastern Europe had taken out Swiss franc mortgages to benefit from low interest rates but were then caught out when the franc strengthened in 2015, leaving them with higher debts to pay.
Croatia’s then centre-left government forced banks to convert the loans to euros to protect borrowers. The banks carried the costs of about 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion), prompting them to either launch lawsuits or threaten action saying costs had not been fairly shared out.
By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
FILE PHOTO: Slovenia s Prime Minister Janez Jansa arrives to attend a face-to-face EU summit amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in Brussels, Belgium December 10, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool
ZAGREB (Reuters) - Slovenia’s leftist opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against the centre-right government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa on Friday, and a secret parliamentary ballot is expected next week.
Karl Erjavec, leader of the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS), said the opposition had gathered 42 signatures in favour of the motion from among deputies in the 90-seat parliament.
Until recently DeSUS was part of the ruling coalition, but it quit saying it was unhappy with the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, its jeopardising of media freedom and siding with Hungary and Poland in disputes within the European Union over democratic standards in those countries.
Croatia hopes to adopt the euro at the beginning of 2023 despite fiscal challenges that have arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic and devastating earthquakes that hit the country last year, central bank Deputy Governor Sandra Svaljek said on Thursday.
By Reuters Staff
3 Min Read
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Director Goran Markovic was among those lining up outside exhibition halls in Belgrade on Tuesday to receive a shot against COVID-19, almost 40 years after making a hit Yugoslav film about the country’s fight against a terrifying smallpox epidemic.
People receive doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine as the country begins mass vaccination for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Belgrade, Serbia, January 26, 2021. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
“I got used to (being vaccinated) in my life,” said the 74-year-old.
“I’ve been getting vaccines against flu for decades now and I think it is a very useful thing to do.”
By Reuters Staff
3 Min Read
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Director Goran Markovic was among those lining up outside exhibition halls in Belgrade on Tuesday to receive a shot against COVID-19, almost 40 years after making a hit Yugoslav film about the country’s fight against a terrifying smallpox epidemic.
People receive doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine as the country begins mass vaccination for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Belgrade, Serbia, January 26, 2021. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
“I got used to (being vaccinated) in my life,” said the 74-year-old.
“I’ve been getting vaccines against flu for decades now and I think it is a very useful thing to do.”