Last week the Sabor (Croatian Parliament) passed legislation dealing with golf course developments.

Currently it is very difficult to organize a large parcel of land in Croatia for a golf resort as the country is divided into numerous small plots, many of which are owned by numerous owners, who may also be dead or living overseas. The newly passed law is a heavy-handed attempt to break this impasse.

The new law allows the government to use ‘eminent domain’ to confiscate land from its owners if a golf course resort is proposed nearby and the land is required for the development, even if the owners don’t wish to sell. There is no right of appeal.

The HDZ-controlled government, with Premier Ivo Sanader, is desperate to stimulate the Croatian economy and is hoping for a golf-led recovery; it is under pressure to create jobs, as the EU is forcing them to privatize the bankrupt state-owned ship-building industry, and they are struggling for ideas. The problem with Croatia as a golf tourism destination is that its climate isn’t conducive to a long golfing season, and it doesn’t have a golf-playing local population; its foolish to base a future economic plan on building these resorts.

The situation smacks of overt corruption – several golf developers have given sizable donations to HDZ and a local Istrian law firm, who has a number of large golf developers as clients, had a hand in drafting the legislation.

It seems that there is now no way to prevent Jupiter Adria from building its resort below Motovun. The advice from a government-convened committee has been ignored by the Environment and Culture Ministries and all other methods of blocking it have been circumvented, so its construction will go ahead.

This new law is another example of people’s basic rights being eroded in Croatia. Recently free speech has being attacked with the arrest of a Facebook user critical of the government, and several civil cases being brought against anti-corruption bloggers, including Ranko Bon (here and here), our friend in Motovun. Ranko is being sued by Motovun’s Mayor, Slobodan Vugrinec, for his scribblings, and the law firm representing the Mayor is same that advised the Government on the newly passed golf legislation!

Other political problems for Premier Sanader include assassinations in Zagreb of anti-organized crime reporters and a well-connected lawyer, and Slovenia blocking Croatia’s ascension to the EU.

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