Fiscal (un)sustainability of the Croatian healthcare system: additional impact of the COVID-19 crisis

The main goal of this policy paper is to provide an overview of the basic problems that have impact on healthcare in Croatia and tend to make it unsustainable. The paper points out that the COVID-19 crisis has deepened and exacerbated the already existing problems of financing the health system. The analysis shows that Croatia swept under the rug systemic problems in financing healthcare and ultimately paid the price through frequent financial bailouts. Thus, in the period from 1994-2021, a total of HRK 23.9 billion was spent on bailing out the health service. On the other hand, the COVID-19 crisis can be seen as a chance to start solving the problem and implement certain reforms, both on the revenue and expenditure side of the health system

Fiscal (un)sustainability of the Croatian healthcare system: additional impact of the COVID-19 crisis

The main goal of this policy paper is to provide an overview of the basic problems that have impact on healthcare in Croatia and tend to make it unsustainable. The paper points out that the COVID-19 crisis has deepened and exacerbated the already existing problems of financing the health system. The analysis shows that Croatia swept under the rug systemic problems in financing healthcare and ultimately paid the price through frequent financial bailouts. Thus, in the period from 1994-2021, a total of HRK 23.9 billion was spent on bailing out the health service. On the other hand, the COVID-19 crisis can be seen as a chance to start solving the problem and implement certain reforms, both on the revenue and expenditure side of the health system

Criminal law challenges of e-sport development

Pandemija Sars-CoV-2 označila je svjetsku povijest, pa tako i sportsku. Uz brojne pravne, ekonomske, medicinske te znanstvene izazove, pandemija je značajno utjecala i na razvoj sporta. Zatvaranjem gospodarstava, društvenih i sportskih događanja radi suzbijanja širenja zaraze, došlo je do brzog razvoja e-sporta koji je na određeni način zamijenio tradicionalni sport igranjem popularnih videoigara. Da se radi o ozbiljnoj pojavi, govori i činjenica sve većeg broja gledatelja i sudionika videoigara u odnosu na gledatelje tradicionalnog sporta, kao i količina novca koji cirkulira u takvim virtualnim krugovima. Međutim, razvoj e-sporta posljedično vodi i određenim kaznenopravnim izazovima koji se manifestiraju kroz različite oblike manipulacija, nezakonitog klađenja i e-dopinga. Manipulacije sportskim natjecanjima globalno nisu novost u području sporta, ali u ovakvom specifičnom virtualnom okruženju one dobivaju novu dimenziju. Autori u ovom radu analiziraju kaznenopravne izazove koji nastaju na području e-sporta, osobito kada se igranjem videoigara čine različiti oblici kaznenih djela poput manipulacija, nezakonitog klađenja, pranja novca, e-dopinga i sl.The Sars-CoV-2 pandemic marked world history, including sports history. In addition to numerous legal, economic, medical and scientific challenges, the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic has significantly affected the development of sports. With the closure of farms, social and sporting events to combat the spread of the contagion, there has been a rapid development of e-sports that has in a way replaced traditional sports by playing popular video games. The fact that this is a serious phenomenon is evidenced by the growing number of viewers and participants in video games compared to viewers of traditional sports, as well as the amount of money circulating in such virtual circles. However, the development of e-sports consequently leads to certain criminal law challenges that are manifested through various forms of manipulation, illegal betting and e-doping. Manipulations of sports competitions are not a novelty in the field of sports globally, but in such a specific virtual environment they gain a new dimension. In this paper, the authors analyze the criminal law challenges that arise in the field of e-sports, especially when playing video games commit various forms of crime such as manipulation, illegal betting, money laundering, e-doping and the like

CRIMINAL INTENT AS CONDITION OF LIABILITY OF PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR DELICTA PROPRIA

Radom se problematizira pitanje utvrđivanja kaznene odgovornosti odgovornih osoba koje se javljaju kao počinitelji niza kaznenih djela iz posebnog dijela Kaznenog zakona Federacije BiH, osobito gospodarskih. Za utvrđivanje njihove krivnje, osim složenih radnji dokazivanja zbog prirode gospodarskih kaznenih djela, na nekim mjestima zakon propisuje i izravnu namjeru. Ona se ogleda u znanju odgovorne osobe o osobnom svojstvu te znanju o protupravnosti djela. Međutim, kod delicta propria, kakva su većina gospodarskih kaznenih djela, utvrđivanje znanja kao uvjeta kaznene odgovornosti odgovorne osobe relativizira mogućnost kažnjavanja iste, što vodi pravnoj nesigurnosti koja povlači za posljedicu i ostavljanje nesankcionirane odgovorne osobe te pravne osobe u kojima odgovorne osobe predstavljaju jednu vrstu alter ega. Takve de lege lata odredbe rezultat su dinamičnih izmjena kaznenog zakonodavstva kao posljedica novih pojavnih oblika kriminaliteta, kaznenih djela i njihovih počinitelja. Stoga, rad problematizira nekoliko naizgled odvojenih, ali u stvari nužno povezanih pitanja koje je potrebno uskladiti. Na temelju analize pojedinih instituta kaznene odgovornosti, vrsta kaznenih djela s obzirom na krug počinitelja, te napose pojma odgovorne osobe, rad pretendira da ponudi de lege ferenda rješenja u odnosu i na sami pojam odgovorne osobe, ali osobito uvjete i način utvrđivanja njezine kažnjivosti. Cilj je dogmatičkim pristupom ovim institutima olakšati put pronalaženja i otkrivanja počinitelja teških kaznenih djela iz posebnog dijela Kaznenog zakona, te na taj način omogućiti postizanje svrhe kažnjavanja i svrhe izricanja kaznenopravnih sankcija.The paper deals with the issue of determining the criminal liability of the responsible persons, who appear to be perpetrators of a series criminal offenses from a special part of the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH, particularly economic ones. In determining their guilt, in addition to complex evidence-based actions for the purpose of economic crimes, the law also prescribes direct intent in some places. It is reflected in the knowledge of the responsible person about his personal capacity and knowledge of the illegality of the offense. However, in delicta propria, as most of the economic crimes, the determination of knowledge as a condition for criminal responsibility of the responsible person relativizes the possibility to punish them, which leads to legal insecurity that leads to the consequence leaving unsanctioned responsible person and legal persons in which the responsible persons represent one kind of alter ego. Such de lege lata provisions are the result of dynamic changes in criminal legislation as a result of new forms of crime, criminal offenses and their perpetrators. Therefore, the paper deals with several, seemingly, separate, but necessarily related, issues that need to be matched. Based on the analysis of individual institutes of criminal responsibility, the type of criminal offenses with regard to the perpetrator\u27s circle, and especially the concept of responsible person, the work claims to offer de lege ferenda solutions in relation to the notion of responsible person, but especially the conditions and the way of determining its punishability. The aim is with dogmatic approach to these institutes facilitate the way of finding and detecting the perpetrators of serious criminal offenses from a special part of the Criminal Code, and thereby enabling the purpose of punishment and the purpose of imposing criminal sanctions

Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Judicial Cooperation Between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Extraditing Their Citizens

Institut izručenja najstariji je oblik međunarodne pravne pomoći koji je među državama članicama Europske unije zamijenjen europskim uhidbenim nalogom. U odnosu na treće države kakva je Bosna i Hercegovina izručenje je jedini instrument kojim se omogućava transfer osoba koje se trebaju izručiti zbog vođenja kaznenog postupka, ili izvršenja kazne zatvora, ili zbog druge mjere koja podrazumijeva oduzimanje slobode u državi moliteljici. Radi stalna nastojanja da se osiguraju pravna sigurnost, načelo zakonitosti i vladavina prava, države kao subjekti međunarodnog prava svoje odnose na području ekstradicijskog prava sve više reguliraju potpisivanjem bilateralnih sporazuma kojima žele ostvariti taj cilj. U tom smjeru Hrvatska i Bosna i Hercegovina zaključile su 28. studenog 2012. Ugovor o izručenju koji se s tim datumom počeo privremeno primjenjivati, a stupio je na snagu 6. ožujka 2014. Ugovorom su, između ostalog, ekstenzivnije uređene odredbe o izručenju vlastitih državljana, čime se na određen način odstupilo od tradicionalnog načela neizručenja vlastitih državljana. Autori u radu analiziraju odredbe Ugovora o izručenju s posebnim osvrtom na odredbe o izručenju vlastitih državljana, osobito državljana koji imaju dvojno državljanstvo, što je nerijetko slučaj državljana Hrvatske i Bosne i Hercegovine. Mnoge države u Europi i svijetu tradicionalno se snažno protive izručenju vlastitih državljana. Načelo neizručenja vlastitih državljana proizlazi iz suverenosti država i njezinih državljana te obveza koje ih vežu, a osobito nepovjerenja u pravosudne sustave drugih država. Međutim, imajući u vidu da je temeljni cilj izručenja borba protiv nekažnjavanja osoba za koje se sumnja da su počinile kazneno djelo ili koje su osuđene za to, tada bi se nepovjerenje kao razlog neizručenja vlastitih državljana trebalo uzeti s velikim oprezom. Da je načelo neizručenja vlastitih državljana u suvremenome kaznenom pravu zastarjelo, potvrđuje još i Konvencija o izručenju između država članica Europske unije navodeći da se izručenje ne smije odbiti s obrazloženjem da je osoba državljanin države moliteljice. Cilj je ovog rada analizom postojećega normativnog okvira i praktičnih primjera (ne)izručenja vlastitih državljana između Hrvatske i Bosne i Hercegovine upozoriti na probleme koji utječu na učinkovitu pravosudnu suradnju tih dviju država te ponuditi stajališta koja bi mogla pridonijeti razmatranju vrlo aktualnih pitanja.The institute of extradition is the oldest form of international legal assistance which has been replaced by the European arrest warrant in Member States of the European Union. Regarding the third countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, extradition is the only instrument enabling the transfer of persons that have to be extradited for criminal trial, imprisonment, or any other measure of deprivation of freedom in the applicant state. In an effort to ensure legal certainty, the principle of legality and the rule of law, states as subjects of international law increasingly regulate their relations in the field of extradition law by signing bilateral agreements in order to achieve that aim. Within this framework, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina concluded the Treaty on Extradition on 28 November 2012. The Treaty was applied temporarily starting from the above date, and it came into force on 6 March 2014. The Treaty regulates the extradition of citizens, departing from the traditional principle of non-extradition of a state’s own citizens. The authors analyse the Treaty on Extradition with a special focus on extradition of a country’s own citizens, especially those with dual citizenship, which is often the case with citizens of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many European and world countries strongly oppose the extradition of their own citizens. The principle of non-extradition of a country’s own citizens is based on the concept of the sovereignty of states and their citizens and their mutual obligations, and it is often a consequence of distrust of judicial systems of other states. However, bearing in mind that the fundamental aim of extradition is the struggle against the absence of punishment for persons suspected or convicted of criminal offences, distrust as a reason for non-extradition should be taken with the greatest caution. The fact that the principle of non-extradition of a state’s own citizens is outdated in modern criminal law is confirmed by the Convention on Extradition between EU Member States according to which extradition cannot be rejected because a person is a citizen of applicant state. The aim of the paper is to draw attention to problems that have an impact on judicial cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina by analysing the existing normative framework and practical examples of (non)extradition of citizens of one’s own state and offer a contribution to solve these important issues

European Investigation Order As a New Instrument of Judicial Cooperation Between Member States in Criminal Cases With a Special Focus on Croatian Law

Ulazak u Europsku uniju za Republiku Hrvatsku značio je posve novo razdoblje u njezinu povijesnom i društvenom razvoju. Na području kaznenog prava to je podrazumijevalo implementaciju i harmonizaciju niza instituta kojima je cilj olakšati postupanje pravosudnih tijela i njihovu suradnju u kaznenim predmetima između država članica. U pet godina učinjeni su određeni koraci na tom putu. Međutim, osim analize učinjenog u ovom je razdoblju vrlo važno upozoriti i na otvorena pitanja čija praktična implikacija tek slijedi. Stoga je cilj rada uputiti na institut europskoga istražnog naloga koji je u hrvatsko kazneno zakonodavstvo, u skladu s Direktivom 2014/41/EU Europskog parlamenta i Vijeća od 3. travnja 2014. godine o europskom istražnom nalogu u kaznenim stvarima, uveden Zakonom o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o pravosudnoj suradnji u kaznenim stvarima s državama članicama Europske unije u listopadu 2017. godine, a novi je institut u pravnim sustavima i drugih država članica. Europski je istražni nalog nakon implementacije europskoga uhidbenog naloga nastavak nastojanja harmonizirana djelovanja pravosudnih tijela država članica Europske unije u kaznenom postupku u cilju pribavljanja dokaza istražnim mjerama. Premda njegove implikacije tek slijede, radom se prikazuju prednosti njegova uvođenja i nedostatci koji proizlaze iz tumačenja pojedinih zakonskih odredaba i stavova kaznenopravne javnosti.The accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union opened a whole new era in its historical and social development. In the area of criminal law, this involves the implementation and harmonization of a number of institutes aimed at facilitating the treatment of judicial organs and their cooperation in criminal cases between Member States. Over a period of five years, certain steps have been taken in this direction. However, in addition to analyzing the results achieved in this period, it is very important to point to open questions whose practical implications will be discussed. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to point to the institute of European Investigation Order, which was introduced in Croatian criminal legislation by the Act on Amendments of the Law on Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters with the Member States of the European Union of October 2017 in accordance with Directive 2014/41 / EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 3th 2014 on a European Investigation Order in Criminal Matters, which is a new institute in the legal systems of other Member States. Following the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant, the European Investigation Order is a continuation of the efforts to harmonize activities of judicial organs of EU Member States in criminal proceedings with the aim of obtaining evidence through investigative measures. Although its implications will be seen in the future, the paper discusses all the advantages of its introduction and the deficiencies that arise from the interpretation of certain legal provisions by criminal law scholars

Investigation and verification of criminal aspects of doping as a crime in sport law

O dopingu kao kažnjivoj radnji postoje različita teorijska stajališta i mišljenja. Jedni smatraju da se doping treba kažnjavati kaznenopravnim sankcijama, drugi da je dovoljna prekršajnopravna, a treći stegovna sankcija, kako bi se postigla svrha kažnjavanja. U našem pravnom sustavu borba protiv dopinga evoluirala je tako da danas imamo samodoping kao stegovno djelo koje se kažnjava prema pravilima proisteklima iz Svjetskog antidoping kodeksa. S druge strane, zakonodavac propisuje neovlaštenu proizvodnju i promet tvari zabranjenih u sportu kao zasebno kazneno djelo delicta communia, za koje se kažnjava, inter alia, onaj koji omogućava i stavlja na raspolaganje zabranjene tvari sportašu ili koji drugoga navodi na trošenje tih tvari, a to može biti i sam sportaš. Međutim, borba protiv dopinga ne uključuje samo materijalnopravno normiranje nego, štoviše, pitanja načina dokazivanja, otkrivanja i procesuiranja mogućih počinitelja. Stoga autori u ovom radu iznose procesnopravne odredbe kojima je regulirana borba protiv dopinga, što ukazuje na distinkcije koje postoje u pogledu pojedinih počinitelja ovog kaznenog/stegovnog djela. Doping je opasnost modernog svijeta koji se sastoji u prijevarnom postupanju počinitelja uzimanjem zabranjenih tvari radi postizanja vrhunskih rezultata. Pored toga što je nespojiv s etičkim načelima sporta, te što se uzimanjem dopinga može narušiti zdravlje sportaša, doping predstavlja delikt koji je potrebno sankcionirati. Pri tome, ostvariti punitivnu svrhu a ne utjecati negativno na ugled sporta, izazov je koji je stavljen i pred zakonodavca i pred sustav sporta općenito. Stoga borba protiv dopinga mora obuhvaćati sustavnu koordinaciju materijalnopravnih i postupovnih odredbi u cilju zaštite integriteta čistog sporta.There are different theoretical views and opinions on doping as a punitive act. Some believe that doping should be punished by criminal sanctions, others that a misdemeanor law is sufficient, the and third is a disciplinary sanction, to achieve the purpose of punishment. In our legal system, the fight against doping has evolved so that today we have self-doping as a disciplinary offense punishable under the rules of the World Anti-Doping Code. On the other hand, the legislator prescribes the unauthorized production and marketing of substances banned in sport as a separate offense of delicta communia, punishable, inter alia, by one who, permits and makes prohibited substances available to the athlete or who induces another to consume those substances, which may be himself athlete. However, the fight against doping involves not only substantive legal standardization but, moreover, questions of how to prove, detect and prosecute possible perpetrators. Therefore, the authors of this paper present procedural provisions governing the fight against doping, which points to the differences that exist with respect to the perpetrators of this criminal / disciplinary offense. Doping is a danger in the modern world, consisting in the fraudulent treatment of perpetrators by taking illicit substances in order to achieve superior results. In addition to being incompatible with the ethical principles of sport, and doping can impair the health of athletes, doping is a tort that needs to be sanctioned. In doing so, to pursue a punitive purpose and not adversely affect the reputation of sport is a challenge that has been put before both the legislature and the sport system in general. Therefore, the fight against doping must include the systematic coordination of substantive and procedural provisions in order to safeguard the integrity of pure sport

Analysis of 8 X-chromosomal markers in the population of central Croatia

Aim To analyze 8 X-linked short tandem repeat (STR) markers in the population of central Croatia and to evaluate their forensic efficiency. Methods We carried out a statistical analysis of the data from previously performed genetic analyses, collected during routine forensic work by the Forensic Science Centre ‘‘Ivan Vučetić.’’ Mentype® Argus X-8 PCR amplification kit was used for typing the data of 99 unrelated healthy women and 78 men from central Croatia. Haplotype frequencies were calculated only in male samples. Arlequin 3.5 software was used to assess Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE), linkage disequilibrium (LD), observed and expected heterozygosity. Power of discrimination (PD) for men and women, polymorphism information content (PIC), power of exclusion, and mean exclusion chance for deficiency cases, normal trios, and duos were determined using online database ChrX-STR.org. Results In female samples, deviations from HWE (P = 0.006) for each locus were not found. LD test performed both on female and male samples revealed no significant association between markers (P = 0.002). DXS10135 was the most polymorphic locus (PIC = 0.931). PD varied from 0.692 to 0.935 in male and from 0.845 to 0.992 in female samples. Combined PD reached 99.999999% in men and 99.9999999999% in women. Conclusion Performed analyses revealed that the studied marker set contained polymorphic markers with high power of discrimination. We can conclude that Mentype® Argus X-8 PCR is suitable for application in the population of central Croatia. Results of this study, together with collected allele and haplotype frequencies, are the first step in establishing a national reference X-STR database based on 8 X-STR loci

Effect of ultraviolet C radiation on biological samples

Aim To examine the influence of ultraviolet C (UVC) radiation on blood, saliva, semen, and naked DNA samples for preventing DNA cross-contamination on working surfaces in laboratories. Methods Blood, saliva, semen, and DNA isolated from buccal swab samples were obtained from a single male donor and applied to the laboratory working surfaces. UVC radiation was applied to these diluted and undiluted samples with or without previous decontamination of the working surfaces with 10% sodium hypochlorite and 20% ethanol. Genomic DNA was extracted using Chelex. After quantification, DNA was amplified using the AmpFlSTR® NGM™ PCR Amplification Kit. We tested and statistically analyzed DNA concentration, UVC dose, sample volume, radiation time, the number of correctly detected alleles on genetic loci, and the number of correctly detected alleles in four groups in which 16 loci were divided. Results When working surfaces were not decontaminated and were treated only with UVC radiation in the laboratory, the genetic profile for naked DNA could not be obtained after 2 minutes of UVC radiation and for saliva after 54 hours. For blood and semen, a partial genetic profile was obtained even after 250 hours of UVC radiation in the laminar. When working surfaces were decontaminated with 10% sodium hypochlorite and 20% ethanol, genetic profile could not be obtained for naked DNA after 2 minutes, for saliva after 4 hours, for blood after 16 hours, and for semen after 8 hours of UVC radiation in the laboratory. Conclusion It is recommended to carefully and thoroughly clean working surfaces with 10% sodium hypochlorite and 20% ethanol followed by minimal 16-hour UVC exposure (dose approximately 4380 mJ/cm2) for complete and successful decontamination

Synthetic vs natural scaffolds for human limbal stem cells

Aim To investigate the impact of synthetic electrospun polyurethane (PU) and polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoscaffolds, before and after hydrolytic surface modification, on viability and differentiation of cultured human eye epithelial cells, in comparison with natural scaffolds: fibrin and human amniotic membrane. Methods Human placenta was taken at elective cesarean delivery. Fibrin scaffolds were prepared from commercial fibrin glue kits. Nanoscaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning. Limbal cells were isolated from surpluses of human cadaveric cornea and seeded on feeder 3T3 cells. The scaffolds used for viability testing and immunofluorescence analysis were amniotic membrane, fibrin, PU, and PCL nanoscaffolds, with or without prior NaOH treatment. Results Scanning electron microscope photographs of all tested scaffolds showed good colony spreading of seeded limbal cells. There was a significant difference in viability performance between cells with highest viability cultured on tissue culture plastic and cells cultured on all other scaffolds. On the other hand, electrospun PU, PCL, and electrospun PCL treated with NaOH had more than 80% of limbal cells positive for stem cell marker p63 compared to only 27%of p63 positive cells on fibrin. Conclusion Natural scaffolds, fibrin and amniotic membrane, showed better cell viability than electrospun scaffolds. On the contrary, high percentages of p63 positive cells obtained on these scaffolds still makes them good candidates for efficient delivery systems for therapeutic purpose