The state of Croatia's media has deteriorated dramatically in the past couple of years and Croatian journalism is possibly in an even worse state that it was during the depressive war years in nineties writes Scoop's national coordinator in Croatia, Barbara Matejcic.

Former minister, current Varaždin County Prefect, and candidate for future Prime Minister of Croatia, Radimir Čačić claims he is a successful businessman. An apartment building deal in Israel, which he made 15 years ago as head of the company „Coning“, collapsed and despite valid court verdicts „Coning“ never paid the 172 million kunas and $8.5 million in debts.

By Krešimir Kovač, free-lance journalist

Former minister, current Varaždin County Prefect, and candidate for future Prime Minister of Croatia, Radimir Čačić, claims he is a successful businessman. But the truth is that the former Coning holding under Čačić's leadership left debts of hundreds of millions of kunas and that bankruptcy proceedings have been initiated for the successor company over unpaid tax.

By Krešimir Kovač, free-lance journalist

Scoop-journalists Saturday received a global award for their investigations into the energy supplies in the Balkans. At Award dinner for The Global Shining Light Award, which was handed over during the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Toronto, the journalists were praised for their courage.

A team of journalists funded by Scoop and others have won the first Global Shining Light award, which will be presented at the Global Journalism Conference in Toronto/Canada May 26th 2007.

In a transnational investigation, Bulgarian and Croatian journalists dig into the drug traffic accross the Balkan, monitoring the recent developments in the criminal structures behind the traffic.

The so far largest transnational investigation supported by Scoop has recently been finalised. Power-brokers the working-title of the story, the team of journalists covered Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania.

Power brokers looks at electricity trading issues in the Balkans at a time when more and more people get disconnected from the power lines in the region. The work was conducted by a team of journalists covering Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania.

As a result of illegal exploitation of quarries, logging and artificially turning woodlands into construction sites, Slavonian forests are being destroyed with impunity. Authorities, including the Croatian Government, instead of putting a stop to this, are allowing and even stimulating it. This is the most thorough story so far on the issue, with documented results of a journalist’s investigation.

As a result of illegal exploitation of quarries, logging and artificially turning woodlands into construction sites, Slavonian forests are being destroyed with impunity. Authorities, including the Croatian Government, instead of putting a stop to this, are allowing and even stimulating it. This is the most thorough story so far on the issue, with documented results of a journalist’s investigation.

By Ljiljanka Mitoš-Svoboda, freelance journalist, Osijek