ZAGREB, November 16, 2018 - Prime Minister and HDZ president Andrej Plenković commented on Friday on media reports that he had used a government plane to travel to Finland for a meeting of the European People's Party (EPP), which cost 170,000 kuna (23,000 euro) of taxpayers' money.
"Let's get this straight. I always act in the capacity of prime minister. I attended the EPP congress in my capacity as prime minister and not as the rest of the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) delegation," Plenković said in response to questions from the press.
“Regardless of this, my Finnish colleague Juha Sipila had requested a couple of months previously that we also hold a bilateral meeting in Helsinki. So I had a bilateral meeting and the EPP congress there, and there's nothing unusual about it," he added.
Speaking about other issues, Plenković said that his cabinet had made great headway in reducing the tax burden and accelerating administrative procedures.
Asked by the press to comment on the results of a survey conducted in the last five years by six foreign economic chambers and organisations, indicating insufficient progress in easing the tax burden for companies doing business in Croatia, Plenković said that what he knew "are the results of the tax reform conducted by the present government".
The current cabinet took office two years ago. "If the findings refer to the last five years and thus include 40 times amended tax laws under the SDP-led government, it can be that this refers to that period," Plenković said.
He called for an examination of what had been done to reduce taxes and administrative barriers during the term of his cabinet. He particularly pointed out the new public procurement legislation.
The presentation of the survey by six bilateral chambers of commerce on Thursday cited an inefficient public administration, legal insecurity, excessive taxes, lack of skilled labour and government performance as key obstacles to doing business in Croatia.
The survey covered 473 companies and its combined results show that despite some significant changes for the better, companies and potential investors still face numerous obstacles, and that changes occurring in Croatia are too slow and insufficient compared to the rest of Europe.
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