ZAGREB, July 18, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who held a news conference on Wednesday evening to present ministerial nominees as part of his cabinet reshuffle, said that this was a larger-scale reshuffle meant to enable an unburdened government to continue implementing its agenda and thus enable the national economy to continue growing as well as the Croatian society to strengthen its solidarity and reduce polarisation and tensions.
Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić, who is leaving the government as she was recently appointed secretary-general of the Council of Europe, is to be replaced by Croatian Ambassador to Germany, Gordan Grlić Radman.
Last week, Plenković nominated Ivan Malenica, the Dean of Šibenik Polytechnic, as the new Public Administration Minister replacing Lovro Kuščević who resigned in early July over reported involvement in murky real estate deals.
State Assets Minister Goran Marić, who also resigned over media reports implicating him in murky real estate deals, is to be replaced by Mario Banozić, an official of the Vukovar-Srijem County administration.
Gabrijela Žalac who is the Regional Development and EU Funds Minister will be replaced by the current Labour and Pension System Minister Marko Pavić.
The Labour and Pension System Minister nominee is Josip Aladrović who is currently at the helm of the Croatian Pension Insurance Fund (HZMO).
The outgoing Minister of Demography, the Family, Youth and Social Policy Nada Murganić is to be replaced by a member of parliament, Vesna Bedeković.
Outgoing Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić's successor is incumbent state-secretary Marija Vučković.
The government will have two new deputy prime ministers: Interior Minister Davor Božinović and Finance Minister Zdravko Marić.
Some changes in the posts of state secretaries in a few ministerial departments will be conducted as part of this reshuffle plan.
Thus, Transport and Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Nikolna Brnjac is going to the post of the Foreign Ministry's state secretary, while Josip Bilaver will fill her post in the Transport Ministry.
A parliamentary deputy, Sanja Putica, is nominated as a new state secretary in the science and education ministry.
The ministerial nominees and this reshuffle plan will be presented to the national parliament on Friday.
Deputy parliament speaker and deputy leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Milijan Brkić said on Wednesday evening that the party's leadership had unanimously supported the new minister nominees, underlining that the HDZ will continue to care for citizens' problems and resolve issues facing the country.
Also junior partners supported the reshuffle plan during their meeting with Plenković on late Wednesday evening.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic held a press conference late on Wednesday to announce the names of new ministers and state secretaries in his government, saying that the reshuffle was necessary because the public perception of his cabinet was becoming a burden and that he wanted to put the focus of the public and media on everything positive that the government has done so far.
Thanking the outgoing ministers for their effort and contribution, Plenković said he wanted the focus to be on government achievements in having the country's credit rating restored to investment grade, increasing the minimum and average wages, economic growth, European Commission projections, lower unemployment, higher employment, measures for demographic revitalisation, and rescuing the Agrokor conglomerate.
He said that these achievements had ensured the stability of political institutions in the country. "Without this stability, none of these achievements would have been possible."
Plenković said that it was common to reshuffle the cabinet before the start of the fourth year in office. "They will make it possible for the government to continue implementing its programme unburdened," he said, citing activities aimed at economic growth, promoting solidarity in society and lowering social tensions.
The prime minister made the announcement after meeting with his coalition partners, who had given him their support for the changes, and after a meeting of the leadership of his HDZ party.
More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.
