ZAGREB, October 17, 2020 - PM Andrej Plenkovic has said that President Zoran Milanovic's activity contains elements of destabilisation, that he is minimising and downplaying the fight against coronavirus and social radicalisation and that if he continues acting like that, he will bring into question the purpose of his office.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with HDZ members who are war veterans, Plenkovic said that the attack on the government building this past Monday was a criminal act with elements of terrorism and that the line had been crossed.

"I have no problem with anyone attacking me politically... I live with that, more than Milanovic does, for example for the past four years, as the prime minister who won elections twice and who beat Milanovic as well. Maybe that's why he is so nervous."

"He should understand as the president that speaking or writing against someone is not the same as coming to the government building with a machine-gun and pistol and committing a crime," Plenkovic said, stressing that people want peace and security and that they want economic problems to be dealt with.

Milanovic's narrative is identical to that of the left, Plenkovic said, adding that there is also the far right, which is characterised by exclusiveness, extremism and intolerance and which approves and has understanding for the attacker on the government building. In that context, he mentioned Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Skoro and the Bridge party.

He then pointed to his government's economic results, progress on the path to euro adoption and the fight against corruption.

If president goes on like this, he will bring into question purpose of his office

"Some may just have a big mouth, and some a lot of tasks to deal with. The way he (Milanovic) performs his duty, if he continues like this, he will bring into question the purpose of the institution of president. If we have an institution that stands in the way of serious processes, the fight against coronavirus, the fight against corruption and now the fight against radicalism, we may ask ourselves what its agenda is," he said.

Asked about responsibility for radicalisation in society, Plenkovic said that not everyone was responsible and that his HDZ party was committed to values of inclusiveness, tolerance, European values ad creation of a positive atmosphere in society.

"There are protagonists whose rhetoric incites hatred and intolerance, for example when someone says that they are against the Croat-Serb trading coalition or that cooperation between the ruling party and representatives of ethnic minorities, including the Serb minority, is unacceptable," he said, noting that a part of the left political scene, including the president, and left pundits do not want to recognise his party's evident transformation.

Plenkovic said that he wanted a Croatia that is not radical or intolerant or against ethnic minorities being part of the parliamentary majority.

As for Milanovic's statement that Plenkovic did not know anything about the investigation into the JANAF corruption case and knew everything about the investigation into the attack on the government building, Plenkovic said that those were two entirely different things.

He added that preliminary investigations into corruption cases were not a matter of national security and that police and prosecutors worked on them without any interference from the government.

As for the attack on the government building, he said that it had to be established if the perpetrator had been under someone's influence, if someone had helped him and if there were other such potential assailants. A political battle has to be launched to erect a cordon sanitaire around political parties that condone or have understanding for crimes such as Monday's attack, he said.

That is not fear, the line has been crossed, he reiterated.

Asked about his security having been stepped up, Plenkovic said it was a matter of police assessment but he confirmed having received threats.

Plenkovic arrived for the meeting with HDZ war veterans in a bullet-proof limousine.

He also said that he did not intend to meet with Milanovic because he did not see how a person downplaying coronavirus and radicalisation of society could be of help.

ZAGREB, October 17, 2020 - Police have arrested two men for threatening the prime minister, following the October 12 incident when 22-year-old Danijel Bezuk shot and wounded a police officer guarding the government building in St Mark's Square in Zagreb.

A 63-year-old man from Bezuk's home town of Kletista near Kutina, 80 kilometres east of Zagreb, has been arrested for threatening the prime minister and for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, the Sisak-Moslavina County Police said on Saturday.

At least on two occasions the man told different people he believed that Danijel Bezuk, who committed suicide shortly after the attack on the government building, would have shot dead the prime minister had he seen him. He also said that he himself was fantasising about killing the prime minister.

In Zagreb, police arrested a 48-year-old man on Saturday for threatening to kill the prime minister. He posted his threat on social media in the early morning hours of October 14.

ZAGREB, October 16, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Friday in Brussels dismissed claims that Monday's attack on Government House could have occurred anywhere and condemned any approval or downplaying of that grave crime by the right and left.

In a statement to the press on Thursday Plenkovic hinted that he personally was the target of the attack on Government House that occurred on Monday because certain individuals in political and media circles incite intolerance and hate towards him.

He also hinted that President Zoran Milanovic was among those who used that sort of language against him in the 2016 election campaign.

Milanovic later posted on Facebook that the "tragedy could have occurred anywhere and that its roots lie elsewhere."

Social Democratic Party leader Pedja Grbin said that he saw the incident as an attack on Croatian institutions located in St. Mark's Square and that it was "unacceptable that Plenkovic is trying to portray himself as the victim."

It was premeditated 

"... I watched the recording of the attack and it is clear that the attack was not intended to occur anywhere else but was premeditated and deliberately committed in St. Mark's Square, where the government is located," Plenkovic told the press on Friday.

"The perpetrator of that horrific crime didn't go to the President's Palace, he didn't go to Nova Gradiska, where Mr Grbin's headquarters are, nor in front of any other building but came in front of Government House," said Plenkovic.

He sharply condemned and approval any downplaying of the attack on Government House.

"You have two trends, the extreme right, Skoro and that sort of people, who virtually approve and have understanding for that horrific crime. On the other hand, you have the left that is downplaying and minimising it."

"If the prime minister was from SDP's ranks, I would be the first to condemn it and show solidarity and call on the competent bodies to investigate it and establish the motive. That's the difference," he said.

He added that there was no room for concern that the current situation could jeopardise media freedoms, noting that despite the numerous insults and defamation he had been exposed to, he had never sued anyone.

Milanovic is perfidious

Plenkovic also commented on Milanovic's negating that he had sown the seed of hate against Plenkovic.

"The President knows very well what he said and how he acted. He is aware of that. He is smart enough and perfidious enough to know very well what this is about. If there is an opportunity, the two of us can discuss that but he knows that very well," said Plenkovic.

He added that there is a "tacit alliance between Skoro, the Bridge party and Milanovic."

"They collaborated in the second round of the presidential election. Milanovic has said that he has established more or less good relations with them. We are aware of that... The entire movement, the entire 'raison d'etre' of that movement was for Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic not to be elected president," Plenkovic claimed.

October 14, 2020 – Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković met with Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of Rimac Automobili company. At the meeting, the potential of the electric vehicles industry in Croatia was discussed.

As stated in the announcement of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the investments planned by Rimac Automobili have a broader context for the development of local and national transport, as well as educational and research and development infrastructure.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković expressed his support for the development initiatives and investments of the company Rimac Automobili and announced institutional support to all investors who develop and apply the latest technologies in Croatia.

They also discussed projects that could be included in the list of projects for funding from upcoming assistance programs, including the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund and the new EU Multiannual Financial Framework.

Mate Rimac also presented the planned construction of the Campus, which will include the company's headquarters, modern research and development facilities, a smart factory of high-tech components and electric cars, and additional accompanying facilities. The investment in the Campus project will enable the realization of an increasing number of projects that the company is engaged in, as well as the serial production, and it is planned to create a total of 2,300 workplaces for highly educated professionals.

Furthermore, the company plans to build a Center for Testing Technology and Components for Electric Vehicles, which is necessary to meet the growing demand for the company's services and expand services to test battery systems, propulsion systems, and environmental friendliness of such systems.

Along with Plenković and Rimac, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić, Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Property Darko Horvat, and Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak were also present at the meeting.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, Oct 14, 2020  - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Wednesday that Monday's Zagreb Square shooting, when a 22-year-old man opened fire at policemen protecting Government House, hinted at radicalization, which should make institutions and the society think about the motives and reasons for that act.

"This is a serious situation that should make institutions and all of us as a society think why this happened," Plenkovic told a news conference at the government in reference to Monday morning's shooting in St Mark's Square when a police officer sustained serious injuries and the 22-year-old gunman later committed suicide.

This is something that crossed the line and brought us into a situation in which we are supposed to change the security frameworks for the work of the government and media coverage in St. Mark's Square, said the premier.

The whole society needs to ask itself what has led to this radicalization and why, and this is an act of radicalization, Plenkovic said.

The behavior of that 22-year-old man was definitely impacted by the information to which he was exposed, and he was also under the influence of somebody, sources which prompted him to try to kill (policemen). We will see who is responsible for that, Plenkovic said.

He underscored that at this moment he could not point an accusing finger at anyone. However, he said, society should ask who incites hatred in the political life of Croatia.

Even after this shooting, "persons like (Vukovar Mayor) Ivan Penava and Mrs. Karolina Vidovic Kristo (a Homeland Movement parliamentarian) are capable of making statements which deserve full condemnation, which are unacceptable, and unbelievable in the political sense, and which do not contribute to the culture of tolerance and normal behavior in a law-based society," Plenkovic said.

He called on media actors that incite hatred to start behaving responsibly, referring to "those that incite hatred between Croatians and the Serb minority in their broadcasts."

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, October 9, 2020 - Social Democratic Party parliamentarian Arsen Bauk said on Friday that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic should step down for many reasons, and one of them is his claim that he did not know that a preliminary probe had been launched in the Janaf case.

"I have in particularly noticed President Zoran Milanovic's statement that the premier definitely knew 1000% what was going on and failed to do anything, while the premier is claiming that he did not know anything. That is an even a bigger reason for his resignation," Bauk said.

Considering the Opposition's further plans after the ruling majority's refusal to support the establishment of an inquiry commission over investigation leaks, Bauk said that the discussion on that issue would be on the agenda of parliament's plenary sitting, when it would be clear who represented what, considering that matter.

Commenting on the latest statements by President Zoran Milanovic and his heated debates and exchange of barbs with his critics, Bauk said that anyone who followed Milanovic in the last 15 years of his political career should not be surprised by the president's public conduct.

Bauk said that he agreed with most of the things the president said.

I like a majority of his stylistic and metaphoric expressions, the SDP MP said.

He declined to comment on the internal conflicts in this strongest Opposition party, and expressed hope that there would not be any rifts within the SDP following the latest developments when a majority of SDP MPs rejected the motions and decisions proposed by the party's new leader, Pedja Grbin.

ZAGREB, October 5, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in Nasice on Monday that so far project contracts worth HRK 16.53 billion had been signed for the "Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem" project, which is 88% of the total allocation, and that HRK 6.6 billion had been paid.

This is an increase of HRK 5.2 billion in project value and an increase of HRK 2.1 billion in the amount of funds paid compared to the last session of the Council, held in Vukovar, Plenkovic said while opening the 11th session of the government's Council for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem.

He noted that 2020 had been one of the most challenging years for Croatia in the past 25 years due to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the national economy as well as other aspects of life.

"Despite that, we have managed to reduce the expected drop in GDP, thanks to the timely lifting of the lockdown we have managed to achieve close to 50% of last year's tourism results, we have completed the presidency of the Council of the EU and we are now focusing on ensuring social security, economic sovereignty, notably in farming and the energy sector, and on making the country more recognisable globally," said Plenkovic.

In that context, he pointed to €22 billion from the EU budget available to Croatia in the next seven years, noting that that was particularly important for Slavonia, for the country's cohesion policy and for its farming and rural development policies.

Plenkovic said work was underway on revising the development strategy for the period until 2030 because it had been made before the pandemic and the now changed economic circumstances, and that it was being finalised.

The PM said that he would expand the development agreement for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem to legalise changes for the already determined projects, and to establish which projects had not been granted funding so far.

He said the development agreement would include 38 strategic projects worth HRK 10.7 billion.

"We will continue with the project of integrated territorial investments for urban areas, Osijek and Slavonski Brod, and continue with the programme for the integrated, economic and social regeneration of small towns in formerly war-affected areas, in order to reduce differences in the level of development," said Plenkovic.

At the end of today's session of the Council contracts and decisions will be signed.

The Council for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem was established in March 2017 as an advisory body for the coordination of the process of absorption of money from European structural and investment funds, EU instruments and programmes, the European Economic Area and national funds, under the Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem project, as part of which €2.5 billion has been secured from EU funds for projects in the five Slavonian counties.

(€1 = HRK 7.55)

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, October 5, 2020 - On the occasion of World Teachers Day, October 5, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Monday issued a message expressing gratitude to teachers and other members of teaching staff as well as nursery assistants for their commitment, noting that education is a guarantee of social and economic development.

"Dear teachers, nursery assistants and other members of teaching staff, World Teachers Day provides an opportunity to once again thank you for your commitment and raise public awareness of the importance of education and the profession you have chosen," Plenkovic said on Twitter.

An education that actively encourages children's integral development, familiarises them with everyday life and prepares them for modern life, the world of labour, employment and/or continuation of education, is a guarantee of a country's social and economic development and readiness for global challenges, the PM said in his message.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, Oct 1, 2020 - The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will stop in Dubrovnik on Friday as part of his European tour, and he will be received by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman, and a few more senior officials.

The abolishment of visas for the Croatians traveling to the USA, Croatia's plan to purchase fighter jets, the LNG terminal off Krk, and Croatia's plans to introduce 5G network are likely to be some of the topics between Pompeo, who is the highest U.S. official to visit Croatia since the start of the Donald Trump presidency in 2016, and his hosts in Dubrovnik.

"The leaders will discuss opportunities for closer cooperation between the United States and Croatia in key areas of mutual concern, including defense cooperation, the growing U.S.-Croatia investment relationship, and Croatia’s strong efforts to advance Western Balkan integration," reads the statement on the website of the US State Department.

U.S. Visa Waiver Programme

After three decades of unsuccessful attempts to get the visa requirements for Croatian travelers to the USA abolished, Mike Pompeo is expected to announce in Dubrovnik that Croatia has met the last criterion to be added to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and that is that refusal rate considering the rejected visa applications has fallen below 3%.

Currently, all but four EU member states are within the VWP. Apart from Croatia, those are Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania. 

The VWP is a program of the U.S. federal government that allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa.

On Wednesday evening, Foreign Minister Grlic Radman told the HRT broadcaster that he expected a "positive decision" by the USA in the months ahead about waiving visas for Croatian nationals.

"Various bodies in the US decide on that, with support from the American embassy. I think we can expect a positive decision in the months ahead," the minister said.

U.S. Ambassador to Zagreb, Robert Kohorst, has said recently that he is optimistic about the VWP for Croatia, however, he did not want to specify when the visa requirements could be abolished for the Croatians.

Procurement of 12 multipurpose fighter jets

The Croatian Defence Ministry in early September received bids for the procurement of 12 multipurpose fighter jets from Sweden, the USA, France, and Israel. Sweden has offered new Gripen C/D jets, the USA new F-16 block 70 jets, France used Rafale jets, and Israel used F-16 block 30 aircraft.

US Ambassador Robert Kohorst said on Wednesday that the aircraft offered by his country was an excellent plane and that his country hoped the procurement process would go in his country's favor.

When this topic is discussed, it is often mentioned that over recent years, Washington has donated military equipment, estimated at several hundred million dollars, to Croatia.

Croatia's interdepartmental commission will recommend the best bid by December 12.

Mike Pompeo and Defence Minister Mario Banozic are due to consider this topic.

5G network

During his European tour which started on 27 September, Pompeo first visited Greece and then Italy and the Holy See from where he is due to arrive in Dubrovnik.

International media have reported that while in Rome he delivered "warning to Italy over China's economic influence and 5G."

Pompeo "described Chinese mobile telecoms technology as a threat to Italy’s national security and the privacy of its citizens," Reuters reported.

"The United States also urges the Italian government to consider carefully the risks to its national security and the privacy of its citizens presented by technology companies with ties to the Chinese Community Party," he was quoted as saying.

The USA is seen to be mounting pressure on European countries not to use Huawei technology in the 5G networks.

Croatia plans to develop 5G networks and the first stage is to introduce this technology in a few cities: Osijek, Bjelovar, Karlovac, and Rijeka.

Croatia and China have stepped up their bilateral cooperation over the last few years, and the current biggest infrastructure project in Croatia -- the construction of Peljesac Bridge -- is being implemented by Chinese builders.

Croatia is one of the members of the China+16 platform for the cooperation between Beijing and central and east European countries.

 Therefore, it will be no surprise if  Mike Pompeo delivers similar warnings to Croatia as he did to Italy.

The Andrej Plenkovic government on Wednesday launched procedures to conclude the Convention between Croatia and the USA for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.

This convention is likely to be one of the topics of the Dubrovnik talks.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, Sept 26, 2020  - President Zoran Milanovic said on Saturday in Pregrada that the solution to the JANAF case should be control, responsibility and cooperation in line with the Constitution and that he would meet with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to discuss the case.

The Prime Minister and his associates have spoken about the new scandal merely at the level of slogans from communist political schools, he said.

"That is not enough. He and I can consider the issue together, we can convene the National Security Council. I have also thought about that, but I am not sure that would bear fruit given the legal composition of the council and the role of some of its members," he added.

Milanovic said that a topic he and PM Andrej Plenkovic could discuss was how investigative bodies were acting. He also said that the leaking of information related to the investigation in the JANAF case constituted not only a violation of the rules under which an investigation was not a public matter but also a violation of basic moral principles.

One must be able to trust the government, Plenkovic cannot run away from responsibility

"One has to be able to trust someone at the top of the chain of command, first of all in the Croatian government. That is the prime minister and he cannot run away from responsibility," Milanovic said.

Asked whether he considered it strange that a man who had been a director for about 15 years, but whose salary had not been that large, owned a private club, Milanovic said that he did not because it was a small space of 30 square meters, and Dragan Kovacevic was not the only owner.

I was there several times, accompanied by a small number of people, he added.

As for his visits to the club during the lockdown, Milanovic said he had met there with the head of the national COVID-19 response team for practical reasons.

"Because that was during the lockdown and because a friend from Dalmatia called me who had a lot of food he would have otherwise thrown away because he had no one to give it to, we met there because it was more practical," he said, adding that this was "such a silly topic."

Asked whether he should have been informed that he was socialising with a man who was under investigation, the President responded with a counterquestion -- who would have informed him about it.

"SOA (Security and Intelligence Agency) does not have that kind of information because it does not take part in stealing money from public companies and it cannot have such information. It is one thing to be cordial to someone and that is a question of my responsibility and my judgement, but if I am in a situation to evaluate someone, to appoint them, then I have a different kind of information, but SOA is not connected to that," he added.

Asked how the case should end, Milanovic said that the solution to it was in control, responsibility, and cooperation in line with the Constitution, as well as in the separation of powers because, he added, everything was prescribed in a clear way.

Office: President to meet with PM

President Milanovic's office said in a statement later in the day that Milanovic would discuss the JANAF case and the functioning of state institutions with PM Plenkovic.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to Pregrada, Milanovic said that the topic of ambassadors which Plenkovic wanted to discuss with him would be "a topic of secondary importance (at the meeting), while the real topic will be the way this country functions."

"... It is important to discuss how this state functions, to finally see what the prime minister knows," Milanovic said.

"For months his ministers had put themselves in a situation to compromise themselves, quite unnecessarily. Someone should have known about and prevented that. Not to mention damage to JANAF. That is a topic for discussion between the prime minister and myself because we represent the state authorities, he has greater powers than I do and that is why I will adapt to his schedule. Speaking of the principle of separation of powers, there is also the principle of cooperation between state institutions. One has to be able to trust someone... at the top of the chain of command, primarily in the government. That person is the prime minister and he cannot run away from responsibility," said Milanovic.

He noted that the prime minister had told him that they had to meet.

"I do not have the last say here, he does, but I will not stop talking. This is simply a test which has shown that Croatia has a problem," Milanovic said as cited by his office.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.