ZAGREB, February 26, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday the parliamentary majority was stable despite disputes over the population census law and Sunday work, and that he was confident it would see its term through.

"It's not an issue which would destabilise the majority. I think the matter was agreed to last week already. Tomorrow I will convene the parliamentary majority and we'll discuss that too," he told reporters who asked him if he had talked with ethnic minority MPs about the census law after the rejection of their amendments to it.

Plenković said the parliamentary majority could not be destabilised by the debate on Sunday work either. The Croatian People's Party, the coalition partner of his HDZ, is against banning it.

"Despite everything, no matter how much someone tries, it won't happen. The term will be carried out until the end as it should," he said, adding that those advocating a snap election should know that "political stability is necessary for Croatia and its economy, institutions, democracy, employment, salary growth in the public and state sectors, higher pensions. Those who don't understand that are politically illiterate and irresponsible."

Plenković also commented on the resignation of Chief State Prosecutor Dražen Jelenić after it was discovered that he is a member of a Masonic organisation, saying Jelenić did his job fairly and professionally.

He would not comment on possible disciplinary procedures against Jelenić. He said it was important to him that the integrity of the State Prosecutor's Office remain beyond question and that this was why he told Jelenić that it would be appropriate for him to resign. Plenković said it was common sense for someone to say they were a member of an organisation, notably when taking one of the most important positions in the judicial system.

"I don't think Jelenić did anything illegal or that he compromised his work. He worked professionally and by the law, but this circumstance brought him into an untenable situation in that position."

Plenković also said that he had not talked with President Zoran Milanović yet about extending the term of Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) chief Daniel Markić, which expires in May. "We'll talk. Markić has my full confidence. If he wants to continue to run SOA, he will."

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, February 22, 2020 - EU member states will have to put in an extra effort to reach a compromise on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), and at this summit the time was not ripe for that, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Brussels on Friday evening.

The leaders of the 27 member states failed in their first attempt to reach an agreement on the EU budget for the 2021-2027 period because the differences in views between rich net contributors and poorer net beneficiaries were too big.

"We will have to invest an additional effort to reach a compromise, and today wasn't the time for that. From Croatia's point of view, we can be satisfied because we managed to include our special status in the negotiating framework and that is that we are the only country that has used only one seven-year budget. We also managed to include the issue of depopulation and demographic revitalisation, which has never before been in the negotiating box," Plenković said after the extraordinary summit.

The proposal drawn up by European Council President Charles Michel provides for an additional allocation for countries that have used only one seven-year budget, and only Croatia fits this definition. Additional funding is also envisaged for countries that have recorded considerable population losses due to emigration.

"Our colleagues look at this effort on our part as if we, colloquially speaking, put a foot in the door. This is our position now. However, we all will still have to do a lot of work to reach a comprehensive compromise," the Croatian PM said.

He could not predict when a new summit would be convened to try to reach an agreement on the MFF.

"If we were to meet next week, I'm afraid we would still be in the same positions as we are today. We will have to find a way to bring our positions closer together, see when the time is ripe and then meet again," Plenković said.

"The position of most of the countries is quite clear and no one has anything against respecting the rule of law, and any serious violations of the rule of law require a response. The key in this debate is not to leave too much space to arbitrariness but to say precisely what that refers to," he added.

The majority of the summit, convened to reach a compromise on the 2021-2027 MFF, passed in bilateral meetings, while a plenary session had been delayed throughout the day.

After a full two days of talks a new proposal was put on the table that the next seven-year budget should be 1.069 percent of the gross national income, but it did not receive leaders' support. The amount is slightly lower than 1.074 percent proposed by European Council President Michel.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of February, 2020, restricting the work of shops on Sundays seems to be a new stumbling block in the Government of PM Andrej Plenkovic, according to a report from Jutarnji list on Saturday.

The Croatian Government, as it stands now, will have a hard time pushing for a proposal in Parliament to restrict the operation of shops on Sundays, and it also indicates that the topic could spark fraying relations between the parties in the ruling coalition once again. HNS has announced that it will not support HDZ's proposal to put the key in the locks of shop doors on Sundays, according to the publication.

This can be felt in the answers received by Jutarnji list from the leading Croatian parties. While in some parties they don't yet want to come out openly with their official position on whether or not to restrict the operation of shops on Sundays, in others, including HNS, they openly oppose this.

''As a liberal party, HNS opposes all forms of bans, including Sunday bans, because we believe that this isn't something that should be regulated by the state, but solely by the laws of the market. We believe that everyone should have the right to choose whether or not they want to work on Sundays, but we're also of the opinion that those working should feel valued, and therefore we advocate that, with the prescribed enforcement mechanisms, they're paid twice as much for working on Sundays than working on a regular business day,'' HNS said.

In that particular party, they refer to the experiences of other countries, pointing to the example of neighbouring Montenegro, in which a ban on shops operating on Sundays resulted in a decline in employment.

"HNS, as a party for which workers and entrepreneurs are a high priority, cannot allow this. Therefore, as a result, HNS will not support this HDZ initiative, nor will it support other similar legal solutions,'' HNS said.

HSLS, a party that also supports PM Andrej Plenkovic's Government, is also openly opposed to restricting work on Sundays. HSLS estimates that the Croatian economy is already over-regulated and that it should not be further regulated, and thus the restriction of the work of traders and shops on Sundays should not come into force.

They also recall the Constitutional Court's previous decisions in this area, and fear that any restriction on the operation of shops on Sundays would merely open a proverbial Pandora's box of legal uncertainty, Jutarnji list reported.

Make sure to follow our politics page for more information on PM Andrej Plenkovic's Government and much more.

ZAGREB, February 19, 2020 - President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday that he would agree with the government's proposal that Rear Admiral Robert Hranj be appointed new military chief of staff.

In his address to reporters Milanovic, who was inaugurated on Tuesday, said that he had already discussed this topic with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

In comments by reporters that it seemed to them that Plenković had appeared displeased at his inauguration, the new president said that their conversation yesterday was normal.

Milanovic admitted there were normal sparks, and there may be some in the future or maybe there won't be."

"I can already hear interpretations of who stood up, who shook hands (at the inauguration). There is no clear protocol," Milanovic said alluding to some media reports on the inauguration ceremony.

As for some criticism against his future adviser for education, Jadranka Pečenković Žarković, a psychologist and a former head of the Education and Teacher Training Agency, Milanović dismissed claims that she used to send teachers and children to lectures organised by "In the Name of Family" association and the association of retired generals.

"That is not true. Somebody obviously has a grudge (against her). She was at the helm of the agency for four years. She will be my adviser," Milanovic said, explaining that Pečenković Žarković is an experienced expert who does not belong to any "clan."

The Education and Teacher Training Agency is a public institution responsible for the provision of professional and advisory support in the area of general education in Croatia.

On his first day in office, Milanović visited Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery to lay wreaths at the Wall of Pain, the National Heroes vault and the grave of unidentified Homeland War victims. Milanovic also laid flowers and lit candles at the graves of the first Croatian President Franjo Tuđman and the Social Democratic leader and a former prime minister, Ivica Račan.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 19, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday the nomination of Vice Admiral Robert Hranj as new military chief of staff would be on the government's agenda on Thursday and that there were no problems with President Zoran Milanović in agreeing on the nomination.

Plenković told reporters Hranj was one of the key people in the Main Staff who, together with the head of his office, was at the helm of a task force for the procurement of fighter jets.

Most important for the government and the defence minister is that the Croatian army functions well and that the highest commanders are reputable officials with the skills and knowledge necessary for the army, he said.

Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said Hranj was a good choice and that their cooperation so far had been very good.

Reporters asked both officials what they thought about Milanović's inauguration earlier today.

Plenković said he saw no problem in the fact that he did not comment on it earlier. "This was the inauguration of the president of the republic, it's his day. I was there, respecting Croatian institutions and the whole process. I congratulated him and think everything was okay."

Plenković said Milanović's speech was about how he saw society and his work ahead, adding that the government has its own programme and work.

Asked what their cohabitation would be like, he said they would cooperate there where the constitution and the law "connected" them, adding that today they talked informally and not about when they would meet.

Krstičević once again congratulated the new president. "What's key is that we focus on the further development and strengthening of the Croatian army and that's my task."

The prime minister also commented on announcements that gas prices would go down. "I think that's good," he said, adding that it was important that the goal was to raise living standards, which he said could be achieved by reducing expenses and raising salaries.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 16, 2020 - Europe should reach a new consensus on how to protect its citizens and that consensus should be based on the rule of law, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Sunday.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference 2020, Plenković said that due to differences between member-states, citizens' expectation to feel safe had not been entirely met.

Plenković, whose country is chairing the EU, said that the new consensus should be based on European values, primarily the rule of law.

The rule of law is the main foundation of our values, he stressed. Democracy, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law strengthen one another to the point where one cannot exist without the other, he said.

Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, too, defended the foundations of liberal democracy in Europe, saying that the rule and spirit of law must remain intact.

Only then can we have a Europe that fully protects. The rule of law in its essence is about respect for the truth, she said.

The two officials did not mention explicitly any EU member country but EU members Hungary and Poland are faced with criticism that they violate European values, which is why they could lose their voting rights and money from European funds.

The ruling Hungarian party Fidesz of Prime Minister Viktor Orban was suspended over breaches of European values from the European People's Party (EPP), to which PM Plenković's HDZ belongs.

"A Europe that protects" was a topic of discussion at the leading world forum on international security policy in Munich and it is one of the priorities of Croatia's EU presidency in the first half of 2020.

The new European guidelines in the area of freedom, security and justice will be based on mutual trust, territorial integrity and new technologies and artificial intelligence, Plenković said.

Those principles will continue to be developed in a new pact on migration and asylum which the European Commission is expected to present in the spring.

Despite differences between member-states, there is an agreement on the pact's goals, primarily the need to simplify the asylum system so that decisions can be made in the most efficient way and in the interest of all persons involved, said Plenković.

We need a more organised management of migrations, with real time monitoring, early warnings and a joint coordinated response, he added.

Zagreb will also advocate assistance by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency to Southeast European countries in the protection of their borders and in halting illegal migrations before they reach EU borders.

Speaking of threats that require a joint European response, Plenković also cited terrorism, cyber-attacks, hybrid warfare, terrorist content on the Internet, child sexual abuse and protection of critical infrastructure and public spaces.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 8, 2020 - The Croatian EU Presidency is taking place at a decisive period for the future of Europe, when the multiannual EU budget is being decided on, while London and EU are beginning negotiations on future relations, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said for the Italian agency Agenzia Nova.

Politically and economically, the most important topic of the presidency is the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), noted the prime minister.

"We will work on reaching an agreement, along with European Council President Charles Michel, who has taken over the negotiations."

This is one of the most complex topics within the Union, and it is obvious that substantial differences of opinion exist, Plenković said.

"In that context, we will give Michel, who took on the preparation of the 'negotiation box', all the support possible and all while advocating for the acknowledgement of Croatia's specificities as the youngest member of the Union who has had access to European funds for the shortest period," stated Plenković, convinced that an agreement acceptable to all will be reached in the end.

Plenković also noted that Croatia was determined to take on a key role in the process of EU enlargement, because that is in the political, economic, and security interest for Croatia and the whole of the EU.

"That refers mostly to reaching a positive decision on opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, as well as conducting regular meetings in various formats such as the Zagreb summit."

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 28, 2020 - During the first 39 months of the term of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's government, 14 cabinet ministers have been replaced with most of them having to step down due to scandals related to their personal property and assets.

In addition to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the only ministers from the original cabinet, which came into power on 19 October 2016, include Finance Minister Zdravko Marić, Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved, Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, Minister of Culture Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli and Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Ćorić, who was originally Minister of Labour and Pension System.

The most recent minister to "fall" from Plenković's "starting lineup" is Health Minister Milan Kujundžić while the first ministers, who were "expelled" were ministers nominated by the MOST party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) junior coalition partner after the September 2016 election, after they voted against rejecting a no confidence motion, submitted by the Opposition, against Finance Minister Marić.

This led to a new parliamentary majority being formed with the Croatian People's Party (HNS) taking on the role of HDZ's junior coalition partner in mid-2017 when changes happened at the helm of seven ministerial departments.

The HNS nominated Predrag Štromar for the Minister of Construction, while Blaženka Divjak took on the Ministry of Science and Education replacing Pavao Barišić who was ousted due to the scandal of alleged self-plagiarism of a research paper

Davor Božinović who had served as chief-of-staff in Plenković's office was then appointed as Minister of Interior Affairs while Dražen Bošnjaković was appointed as Justice Minister. Tomislav Ćorić was appointed as Minister of Environment and Energy vacating his ministerial position of labour and pension system which was then taken over by Marko Pavić while Lovro Kuščević was appointed Public Administration Minister.

Disappointed with the fact that the government took the HNS as its junior partner, the then Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Davor Ivo Stier of the HDZ, resigned and his position was taken over by Marija Pejčinovic Burić.

When the "hotmail" scandal erupted regarding the adoption of the law on systemic companies, dubbed Lex Agrokor, in May 2018, Economy Minister Martina Dalić was replaced by Darko Horvat.

The next major government reshuffle occurred over non-transparent property dealings surrounding four ministers which was why in July last year Plenković dismissed Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić, Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Gabrijela Žalac, Public Administration Minister Kuščević and State Assets Minister Goran Marić.

Nada Murganić, who was at the helm of the ministry of demographics, family, youth and social policy was replaced due to accumulated problems in social welfare system.

Marija Vučković was appointed Agriculture Minister in the reshuffled government while Marko Pavić was transferred to the helm of Regional Development and EU Funds. The Labour Ministry was taken over by Josip Aladrović while Ivan Malenica was appointed to the Public Administration Ministry and Vesna Bedeković was appointed to the Ministry of Demography, the Family, Youth and Social Policy, and Mario Banožić took on the State Assets Ministry.

During that same reshuffle, Pejčinović Buric who was already elected Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, was replaced by Gordan Grlić Radman.

According to the latest reports, Minister Kujundžić will be replaced by Assistant Minister Vili Beroš.

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, January 22, 2020 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday that the talks he held at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos were very useful for the strengthening of bilateral relations as well as for the positioning of Croatia on the global scene in the context of its current EU presidency.

"Yesterday and today we held a number of meetings... the talks in Davos were very useful, in terms of bilateral relations, our role regarding various topics and dossiers that are important for them in the context of Croatia's EU presidency and generally for our positioning in forums like this one," Plenković told Croatian reporters in Davos.

The Croatian PM on Tuesday attended two panels and held talks with a number of political officials and business people, and on Wednesday he met with French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno La Maire.

Before that meeting, he took part in the informal meeting "An ascendant Europe" on the topic of Europe's future, "the strengthening of its position and its role as one of the main stakeholders in global trade."

Plenković said that it was noted that the EU had to show leadership in global governance and do things that were in the interest of its companies and citizens, while taking into account social responsibility.

An overarching topic of the 50th World Economic Forum is social responsibility. The forum must take into account challenges such as climate change and topics that Croatia imposed in the European Council, such as the issue of demography and emigration of people from rural areas to urban ones and from less developed to more developed member states, said Plenković.

These topics were adopted in discussions held this year, which was not the case last year, said Plenković.

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, January 20, 2020 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will attend the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss ski resort of Davos on Tuesday and Wednesday, during which he is due to hold a number of bilateral meetings with high-level international political and economic officials.

The summit meeting will focus on issues such as climate change, slowing global growth, trade wars, and conflicts and tensions in the Middle East, north Africa and east Asia.

The Croatian prime minister is scheduled to participate in three discussions, according to a government press release issued on Sunday.

On Tuesday, he will attend a meeting called "Dialogue on the Western Balkans", moderated by WEF President Borge Brende. Among those attending will be Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

On the same day, Plenković will attend a working meeting entitled "Generating Growth in Central and Eastern Europe", together with European Parliament President David Sassoli, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

Also on Tuesday, the Croatian prime minister will attend a formal dinner given by the WEF founder and executive chairman, Klaus Schwab.

On Wednesday, Plenković is scheduled to attend an informal meeting of global economic leaders.

This year's summit will gather together a number of heads of state or government, business leaders, activists and scientists, including US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and young Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

During his time in Davos, the Croatian prime minister is due to hold a number of bilateral meetings. He will meet with Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh and French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.

He is also scheduled to meet with the Secretary-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhan Ghebreyesus, the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, Luca Visentini, European Research Council President Mauro Ferrari, the Dean of INSEAD Singapore, Ilian Mihov, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Visa Europe CEO Charlotte Hogg, European Investment Bank President Alexander Stubb and Booking.com CEO Gillian Tans.

More foreign policy news can be found in the Politics section.