Croatian taxpayers are financing new expensive Audis for three parliament vice presidents. The monthly payment for each car equals the average Croatian citizen’s take-home pay. The brand-new cars were delivered in December 2019, came with 60-month contracts and a monthly installment of 5541 HRK (744 EUR) per car.

Three of Five Vice Presidents Accepted Audi A6

Three of the five deputies in Croatian Parliament accepted and are driving brand new Audi A6 cars, the Croatian Parliament press office confirmed to Hina. The new cars were offered to four vice presidents, as Božo Petrov (Most) had refused an offer to use an official car earlier.

Željko Reiner (HDZ), Furio Radin (NZ) and Siniša Hajdaš-Dončić (SDP) accepted state-funded Audi 6 luxury cars.

Three Vice Presidents accepted the luxury cars: Željko Reiner (HDZ), Furio Radin (NZ) and Siniša Hajdaš-Dončić (SDP). However not Milijan Brkić (HDZ) kept a previously financed Škoda Superb. Unofficially, Brkić will continue to use the official Škoda Superb, rejecting the new official Audi A6, a model purchased for the vice-presidents less than a year before the end of their terms, according to Novi List on January 15, 2020.

Petrov Does Not Want to Spend State Funds on Most

"I do not want to spend the financial resources of the state, or of all taxpayers, for Most’s party needs," explained Petrov, the only vice-president of Parliament who is also his party's president, in his official car waiver. The official car, he says, was returned a year ago, in January 2019, at the beginning of the European Parliament election campaigns, and he maintained this position during the presidential election campaign.

Božo Petrov (Most) refused Audi A6 and Milijan Brkić (HDZ) will keep state-financed Škoda Superb.

"It makes no sense for me to go around the country in a car which belongs to the state, and use it to promote the objectives of Most," Petrov said explicitly.

Parliament has not revealed the cost of the cars. However, they confirmed that the new cars were delivered in December 2019 after 60-month contracts were signed with a monthly installment of 5541 HRK (744 EUR) for each car. Multiplying the monthly payment by 60 months totals 332,460 HRK (44,654 EUR) for each car. Multiplying that total by three comes to a 997,380 HRK (133,961 EUR) bill for Croatian taxpayers to provide Reiner, Radin and Hajdaš-Dončić with luxury cars.

Vice Presidents Not Asked Before UZOP Audi A6 Procurement

The parliament deputies were not consulted before the new cars were purchased according to the press office statement. And parliament itself does procure them, nor does it manage the fleet for its own needs or those of parliamentary officials.

"These affairs are the responsibility of the Ureda za opće poslove Hrvatskog sabora i Vlade (Office for General Affairs of the Croatian Parliament) and the Government, which also manages the transportation for parliament officials, the government and all its offices, as well as the transportation of foreign delegations and protocol programs," the parliamentary press office explained regarding UZOP duties.

From 2014 to March 2019, UZOP had a “certain number of vehicles” at their disposal which were leased to serve the needs of users and the beneficiaries. These vehicle procurements are based on a public procedure and conducted by the Središnji državni ured za javnu nabavu (Central State Office for Public Procurement) and the framework agreement effective 2013.

In 2018, one year prior to the expiration of this contract, UZOP reported the need to procure new cars through financial and operational leasing to the Central State Office. They specified the car classes prescribed by the government and parliamentary decision on the conditions of use for official cars, mobile phones, etc. and guidelines for fleet management.

According to the decision, the vice presidents of the parliament have a right to use an official upper middle-class passenger category auto, according to the parliament statement regarding the length and details of the car procurement process.

Škoda Superb with a 202,343 HRK (27,178 EUR) price tag.

UZOP Purchased 18 Škoda Superb Autos for Croatian Parliament

Since the public procurement procedures for new vehicles were not completed by end of March 2019, and the older purchased autos under previous contracts had to be paid off, several cars were rented for the interim. Those rentals ended on July 15, 2019 when 18 middle-class Škoda Superb cars were purchased with financial leases.

The parliament press office stated that the complete procedure for the procurement of cars, 27 different classes in this case, was according to regulations, to serve the needs all institutions under the jurisdiction of the UZOP and the Central State Office, which provided the technical specifications for the required car classes (engine power, accessories, etc.)

The Central State Office reviews and evaluates the tenders, makes the selection, and then concludes the framework agreement. Neither parliament, UZOP, nor future users of official vehicles influence this process, the press office emphasizes.

New Audi 6 Cars Shipped in December 2019

The procedure for procuring the Audi A6 cars was published in the Narodne novine (Official Gazette) on September 18, 2018, the car selection decision was made on May 2, 2019. The vehicles were delivered in December 2019.

Follow our Politics page to keep updated on the brands and models of taxpayer-funded cars that top Croatian government officials are driving.

ZAGREB, January 17, 2019 - During a parliamentary debate on a report submitted by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković about his attendance at European Council meetings in 2018, Nikola Grmoja of the opposition MOST party said that Plenković and Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić were working in the interests of Serbia, which caused an uproar in the parliament chamber, prompting Speaker Gordan Jandroković to order a 10-minute break in a bid to defuse the situation.

Grmoja said that although Serbia had failed to meet benchmarks from Chapter 23 in its accession talks with the European Union, it had nevertheless opened new chapters. He accused Pejčinović Burić and Plenković of doing nothing to prevent such developments. He then reiterated several times that the Croatian prime minister and foreign minister were working in Serbia's interests.

In his response, Plenković said: "Don't say that. Your look pathetic when you say that the foreign minister is working in the interests of Serbia. You can be creative, but don't be pathetic." The PM said that he would not allow the situation to turn into a spiral of recriminations that could end up in incidents.

After Plenković's response, Grmoja kept on saying that the prime minister was nervous, which caused clamour among lawmakers.

At that point, the parliament speaker said that a 10-minute break would ensue, urging MPs to stop trading insults. "You are making serious accusations against the prime minister, claiming that he works in the interests of another state. That is slander," Jandroković said addressing Grmoja.

During the break Grmoja told the commercial broadcaster N1 that Plenković had attempted to lunge at him, but was prevented by other MPs.

After the break, several MPs again proposed a new break, while Grmoja kept claiming that Plenković had tried to lunge at him during the previous break. "I do not know if he would have hit me but he wanted to come at me in his nervous state," Grmoja said.

Lawmakers Milorad Pupovac and Anka Mrak Taritaš called for an end to emotionally-charged debates in parliament.

The government press office on Wednesday dismissed Grmoja's claims about Plenković and FM Pejčinović Burić working in the interests of Serbia as unacceptable allegations. The government also denied the MOST MP's claim that Plenković wanted to lunge at him but was stopped by other MPs during a break in the parliament session.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković commented on his conflict with Nikola Grmoja. Plenković said that Grmoja's tirade against Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić and him, virtually accusing them of high treason, constituted hate speech and slander.

"If a person tells you in parliament that you have systematically been working in the interests of another country, in this specific case Serbia, then that is unacceptable. This crossed the line of what is normal in the Croatian parliament," the prime minister said.

He said he was going to ask Grmoja to explain who he meant was a traitor, but the MOST MP had left the chamber.

"We have witnessed a lot of insults, defamatory and slanderous statements, especially by several MOST MPs. But when a member of the Croatian parliament accuses the government of working in the interests of another country, of high treason, then we can say that the line of what can be called a political view or opinion has been crossed. That's too much and that's why I told him that his comments were pathetic," the prime minister said.

More news on the MOST party can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 14, 2019 - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Canadian Parliament Speaker Geoff Regan on Monday hailed the benefits of the trade agreement between Canada and the European Union, underscoring that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and NATO membership reinforce overall cooperation between Croatia and Canada.

Economic cooperation, notably tourism, and NATO membership are pillars of bilateral cooperation, Jandroković told the press after receiving Regan in Zagreb on Monday morning.

Their talks focused on the Croatia-Canada cooperation and efforts to increase Canadian investments in Croatia and Croatia's exports to Canada. In this context, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement is of exceptional importance, Jandroković said.

Croatia was the third country to ratify CETA.

As a result, bilateral trade increased by more than 100% in the first nine months of 2018, the speaker of the Croatian parliament said.

We are happy to see that the Republic of Croatia supported CETA, said Regan, who was on a return official visit to Zagreb.

We believe that CETA is very important for the future and for job creation as well as for connections between our two countries, he added.

Jandroković and Regan described the 300,000-strong Croat community in Canada as a strong bridge connecting the two countries that have been developing their partnership for more than 25 years.

The two countries are also connected by their membership in the Western military alliance and Canadian tourists visiting Croatia, Jandroković said, citing direct flight services from Zagreb and Split to Toronto.

Regan will wrap up his visit on Tuesday.

More news on the relations between Croatia and Canada can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 8, 2019 - The Reformists are leaving Milan Bandić's parliamentary group, party president Radimir Čačić and Reformists MP Darkinko Dubmović told N1 broadcaster on Monday, after Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) president Krešo Beljak and Social Democratic Party MP Zvane Brumnić earlier in the day gave depositions to the police and the USKOK anti-corruption agency about possible political corruption in the wake of HSS MP Mladen Mađer's defection to the parliamentary group led by the party of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić.

Čačić told N1 that Reformists would in the future act independently in parliament.

Asked if the party had notified Bandić of its decision, Čačić said they have not formally talked to him yet. A total of 12 deputies have recently crossed the floor and joined Bandić's group.

Earlier, HSS leader Beljak gave a deposition to police on possible political corruption in the wake of HSS MP Mladen Mađer's defection to the parliamentary group led by the party of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, but he would not tell reporters whom he had reported to the police or where he got the information from regarding the alleged buying of parliamentary deputies.

Beljak gave his deposition to police after the USKOK anti-corruption office confirmed last week that it was conducting a preliminary investigation.

In a statement to Hina, Brumnić denied having been offered anything either directly or through a middleman.

The head of the parliamentary group led by the party of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, Robert Jankovics, told Nova TV on Monday that he regretted that MP Darinko Dumbović of the Reformists had left the group as the cooperation with Dumbović was good, stressing that he believed Dumbović and his former parliamentary group would continue to support the Andrej Plenković government together.

That Dumbović is leaving the parliamentary group led by the Work and Solidarity Party was announced earlier on Monday evening by the leader of the People's Party - Reformists, Radimir Čačić, and MP Dumbović.

At the beginning of the current parliament's term, the parliamentary group led by the Work and Solidarity Party had only one member. Since then, a number of MPs from other parliamentary groups have crossed the floor to join this group. After Dumbović's departure, the group has 12 members.

"I understand politics. His party leader Čačić, too, has said that they want to be more politically visible, they probably could not achieve that in the current circumstances. I hope and believe that we will continue to support together the government led by Andrej Plenković, unfortunately not as members of the same parliamentary group," said Jankovics.

Asked if their credibility was undermined by cooperation with people who at the time of the election did not share the same political views and values that their parliamentary group now advocates, Jankovics said that that would be the case had they used their status in the parliamentary majority to get posts of ministerial secretaries, ministers and assistant ministers.

"All that we have done together in this group, since the time when it had four members to the present, when the group has 11 or 12 members, is to support the Andrej Plenković government and decisions made by ministers from the HDZ and the HNS," said Jankovics, the Hungarian minority MP.

Asked if he had been contacted by the USKOK anti-corruption office in connection with reports related to political corruption, Jankovics said that he had not been contacted by anyone.

Asked how the parliamentary group of which he was a member functioned except for the main condition - support for the Plenković government - Jankovics said that with regard to worldview issues, notably those causing divisions in society, the group was open to discussions and agreement.

"Some of our most important decisions were not made unanimously, we did not vote the same way on the budget. The opinion of each group member counts and we will continue working that way," he said.

Asked if they expected new defectors to join their group, Jankovics said that it was difficult to say for the time being if more new members would join the group.

He noted that it was pity that main left and liberal parties were in a difficult situation and "facing disappearance. If more new members join our group, that will be exclusively due to the difficult situation in those parties."

More news on the Zagreb mayor can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 3, 2019 - MP Mladen Mađer has decided to leave the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) and join the parliamentary group of the BM 365 Party of Work and Solidarity led by Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, the HSS said in a press release on Thursday.

With the admission of yet another defector to its ranks, the parliamentary bench of this party increased to 13 members.

Recently, former SDP officials Milanka Opačić, Zdravko Ronko and Ana Komparić Devčić crossed the floor to join this group, and Marija Puh of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) followed suit.

The other members of this group are Darinko Dumbović, Kazimir Varda, Ivica Mišić and Željko Lacković, as well as four parliamentary deputies of ethnic minorities, ethnic Hungarian Robert Jankovics, ethnic Romany Veljko Kajtazi, ethnic Albanian Ermina Lekaj Prljaskaj and ethnic Czech Vladimir Bilek.

Bandić's BM 365 Party of Work and Solidarity won only one seat in the national legislature in the September 2016 parliamentary election.

Following the latest developments, HSS leader Krešo Beljak has lodged a complaint against Mađer and Bandić with the Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) on suspicion that their defection was prompted by acts of corruption.

"We sincerely hope that independent institutions will promptly investigate this case and thus show that there is some hope for this country," the HSS said.

More news on the Zagreb mayor can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, September 1, 2018 - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Saturday that the ruling majority wanted to continue functioning stably and that stronger state institutions, economic development and greater social solidarity would continue to be the ruling majority's priorities despite the fact that it had been slim from the very beginning.

ZAGREB, August 25, 2018 - More than 40,000 kuna have been paid by lawmakers in penalties since July 2017 when the institute of fining unjustified absences from plenary sessions was introduced and not one month has gone by in the past 12 months without at least one lawmaker being absent without due justification.

ZAGREB, April 25, 2018 - Speaker of Parliament Gordan Jandroković is currently on a two-day official visit to the Swedish parliament at the invitation of Sweden's Speaker Urban Ahlin, parliament said in a press release on Wednesday.

ZAGREB, April 19, 2018 - The Croatian Parliament discussed several international agreements on Thursday, including one on the European Union - Latin American and Caribbean Foundation (EU-LAC), with MPs saying that the Foundation was a good opportunity for cooperation with the 500,000-strong Croatian diaspora.

ZAGREB, April 18, 2018 - A delegation of the Croatian parliament, led by Speaker Gordan Jandroković, has abruptly terminated their official visit to Serbia following an incident caused by Serbian Radical Party leader and MP Vojislav Šešelj, the Croatian parliament said in a press release.