ZAGREB, 17 March, 2021 - Some parliamentary opposition parties on Wednesday criticised amendments to the Act on the Rights of Homeland War Veterans, saying that they unnecessarily expanded rights for that group, while the ruling majority dismissed their claims.

Damir Bakić of the Green-Left Bloc said the bill was harmful as it introduced in more than one way additional and not necessarily needed benefits, both financial and non-financial, for war veterans and members of their families.

"That will additionally move them away from society and real life, as if we were creating a new caste for which special rules apply," said Bakić.

Under the amendments, members of the families of fallen war veterans that already have their housing problems solved will each be able to regulate their housing needs under the bill, obstacles to one-off financial aid are being removed, the scope of persons who are given priority in employment is being expanded, Bakić said, citing some of the examples.

Silvano Hrelja of the Croatian Pensioner Party/Croatian Peasant Party group said he had nothing against war veterans being first-class citizens but that he was against pensioners being second-class citizens, so he proposed amendment of the Pension Insurance Act.

"The existing law on war veterans is good and what is now being proposed should be scrapped. Too much is too much," said Hrelja.

He stressed that defenders and disabled war veterans were worthy of everyone and every generation's respect, without special privileges and benefits.

Social Democrat Martina Vlašić-Iljkić said it was not necessary to additionally expand veterans' rights.

"How long will this continue? 25 years after the war the status of war veteran and disabled war veteran is being recognised," she asked, noting that care for war veterans was good, especially if compared to care for other groups such as pensioners, the socially deprived and civilians with disabilities.

Marijana Balić of the ruling HDZ party said the amendments were not about additional rights but exclusively about technical organisation regarding the exercise of rights from a law adopted in 2017, expediting procedures for granting the status of disabled war veteran, housing provision procedures, social rights and adjustment of pension insurance-related rights.

Miro Bulj (Bridge) and Željko Sačić (Sovereignists) said that they supported amendments designed to expedite procedures but noted that they could not help but think that they were being proposed for election purposes, and their view was supported by Stipo Mlinarić of the Homeland Movement.

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On Friday, the Homeland War Museum was officially opened in Turanj, a village near Karlovac where the collection of the Homeland War arms and equipment has been preserved as an open-air exhibition for a while.

Now the entire museum, including the exhibition within the building, has been opened to the public by the Croatian President, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.

At the museum opening ceremony, she reminded everyone that Turanj was not only one of the many locations where Croatia was defended during the war, but that it was also an important symbol of victory for all of Croatia.

The President reminded everyone that the imagined border of the so-called Greater Serbia was supposed to be Virovitica-Karlovac-Karlobag, and that because of the shape of Croatia, the biggest danger was around Karlovac.

However, she added that "Croatia wasn't broken here - rather, Turanj became the symbol of victory for Croatia". The President also said that it's important to cultivate the culture of remembrance, and expressed her hope that the Homeland War Museum will become one of the key symbols of the memory of the Homeland war, along with the water tower of Vukovar.

Tomo Medved, Minister of Veteran Affairs, said that the museum is mostly directed towards the younger generations, as a permanent reminder of more recent Croatian history and the strength, determination and bravery of Croatian soldiers. The Homeland War Museum has already become a part of the visit made by eighth-graders to Vukovar, Turanj, Knin and Okučani, which is a part of obligatory history lessons. Medved added that the Museum should also serve a tourist purpose, as it will be in all tourist catalogues and maps of the region.

Minister of Culture Nina Obuljen Koržinek visited the museum and said that it's very modern, and that she hopes that it will soon become one of the most visited museums in that part of Croatia. The total investment into the Museum was almost 27 million kuna, and the Ministry of Culture participated with eight million kuna.

The building that houses the museum was named "Hotel California" during the worst days of destruction, and it has been conserved in such a delapidated state, which made it the exhibit in the museum itself. In addition to the indoor exhibition, the open-air collection includes 23 makeshift armored vehicles and several planes used during the war.

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