ZAGREB, July 20, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic said on Monday that the reason why he would not attend the inaugural session of Parliament lay solely in his understanding of the role and status of the Croatian Parliament.

"The reason why I am not coming to the session lies solely in my understanding of the role and status of the Croatian Parliament - its independence of the President. That's all. This is at the same time both affirmative and well-intended towards the Sabor," Milanovic wrote in a Facebook post.

He said he had read comments saying that all his predecessors had attended such sessions and that this was the first time the President would not come.

"Tudjman attended and firmly controlled the work of the Sabor, often outside his (otherwise great) constitutional powers. Presidents Mesic, Josipovic, and Grabar-Kitarovic attended for their own reasons, I'm not going into them here, but I believe they meant well. My view is different," the President said.

"I have been elected by the will of the citizens to the office of the President, which is largely (but not exclusively) ceremonial. I am not going to automatically repeat everything that someone before me did or did not do," Milanovic said and added: "This is just the beginning. There will be more changes."

"Finally, a big kiss to all haters. The biggest kiss to false analysts who all have their petty business arrangements with the government. They have been faithfully following me for a decade and a half," he concluded.

ZAGREB, July 20, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic described on Monday as very unusual President Zoran Milanovic's decision not to attend the inauguration of the new parliament on Wednesday.

Milanovic's office said on Sunday he would not attend the session.

Speaking to the press, Plenkovic said, "I know what is certain, parliament will be inaugurated. It's very unusual from what I've seen in the media. We haven't talked about it. It was news to me."

He recalled that everyone who had been invited attended Milanovic's inauguration. "We received an invitation and attended because we respect the Croatian institutions, state symbols. That was our logic. I can't see why he doesn't want to do it, you should ask him."

Plenkovic would not say if this was a case of disrespect and derogation of the office of the president. "Very unusual. It's no reason for us to bicker via the media," he added.

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic on Friday received a delegation of the Independent Union in Science and Higher Education who had requested the meeting in order to inform the president of the latest developments at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, the President's Office said in a press release.

The Independent Union in Science and Higher Education considers, the delegation said, that it was inappropriate to suspend the faculty's dean.

According to the delegation, the situation at the faculty is the result of the abuse of the university's autonomy. The union has become involved because it wishes to defend the system and management procedures at the university, the delegation said. For the system to function overall, it is necessary to regulate the university's management structures by amending legislation, the press release said. 

ZAGREB, July 17, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic said on Friday that it was his duty to point to problems, and described as "utterly uncivilised" some media interpretations of his tete-a-tete talks with PM Andrej Plenkovic as his attempt "to pontificate and lecture" Plenkovic on how to solve the problems.

Milanovic said that attempts by some to retell what he and Plenkovic discussed during their tete-a-tete talks on Thursday were uncivilised and criticised media articles that claimed that during the ceremony of entrusting Plenkovic with the task to form the next government he "pontificated and lectured" Plenkovic on the role of the national COVID-19 crisis management team.

"I did not pontificate on anything," Milanovic said during his visit to an exhibition in Zagreb on Friday.

My behaviour was transparent and concerned a very important topic, the president insisted.

He also said that after yesterday's talks with the prime minister he had not divulged the contents of their talks.

However, there are some people spreading their version and there are media ready to publish all that. Can that be called journalism?" wondered the Croatian president, adding that it was actually bad practice.

As for the topic of the role of the COVID-19 crisis response team, Milanovic reiterated his position that in Croatia there was no place for principles that were valid in the Soviet Union when it came to human rights.

"We a western European country. I must point to that," Milanovic said in the context of his comments on the legislative solutions for the crisis management team.

I believe that the Croatian parliament should definitely set a time frame for how long the government can be authorised to make decisions from the parliament's remit (on the COVID-related problems), Milanovic said adding that he had a very constructive approach towards the government.

He also praised the example of Spain in this context.

On Thursday, addressing the reporters after he nominated Plenkovic as the PM-designate, Milanovic said that he expects a clearer and more precise legal framework from the perspective of the Constitution related to the national COVID-19 response team, such as defining powers for adopting measures and their duration, adding that the current legislation does not define that.

"That can be resolved so that the government or parliamentary majority, pursuant to Article 17 of the Constitution, decides to suspend human rights to a certain degree for a certain period of time in cases like this. That way we would have a clearer legal situation. We are a law-based state. We know what can be done and for how long. Such a decision would make the legal regime we live in a lot clearer and make it easier for the government to do that. I call on all lawmakers to support such a motion if it is put forward," said Milanovic then.

Milanovic hopes that there will be way out of the crisis

In connection with the closing of the Meggle factory in Osijek and announced lay-offs in some companies, Milanovic said that it was on the government to deal with the economic issues.

Possible layoffs loom in whole Europe, including Croatia, and went on to say that the government in Croatia could not be held responsible for the corona crisis.

He said he hoped that the country would be dragged out of the crisis.

"The solace is all are faced with similar problems more or less. I hope that the next year will be a year of recovery and growth," he added

"The European Union is dealing well with the current situation," he said underscoring that this conduct of the EU in the current situation is by rules.

ZAGREB, July 16, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic on Thursday said he believes that reducing the number of ministries from 20 to 16 is good because that will facilitate doing the job and that decision is the prime minister's discretionary right.

"If it will be easier for the prime minister to work, then that is good and that is his right. That is a reduction in the number of ministers and not the number of ministries, several plaques will be changed. That is the prime minister's discretionary right," Milanovic told reporters in the president's office after appointing Andrej Plenkovic prime minister-designate.

Milanovic said that the number of employees would remain the same as will the number of administrations, adding that it is difficult to talk of downsizing when are faced with difficult financial time.

I have supported most of the government's measures

"In my opinion, the government doesn't need to look at how much people are being paid but what they are doing for that salary, what their productivity is like. That is more difficult to measure than it is in the private sector. It is more difficult to gauge the productivity of diplomats, tax officers, police officers, and all those who constitute the state administration and public sector. If that will help the prime minister, and it will because 16 people are easier to work with than 20, all the better then," said Milanovic.

Asked about a "tough cohabitation" between him and the prime minister, Milanovic said that he has supported most of the government's measures and that he has supported the government.

"The things we didn't agree or perhaps didn't understand are some symbolic events. My stance about that is known. It will not change. It is hardly likely to change after all these years and hard to believe it will change in the next few years while I am the president. If I consider that something is not good, not right, that it is damaging, I will react. I have said some things," said Milanovic. 

He underscored that he is pleased that one deputy prime minister will be a member of ethnic minorities and that that is the continuation of a "practice of good spirit" which he always supported and implemented.

"That isn't just a symbolic thing. That is something that distinguishes Croatia as a society, as a community, as a political community from many its neighbours, unfortunately many," he added.

"For the homeland ready" should be penalised as hate speech

Asked about banning the Ustasha salute "For the homeland ready," he said the question is whether we will continue to treat it as disturbing the peace or penalise it as hate speech.

"I am not one for bans, nor punishment, but there is no choice here. That needs to be penalised as a criminal offence but with a mild sentence that will leave a mark on whoever intends to entertain that idea, so that that is known, but it should be punishable. It hurts a lot of people but I will not put pressure on that topic. That is up to the will and conscience of those who can change that," he underscored.

Speaking about a law on the post-earthquake reconstruction of Zagreb, Milanovic claimed that Zagreb has been the most neglected city, with a significant and serious historical urban centre, and that now is the opportunity to change that.

"It is our city. It is the capital of all Croats. It is Croatia's Jerusalem in a way. That city has been neglected. There was money for reconstruction. However, nothing was done. This is an opportunity for the City of Zagreb and the government to do a lot. That, above all, has been the responsibility of the City of Zagreb," he said.

Crossing the floor will require answering more than just one question

Milanovic believes that the support of 76 lawmakers in the 151-seat parliament is sufficient for a stable government and he wished the prime minister all the best, adding that he would have liked for those people who were ideologically and programme-wise close to him to have spontaneously supported Plenkovic as well.

"It's obvious that cooperation will not happen. I expect anyone who in the future decides to support the government to explain that very well, given the mild micro-traumas we experienced with people crossing the floor in the past four years. Anyone who decides to do something like that in the future has to answer more than one question," claimed Milanovic.

He said that he expects a clearer and more precise legal framework from the perspective of the Constitution related to the national COVID-19 response team, such as defining powers for adopting measures and their duration, adding that the current legislation does not define that.

"That can be resolved so that the government or parliamentary majority, pursuant to Article 17 of the Constitution, decides to suspend human rights to a certain degree for a certain period of time in cases like this. That way we would have a clearer legal situation. We are a law-based state. We know what can be done and for how long. Such a decision would make the legal regime we live in a lot clearer and make it easier for the government to do that. I call on all lawmakers to support such a motion if it is put forward," said Milanovic.

ZAGREB, July 8, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic on Wednesday called on Austrians to spend their summer vacation in Croatia, noting that Croatia's coast, where numerous Austrians traditionally spend their holidays, "is as safe as can be."

"I would like to use this opportunity to, first of all, invite Austrian citizens to visit Croatia," Milanovic said in Vienna after a meeting with his Austrian and Slovenian counterparts.

Milanovic noted that Croatia was safe with regard to the coronavirus and that incidents, which are occurring in all countries, "are relatively or absolutely rare" in Croatia.

"The coast is long, sparsely populated and there are few people. I don't want to sound overly pathetic but we are waiting for you. It is as safe as can be," Milanovic said, adding that he was speaking rationally and could substantiate what he was saying.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen stressed that it was in the interest of the three countries to keep their borders open and that as a native of Tirol, he had a lot of understanding for people wishing to spend their vacation on the coast.

An Austrian reporter wanted to know how accurate claims were that Croatia was a safe country considering that it tested four times fewer people than Austria.

Milanovic said that Croatia did the test too little but that hospitals were not overcrowded and that a very small number of people were on ventilators, far fewer than during last year's flu season.

He added that the mortality rate in Croatia was lower than during last year's flu season.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor stressed that his country, Austria and Croatia had shown that it was possible to live relatively normally with the coronavirus, with open borders and continued economic activity.

"People comply with (epidemiological) measures if they are proven to be of vital importance," Pahor said after the seventh meeting of the three countries' presidents held in a trilateral format, with the first being held in 2014 in Vienna.

Van der Bellen said that the three countries did not want their tourism sectors to collapse and that the Austrian economy depended on neighbouring economies.

A lot of people in Austria are not aware just how intertwined we are with other countries like Croatia, Slovenia or Slovakia in terms of the economy. It is in our interest for those countries, too, to overcome the economic crisis as soon as possible, said the Austrian president.

He stressed the issue of the climate crisis, noting that a vaccine against COVID-19 would be found but that there was no vaccine against the climate crisis.

In the coming years, we will have to deal with both problems. But that also brings opportunities for Europe's sustainable recovery, said Van der Bellen, elected as president on the Greens slate.

Milanovic, too, called for greater action regarding green policies, saying that the coronavirus would pass but that problems the world was faced with due to climate change were of such magnitude "that we must not stop thinking about them for a single moment."

ZAGREB, June 26, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic said on Friday that due to an increase in the number of new coronavirus infections, postponement of parliamentary elections set for July 5 was theoretically possible but that he doubted that the election would be postponed.

Milanovic noted that postponement of the elections in the current situation would be constitutionally possible but that it would require his holding talks with the prime minister as well as understanding on the part of the Opposition.

"Such a situation is not exactly envisaged by the Constitution, but some sort of solution would be found. I believe it would be theoretically possible, but in practice that is not going to happen," Milanovic said after attending a graduation ceremony at the Dr Franjo Tudjman Military Academy.

Milanovic added that he would not initiate talks on the postponement of the elections because he had not been the one to dissolve the parliament.

"I said that elections should be held at some other time, but after that I stopped commenting. (PM) Plenkovic contacted me and I asked him about his priorities, and holding elections on June 21 was definitely not among them," Milanovic said in reference to Plenkovic's statement that "by dissolving Parliament in May we wanted the election to be held when the intensity of the coronavirus was lowest, and it was the President who decided that the election would be held on the second to last date possible under the constitution."

Milanovic went on to say that June 28 and July 5 had been discussed as possible dates.

"I said, 'They will be held on July 5'. Hindsight is a good thing, but one leaves traces. I cannot do anything with regard to elections now without the prime minister's initiative, but that, too, is questionable. That option has not been specified," he said when asked about the possibility of delaying the elections set for July 5.

Asked what would happen if the situation with the coronavirus escalated, Milanovic said that he did not know and that one should have thought about it sooner.

Asked about the politicisation of the national team managing the coronavirus crisis, Milanovic said that he, himself, was asking himself such questions but that he did not know the answer.

"I have been wondering about some things, but I have called the elections, they should be held on July 5, and that's it," he said.

Milanovic was also asked to comment on the Adria Tour tennis tournament in Zadar, at which several players have contracted COVID-19, including the world's No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic.

"We were breaking news on CNN yesterday morning, but not for positive things. CNN is watched by guests on whom we may have counted to visit, and now that's not going to happen. I understand the need to promote a destination, but maybe that was a mistake. If (Bulgarian tennis player Grigori) Dimitrov had told about his contracting the coronavirus a few hours later, maybe all this negative publicity would not have happened. I understand the motives, if this had not happened, we would have said that the tournament was a great show," Milanovic said.

He also commented on whether PM Plenkovic should go into self-isolation due to contact with Djokovic.

"You don't want to hear my opinion on self-isolation and how it is conducted. Plenkovic's problem is that both (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel and the Canadian prime minister went into self-isolation after exactly the same situation, and now he is being criticised."

A complete lockdown, such as the one that happened in March and April, is not possible again, he said.

"Whoever on the crisis management team said that there would be no lockdown again was right," Milanovic said, adding that one could not do more than wearing face masks and protecting the elderly and ill.

"There is no reason for panic. Elections will be held in a week's time and we'll see what happens," he said.

As for post-election consultations on the formation of the new parliamentary majority, Milanovic said that there was no set deadline by which he had to appoint the Prime Minister-designate but that consultations would first be held with those who bring him the 76 signatures of support required to form a majority.

"Consultations will really be consultations, not a parade. They will be very transparent, not the way they were in some other situations, which has undermined trust in democracy. I don't have a favourite in these elections," Milanovic said.

ZAGREB, June 26, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that the July 5 parliamentary election was very important for the future of the country and that the date was decided by the President.

By dissolving Parliament in May we wanted the election to be held when the intensity of the coronavirus was lowest, and it was the President who decided that the election would be held on the second to last date possible under the constitution, Plenkovic said in the eastern town of Vukovar.

Earlier in the day, during his visit to Vinkovci, he said that the election could also have been set for June 21.

Plenkovic reiterated that he did not think that the ongoing election campaign should be suspended because the Croatian healthcare system was capable of coping with the coronavirus outbreak. 

ZAGREB, June 22, 2020 - President Zoran Milanovic said during a visit to Montenegro on Monday he did not see any reason to postpone the July 5 election for the Croatian Parliament.

After meeting with his Montenegrin counterpart, Milo Djukanovic, Milanovic addressed reporters who were interested in the possibility of postponing the election due to the spike in coronavirus cases in Croatia.

"The election in Croatia is set for July 5. I called the election for that date and I do not know how that can be changed in a democratic country," said Milanovic.

"Now that Parliament has been dissolved, we have to go to the polls," he added.

Speaking in a TV interview on May 21, Milanovic said that he did not think this was the best time for the election, but that the decision was made and he respected it.

Speaking in Cetinje, Milanovic said he was prepared to listen to anyone who considered that there were material and health reasons to postpone the election, but that that won't change anything.

"The election is set for July 5 and without any cynicism, you got what you asked for. I do not see any reason not to continue with the election," he added.

Earlier on Monday, the head of the national coronavirus crisis management team, Davor Bozinovic, told a special press conference convened due to the emergence of the coronavirus among tennis players at the Adria Tour tournament in Zadar over the weekend, that there were no indications for the issue of postponing the election to be considered.

In the past 24 hours 19 new cases of the novel coronavirus have been identified in Croatia, the crisis management team said on Monday.

ZAGREB, June 22, 2020 - Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has cancelled his visit to Russia due to a fault on the government plane and will not be able to attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow on June 24, his office said on Monday.

"President Milanovic has cancelled his trip to Moscow because of a fault on the government plane which cannot be repaired by the planned date, and there are still no commercial flights to Russia," presidential spokesman Nikola Jelic told Hina.

Milanovic is currently on an official visit to Montenegro, after which he was due to travel to Moscow for the Victory Day parade. The parade was to have taken place on May 9, but was cancelled over the coronavirus pandemic and rescheduled for June 24.

On the margins of his visit to Moscow, Milanovic was due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.