ZAGREB, June 25, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday issued a message on the occasion of Independence Day, a memorial day marking the historic decision of the Croatian parliament for Croatia to separate from other Yugoslav republics.

"This year we observe Independence Day as a memorial day commemorating the Croatian parliament's historic decision, the adoption of the constitutional decision on Croatia's sovereignty and independence, and the declaration on Croatia's sovereignty and independence, which confirmed the will of the Croatian people to establish an independent state," Plenkovic said in his message.

Recalling the Great Serbian aggression that stood in the way of the country's independence and international recognition and Croatian people's sacrifice for its freedom and independence, Plenkovic expressed gratitude to all Croatian defenders and their families, noting that Croatia today was a society based on patriotism and universal values of freedom, democracy, solidarity, rule of law and social equity.

Noting that Croatia was successfully completing its EU presidency, Plenkovic said that the country had dealt, in the best way possible, with a number of extraordinary situations during its presidency, mentioning in that context the coronavirus pandemic.

He recalled that his government had introduced economic measures to support the private sector and help save more than half a million jobs and 100,000 businesses.

Plenkovic said the government would continue adopting measures to protect the lives and health of all citizens, ensure the country's economic recovery, and continue implementing the necessary reforms to improve citizens' living standards.

ZAGREB, June 24, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic reiterated on Wednesday that postponing the parliamentary election was not an option even if the coronavirus situation deteriorated, stressing that Croatia was in a better situation than other countries facing elections.

"Our government defeated COVID-19 in the first wave. If you look at the figures, we are among the top three EU countries with the lowest number of new cases and the lowest number of active cases," Plenkovic said while responding to questions from the press during a visit to the northern city of Cakovec.

By way of illustration, he cited France which is holding the second round of local elections while recording over 500 new cases daily.

Asked if it wasn't hypocritical of the government to call on the public to be responsible while he himself refused to self-isolate after meeting the infected Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, Plenkovic said he had explained their contact on Tuesday.

"If our contact had been such to qualify as close contact, I certainly would have followed the recommendations from epidemiologists rather than those from quack doctors from the opposition who have a political interest to raise such issues. That's a big difference," he said.

Plenkovic said that he was willing to do another test if necessary but that he did not see any need for it. He said he believed this would not harm his HDZ party in the forthcoming election because "people are serious and they see well who is doing what."

Asked if this situation was damaging to Croatia given that foreign media were also writing about his refusal to self-isolate, the prime minister said that it was not because "this information is not true." He referred the press to statements from the Public Health Institute rather than "copying statements by opposition politicians."

ZAGREB, June 23, 2020 - Homeland Movement candidates in the 9th constituency on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic why he was not in self-isolation after attending the Adria Tour tennis tournament in Zadar which was cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"Will he (Plenkovic) sacrifice and jeopardise Croatian citizens with his irresponsible behaviour or will he, as a conscious citizen regardless of currently testing negative, go into 14 days of self-isolation?," Hrvoje Zekanovic told a press conference in Zadar.

Zekanovic noted that people who were in close contact with an infected person but avoided the prescribed measure of self-isolation were until recently referred to as terrorists. 

Bozinovic and Beros should leave the national crisis management team

Zekanovic also said that Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic and Health Minister Vili Beros "should immediately leave the national coronavirus crisis management team because they both head Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party slates for the coming election.

It is unacceptable that they should have dual roles during the campaign because it is in violation of all electioneering rules. We insist that they immediately leave their respective positions on the national crisis management team, said Zekanovic.

He also said that "Andrej Plenkovic imposed measures against the coronavirus when it went in his favour and now that the internal party election in the HDZ is over, he immediately lifted the restrictions when he considered he would achieve the best election result at the parliamentary election." "And that is unacceptable," Zekanovic added.

ZAGREB, June 23, 2020 - Peasant Party (HSS) leader Kreso Beljak said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic should self-isolate considering his recent contact with Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, who has confirmed that he is positive to the coronavirus.

"Plenkovic HAS TO go into self-isolation! Immediately," Beljak said on Twitter.

The head of the GLAS party, Anka Mrak-Taritas, also tweeted that Plenkovic would have immediately gone into self-isolation if he was a "responsible leader who cared for the safety of citizens as he presents himself on his campaign posters."

Former leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Jadranka Kosor too believes that Penkovic should immediately self-isolate, as does an independent member of the Zagreb City Assembly, Renato Petek, who tweeted in response to Djokovic's news, "And Plenkovic, nothing! Special immunity for a leader of a safe country."

Leader of the Human Shield party Vilibor Sincic wondered on his Facebook profile whether some people were untouchable after all.

"Today I attended a trial against Dragutin Hanzek, who was fined HRK 8,000 for violating self-isolation rules. Do other rules apply to Plenkovic or is he going into self-isolation? Sincic wrote. 

Earlier in the day the head of the Croatian Institute for Public Health Krunoslav Capak said that the epidemiological situation would be further complicated if Djokovic were to test positive for the coronavirus because he was in close contact with a lot of people who would have to go into self-isolation.

Asked whether Pllenkovic would have to go into self-isolation given his contact with Djokovic, Capak said that according to epidemiological standards there was no physical contact between them but that they only touched fists which, he claimed is not considered to be a close contact because their encounter in closed premises lasted for less than three minutes.

"If Djokovic proves positive the prime minister does not have to go into self-isolation but he was tested as a precaution and his test was negative," Capak said.

As for his meeting with Serbian player Novak Djokovic,  Plenkovic said earlier in the day: "We said hello. I thanked him for the tournament taking place in Zadar, we took photos and went our ways. I think there is nothing to fear."

After hearing that Djokovic had tested positive, Plenkovic said that he was aware that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) would like for their leader Davor Bernardic to avoid an election debate and that now they wanted to get rid of him by putting him in self-isolation. "But's that's not gonna happen," he said.

ZAGREB, June 23, 2020 - Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) president Andrej Plenkovic said on Tuesday that July 5 remains to be the date of the parliamentary election and that wise and smart balancing was needed to do good for the economy and protect the public healthcare system.

Asked by the press in Rijeka if the election date stayed the same, he said, "Of course it does. I don't understand how holding the election can even be brought into question."

He said the Electoral Commission was in charge of that. "No spins or, mainly opposition, arguments about some lack of safety. That isn't so. Croatia today, regardless of 20 or 19 cases, remains one of the three EU countries with the least active COVID-19 cases per million inhabitants and this is the message about Croatia as a safe country."

Plenkovic said he was tested for COVID-19 three times and that he could get tested every day if epidemiologists thought it was necessary.

He said experts clearly indicated that COVID-19 was at its lowest intensity during the summer and that everyone was much more skeptical about what the situation in the autumn would be like.

"That's why we decided, thinking of citizens' health safety, that we need the election and new legitimacy now when the disease is at its lowest intensity so that we can form the government and deal with economic and public health challenges in the autumn."

Plenkovic said the somewhat higher number of infections were localised and that it was necessary to once again increase the protection of hospitals and care facilities. "We have to learn to live with COVID-19 until there is a vaccine at a global level."

Asked about a recent tennis tournament in Zadar which caused an outbreak, he said it was necessary to see if the organisers had done all they should have but that their intention was very good, to bring the world's top players.

He said a couple of players and coaches were positive. "We'll see if there are other consequences. The first tests yesterday were quite good, it seems, as only one boy is positive."

As for his meeting with Serbian player Novak Djokovic, Plenkovic said, "We said hello. I thanked him for the tournament taking place in Zadar, we took photos and went our way. I think there is nothing to fear about that." The result of Djokovic's COVID-19 test is expected today.

Asked if the outbreak could cost Zadar the tourist season, he said it could not. "It will cost it as much as the media spin it, so be a little more reasonable. There are some people who badly want everything to be negative, and our task is to do everything for things to be positive in Croatia, not in terms of COVID-19 testing, but tourism and development."

Plenkovic said another lockdown would result in no revenue or economic activity. "We have to be wise about that and smartly balance to do good for the Croatian economy while protecting the healthcare system."

Asked if measures on the border with Serbia might be tightened, he said the national civil protection authority would see about that. If a large number of infections are confirmed to be originating from a country, Serbia for example, measures at the border can be tightened, he added.

Asked about the Slovenian health minister's statement that he was worried about the daily rise in new infections in Croatia, Plenkovic said Slovenians were among the most numerous tourists in Croatia and that the opening of borders was agreed to with Slovenia before any other country.

"It's normal for the minister of health to follow the situation in other countries, just as we are. I believe we will keep the number of new infections under control and that we will ensure the normal movement of Slovenian citizens in Croatia and Croatian citizens in Slovenia. That's in the interest of both our countries."

ZAGREB, June 22, 2020 - Despite Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic meeting with tennis players in Zadar, according to epidemiological classification, he is not at risk of catching the coronavirus because he was not in contact with any of the people diagnosed with the virus, the Croatian Institute for Public Health (HZJZ) said on Monday.

"The epidemiological classification of persons at risk of catching COVID-19, are those who were in the vicinity or in contact with persons diagnosed or suffering from the disease as the disease is transferred through close contact. In determining who was and who wasn't in close contact one needs to know the scientific basis of how a close contact is defined," HZJZ said in a response to Hina, noting that Croatia has taken that definition from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

That definition determines, and in this case which is relevant to Plenkovic's visit to the Zadar tournament, that the coronavirus can be transferred if a person has been in contact with an infected person face to face at a distance of fewer than 2 meters for more than 15 minutes, and if a person has spent time with an infected person in closed premises (e.g. household, classroom, meeting room, hospital waiting room, etc.) for more than 15 minutes, HZJZ said.

"In this specific case it needs to taken into account that Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic, whom the prime minister greeted briefly without shaking hands and with whom he spoke (3 minutes) were not positive to COVID-19 but (for now) they were in contact with (Grigor) Dimitrov who is positive and contact with contact is not considered as a close contact unless that contact becomes positive within 48 hours of the said contact, which in this case is irrelevant because there was no close contact between the prime minister and the tennis players," HZJZ explained.

ZAGREB, June 22, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was not in contact with the infected tennis players at the Adria Tours in Zadar, government spokesman Marko Milic said on Monday, adding that given the situation with the spread of the disease the prime minister would undergo a test for COVID-19 today.

"Prime Minister Plenkovic attended the tournament in Zadar and spent about 45 minutes there but he did not have any contact with Grigor Dimitrov or Borna Coric," Milic said.

He added that during his visit to the tournament, Plenkovic spoke briefly with Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic, and then greeted Marin Cilic in passing without shaking hands or having any close contact.

"Even though he did not have any contact with the infected players, given the situation with the spread of the virus in Zadar, the prime minister will undergo a test for COVID-19 today," said Milic.

A total of 22 participants, including tennis players and their teams, were tested for the virus on Sunday night after Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov was diagnosed with the novel COVID-19 coronavirus. The results have shown three positive cases, including Borna Coric, the organisers of the Adria Tour announced on Monday morning.

In addition to Coric, who played against Dimitrov, Marco Panichi, Djokovic's fitness trainer, and Christian Groh, Dimitrov's trainer, tested positive.

Zadar Mayor Branko Dukic has gone into self-isolation after coming into contact with participants at the tournament, his office said on Monday.

ZAGREB, June 20, 2020 - Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Skoro on Saturday criticised former President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic for launching "a middle-finger coalition" against him, after his statement about raped women and abortion caused an outrage.

Skoro's statement, made during a recent election debate, that if a woman becomes pregnant after being raped, she should agree with her family what to do next, has triggered an avalanche of reactions and comments on social media, especially among women, who showed him their middle finger in protest. Grabar-Kitarovic joined them on Thursday by posting a photograph of herself with a raised middle finger in support of women.

Skoro was in the eastern city of Osijek on Saturday to present the election candidates of the Homeland Movement for Constituency 4. The party's list for this electoral unit is headed by his sister, Vesna Vucemilovic.

Skoro accused Grabar-Kitarovic, Plenkovic and Jandrokovic of ignoring the will of Croatian voters and referendum initiatives. He said that the ruling HDZ was in a coalition with the leftist faction of the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament which includes Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's people.

"That makes it clear why (Croatian Serb MP) Milorad Pupovac supports Plenkovic and why Plenkovic does not want to and cannot renounce him," Skoro said.

"The Homeland Movement advocates traditional Christian Democratic values, protection of life from conception, reforms, and a better life in Croatia. Young people are key to survival and it should be made possible for them to educate themselves, work and start their families here," he added.

Skoro said that his statements were "maliciously taken out of context" to raise a fuss, but that "all masks are off now."

The press conference was also addressed by Tado Juric, the party's expert in demography and youth issues, who said that the Slavonia region was "a demographically scorched country" as far more young people had emigrated than official figures indicated.

"Young people think that this country and this society has morally declined. It is high time we changed that. Unfortunately, right now we don't have patriotic elites to raise the issue of emigration to the EU level," Juric said.

ZAGREB, June 20, 2020 - Prime Minister and HDZ leader Andrej Plenkovic said on Saturday that the HDZ would invest maximum effort in the reconstruction of Zagreb and its historical centre damaged in the March 22 earthquake.

Speaking at a presentation of party candidates running in the July 5 elections in Constituency No. 1, Plenkovic said that the damage to the city had been estimated at €11.5 billion euros.

He said it would take at least ten years for the city to be reconstructed in such a way "to be safe and for its citizens to be given what they need after that big natural disaster."

Plenkovic recalled his government's results, citing an increase in employment and a decline in unemployment, a healthy economic growth, an increase in wages and pensions, etc.

He said that this was the reason why his party had wanted to hold parliamentary elections in the summer, when the intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic is lowest, to win voters' trust and continue working to the benefit of all citizens.

Plenkovic said that his government would continue reducing taxes, noting that the tax burden on citizens and the business sector had been reduced in the amount of nine billion kuna.

He went on to say that his government would reduce income tax and VAT on all food.

The HDZ wants to create conditions by the end of the term for the average wage to grow from the current HRK 6,700 to HRK 7,600, to raise the minimum wage to HRK 4,250 and to secure an additional HRK 10 billion for active employment measures, as well as create an additional 100,000 jobs, he said.

This will be possible to achieve through the EU's new seven-year budget which, in its current form, envisages 11.5 billion euros for Croatia, he said.

In addition to that, we will get more than €10 billion through the EU's plan for economic recovery, said the PM.

ZAGREB, June 19, 2020 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday that the billions of euros intended for Croatia in the EU's plan for recovery from the coronavirus crisis were not in question despite objections from some member-countries to the €750 billion plan.

At a virtual meeting to be held on Friday, EU leaders will discuss for the first time the Next Generation EU recovery plan and a proposal for the new seven-year budget, worth 1,850 billion euros in total.

The value of the recovery plan of €750 billion, proposed by the European Commission, is opposed by the so-called frugal four - Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

More than ten billion euros has been intended for Croatia for a period of four years, of which three-quarters are grants and one-quarter are favourable loans.

Speaking ahead of today's video-conference, Plenkovic said that the funds intended for Croatia were not at risk.

"Definitely not. I think that we can be satisfied considering that the criteria by which the EC was guided were rather comprehensive, and it is also a fact that the two most influential countries, Germany and France, have supported (EC President) Ursula von der Leyen's proposal," Plenkovic told reporters.

"I think that the final agreement will be very close to what is on the table today. I do not expect any major changes."