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 - 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 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 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."

ZAGREB, June 13, 2020 - Robert Pauletic of the Homeland Movement said on Saturday that the party's condition for a possible coalition with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was that Andrej Plenkovic should no longer be the prime minister.

"(Homeland Movement leader) Miroslav Skoro has already announced this saying that Plenkovic could be a good foreign minister but not the prime minister," Pauletic told the N1 television channel.

He added that Plenkovic's ego probably would not allow him to be relegated from the position of the prime minister to that of foreign minister. "He has saved his premiership several times, but he can't do it anymore."

"If the SDP (Social Democratic Party) emerges as a relative winner, will it agree to Plenkovic being the prime minister? A grand coalition is possible and I wouldn't rule out that possibility. Plenkovic is politically closer to the left than to the Homeland Movement," Pauletic said, adding that Plenkovic proved this by forming a coalition with the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) and the Croatian People's Party (HNS).

Asked if the next prime minister should be a non-party person or the Homeland Movement would insist on its own candidate, Pauletic said they first needed to see how many parliamentary seats they would win.

As for a possible coalition between the Homeland Movement and the SDP, he said that it was highly unlikely because of their ideological differences. He added that a coalition with the SDSS was also unacceptable because "Milorad Pupovac has been sucking money out of the state budget for decades" and his weekly Novosti is anti-Croatian.

 ZAGREB, June 12, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Friday praised his government for all it had done to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, stressing that it had stood by the workers and employers and shown "the strength of the state" during the crisis.

"In this corona crisis you could see how our government managed to quickly and effectively prevent this epidemic from spreading in Croatia while at the same time standing, like no government before it, by the workers, employers and all those who would probably have ended up on the dole had it not been for our measures, and the employers would hardly have overcome the crisis," the prime minister said at a gathering of members of the Vukovar branch of his Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party.

He said that the government had shown "the strength of the state" during the crisis. "We showed how to protect and secure public health and how to preserve jobs," he said, adding that all this was possible because over the past four years the government had been working on promoting healthy economic growth, which has been recognised outside Croatia as well.

"Our investment credit rating has been maintained. Yesterday's €2 billion bond issue, when investors were interested in nearly €9 billion at much more favour interest rates and when we managed to save HRK 360 million annually compared to the same such instrument from 2010, means that there is trust in this government," Plenkovic said.

ZAGREB, June 12, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic formally opened the Office of the Foundation of the Sarajevo Archdiocese in the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar on Friday, saying that Croatia's relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina was very important to his government.

"We have considerably increased funds for specific projects including education, healthcare, culture, and the economy. We have increased trade and intensified our relationship with Bosnia and Herzegovina by opening two consulates, offices of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, a broadcasting organization, and have improved transport connectivity," Plenkovic told the press after the opening ceremony.

"All this helps strengthen the status of the Croats as an equal constituent people in Bosnia and Herzegovina," he stressed.

The Archbishop of Sarajevo and president of the foundation's board of directors, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, said: "We have opened the foundation here to make it easier for benefactors to invest funds that can be controlled." He added that the foundation would work transparently and that it would be clear at all times what the money was being invested in.

"The foundation will be an encouragement to our survival and our future in Bosnia and Herzegovina," the cardinal said.

The foundation was established in Vukovar in February as a not-for-profit humanitarian organization to carry out projects in Croatia and the Sarajevo Archdiocese.

ZAGREB, June 5, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday in Mostar, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, that he is opposed to a wire fence on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina after the migrant crisis has once again escalated.

Over the past few weeks, the number of migrants coming to Bosnia and Herzegovina has increased once again, and they are trying to reach European Union members passing through Croatia. Bosnia and Herzegovina's Security Minister Fahrudin Radoncic resigned earlier this week due to a difference in opinion in the ruling coalition with regard to resolving the migrant problem. 

Plenkovic, who today met with the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union's sister party in Bosnia and Herzegovina - HDZ BiH, Dragan Covic, said that the solution cannot lie in building physical obstacles on the border.

"I am opposed to erecting wire fences between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are two neighboring countries directed to each other and a message like that would not be good," underscored Plenkovic.

He believes that it is key to resolve the migrant crisis on the Greece-Turkey border.

Strengthening the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Plenkovic underscored the need to strengthen the status of Croats in that Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"We will do everything so that the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not weakened, just the opposite, that it is strengthened. We are constantly working on that and I think that we have more than clearly communicated the topic of the equality of Croats at all levels of the Council of the EU and the European Commission," he told a press conference held together with Covic.

The Croatian premier added that the most important thing for Bosnia and Herzegovina is that it advances to EU membership and the equality of the three peoples there is a precondition to reach important agreements in the country.

Croatia supports Bosnia's aspirations for EU membership and for its integration to NATO which is important for the country's stability.

ZAGREB, June 4, 2020 - Condemning the wind park scandal Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday said that his cabinet was fully committed to the fight against corruption and called on the judicial institutions to ascertain what happened and who was responsible for breaking through surveillance measures.

"On behalf of the entire government, I want to say that the government is entirely committed to the fight against corruption, while proof of the independent work of the police and state prosecutor's office can, in fact, be seen in the process that unfolded last week, at least when it comes to the public. There is no dilemma that we wish to support the fight against corruption and encourage the relevant bodies to do their job in accordance with the law and without anyone meddling in their work," Plenkovic said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

As some of the actors in this scandal were office-holders appointed by this government - a state secretary and some other officials and an assistant minister, that is proof that the State Prosecutor's Office (DORH) and police are doing their job without any influence, the premier said.

"We consider that conduct to be unacceptable and that is why we dismissed the said officials and took measures that are very clear and have moved this entire episode away from collective responsibility from all of us in government. We in no way want to be implicated in someone's individual acts that harm the government's reputation," he said.

Plenkovic underscored that it is in the interest of strengthening trust in judicial institutions to determine those responsible for surveillance measures being cracked in the wind farm scandal.

"Seeing that measures were allegedly cracked among those stakeholders involved and they may have included the police and DORH, I think that it is in the interest of strengthening trust in judicial institutions to determine how that is possible and who is responsible for surveillance measures being cracked and that all these procedures have an epilogue within a reasonable time," he added.

"I say this very precisely without any idea of possibly pressuring any of these bodies but it is also just as important to determine who is responsible because that is important for trust in DORH's activities, the police, and the court functioning. That is what I expect from all stakeholders in reference to legal security," underscored Plenkovic.