ZAGREB, 10 June 2022 - MEP Biljana Borzan and MP Andreja Marić of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Friday announced that they plan to resend a motion to the Sabor to ban the sale of energy drinks to minors, saying that 80% of citizens support that idea according to a survey.

During a press conference in Parliament House, Borzan recalled that one year has passed since the death of a minor after consuming an energy drink and that SDP had proposed a bill in 2018 already that would have restricted the sale of energy drinks to minors similarly to some other countries.

That received the support of the entire opposition and even some ruling Croatian Democratic Union lawmakers, however, the bill was rejected by the then health minister Milan Kujundžić, claiming that there was no data on how many minors actually consumed energy drinks.

96% of students have consumed energy drinks, 61% take them with alcohol

Presenting the results of a survey conducted among 271 secondary school students in the eastern Croatian town of Županja, Borzan said that 69% of them said that the price of energy drinks did not deter them from purchasing them while 96% said they consume energy drinks even though 86% of them know they are unhealthy.

She added that the school in Županja is probably not an exception and the results would be identical in any part of the country.

Borzan said that the survey indicated that 70% of students started drinking energy drinks while still in elementary school.

In addition, 8% drink an energy drink once a day, 5% several times during the day, 9% consume it often and 22% regularly.

Borzan in particular warned that it was concerning that 61% of the students said they consume energy drinks with alcohol.

Another survey of 805 citizens throughout the country showed that 80% of citizens support a bill that would ban the sale of energy drinks to minors.

It is obvious that the sale of energy drinks to minors must be regulated by law, she said, appealing to Health Minister Vili Beroš to ban their sale.

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ZAGREB, 9 Feb 2022 - The strongest opposition Social Democratic Party and We Can!, which ran separately in last year's local elections in Zagreb, are no longer hiding that they are coming closer at national level, Večernji List daily said on Wednesday.

Although the next regular parliamentary election is two years away, both parties are saying off the record that they will not run independently because nobody can form a government alone, and only together can they be a strong alternative against the ruling HDZ.

The only dilemma at the moment, top SDP officials say, is whether it is better to run in one bloc, all centre-left parties together, or in two, one comprising the SDP and We Can!, and the other with Centre, GLAS, Focus and similar parties.

The SDP and We Can! say they are satisfied with their cooperation in parliament, and that their ruling coalition in Zagreb will be an essential factor for a possible joint success at the national level.

"The SDP-We Can! coalition is the first step without which there is no chance at all of defeating the HDZ in the next election. If it's done soon enough, like (the then SDP leader) Ivica Račan did in 1998 with Dražen Budiša and the HSLS, which means offering a clear platform and people, it's a really good alternative which can look for voters' confidence in the election," an eminent SDP member was quoted as saying.

The fact that you have coalition potential and that there is a wish before the election to change things points to an honest approach which will certainly bring results, he adds.

Večernji List's We Can! sources think the same. They say the constant attacks on the HDZ over its scandals is counterproductive in attracting attention, and that in the months ahead the SDP and We Can! must solely present their policies to citizens, showing that they have both a platform and a vision, and are capable of solving problems.

The latest public opinion polls speak in favour of the SDP-We Can! cooperation, showing that together, they have higher support than the HDZ, the newspaper said, adding that the next most popular party, Bridge, has not clearly said whether it will run in the election together with the SDP and We Can!, but "swears" it will not go with the HDZ a third time.

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ZAGREB, June 17, 2020 - The president of the Democratic Alliance of Serbs and Deputy Mayor of the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar, Srdjan Milakovic, submitted his slate to the State Electoral Commission (DIP) on Tuesday.

Milakovic told the press that his list of candidates was targeting one seat in parliament and that their views were closer to those of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) due to their position on human and minority rights.

Milakovic said he is aware that the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) is controlling more or less all Serb political and cultural institutions and that the SDSS is confident that it will win all three seats intended for the Serb minority in parliament.

He, however, added that the Democratic Alliance of Serbs was also recognised as the slate that was representing interests of the Serb minority, voicing confidence his slate had a shot at the coming election.

Croatian Political Mystery Finally Solved?

HDZ and SDP coalitions at 56 seats each according to exit polls

An SDP coalition signing in Varazdin. 

Ruling coalition now only trailing by 1,8%

Photo by Politikaplus.com 

Ruling SDP party in coalition talks.