ZAGREB, August 13, 2019 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić said on Tuesday that the failure to call an extraordinary session of the parliament would constitute a gross violation of the Constitution but he would not comment on SDP presidential candidate Zoran Milanovic's position that calling such a session would set a precedent, noting that "everyone is entitled to their opinion".

"The Constitution is clear, it says that an extraordinary parliament session has to be called within 30 days from the submission of such a motion," Bernardić told a news conference.

He would not comment on Milanović's statement given this past weekend that if the president of the republic called a special session of the parliament in response to an Opposition motion for a parliamentary debate on a vote of no confidence in Health Minister Milan Kujundžić, the same thing could happen several times a year, during every summer and winter recess of the parliament.

"As for individual interpretations, everyone is entitled to their opinion but I think that things are pretty clear here. I will not comment on or question positions by individual presidential candidates," said Bernardić.

The Office of the President said in a statement last Friday that with regard to a request sent to her by the opposition Bridge party to call an extraordinary session of the parliament to discuss a vote of no confidence in Minister Kujundžić, she would make a decision on the request if the Constitutional Court ruled that conditions for such a move had been created.

Constitutional Court President Miroslav Šeparović commented on this by saying that the president is not authorised to call on the Constitutional Court to act in line with its powers but that she can, in line with the Constitution, submit a request for an extraordinary parliament session.

MOST party MP Robert Podolnjak then accused Šeparović of having sided with the parliamentary majority and the government by not stating the court's position on the Opposition's motion for a special parliamentary debate on a vote of no confidence in the health minister, thus making it possible for the constitutional deadline of 30 days within which the parliament must discuss such motions, to expire.

More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, August 10, 2019 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić on Saturday called on the government to lower the VAT rate on the entire restaurant sector, criticising it for still lacking a tourism development strategy.

Speaking to reporters in the coastal city of Split, Bernardić said that this year's results in the tourism sector were less good than last year.

"Unfortunately, indicators for this year are poorer than last year... and the real question is what the government is doing to make up for the lack of revenue that will most certainly affect the state budget. There is evidently no strategy, and VAT, notably in the restaurant sector, is still the highest in Europe, 25%," Bernardić said, noting that Italy, Spain, Portugal and France had a VAT rate in the restaurant sector ranging between 10 and 13 percent and that rival destinations in the Mediterranean were growing stronger every day.

"The last tax reform round has introduced discrimination between those in the restaurant sector who serve food and those who serve drinks. We will continue to insist that VAT on all restaurant services be lowered to 13%," Bernardić said.

The government recently decided to reduce VAT on food in the restaurant sector from the current 25% to 13%.

Asked to comment on President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović's response to a request by the MOST opposition party that she call an extraordinary session of the parliament to discuss a vote of no confidence in Health Minister Milan Kujundžić, Bernardić said that the president had shifted responsibility onto the Constitutional Court.

If the President of the Republic believes that the Constitution has been violated, which is what the opposition believes is the case, she has the right to protect the Constitution and the Republic and call a special parliament session. She does not need the opinion of the Constitutional Court for that, Bernardić said.

Reporters also asked him for a comment on the HDZ party's opposition to the cultivation of hemp and liberalisation of the hemp market, to which he said that the HDZ itself had liberalised the use of hemp two months ago.

Now is the time to make an additional step, he said, adding that aside from its use for medicinal purposes, the SDP also wanted hemp to be used in 25,000 products in the construction, tourism and pharmaceutical sectors, as it would provide an opportunity for economic growth and job creation.

An SDP official from Split, Goran Kotur, said that the city's industrial sector had been destroyed and that tourism was the only remaining industrial branch, calling for making order in the tourism sector and developing it in line with principles of sustainability, which, he said, the city's administration, led by HDZ mayor Andro Krstulović Opara, was not doing.

More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, August 9, 2019 - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić and official Mirela Holy on Friday presented the plan of this opposition party for the complete legalisation of the use of hemp, which they said would contribute to the economic growth and development of agriculture and tourism in Croatia.

"We hold that the liberalisation and legalisation, controlled by the state, would make an additional impetus to economic growth, and the revenues earned this way could be used for creation of new jobs," the leader of the strongest opposition party told a news conference in Zagreb.

He said that the latest amendments to the legislation on prevention of drug abuse whereby some segments of the use of hemp for industrial purposes have been legalised cannot lead to the full usage of the potential of hemp.

Holy underscores that there is growing interest in the legalisation of hemp use, however the recent legislative amendments did not facilitate the efforts in that direction.

The SDP officials spoke how locally grown hemp could be used in building materials and also for producing eco-friendly hemp plastic.

Bernardić said that "the use of hemp can alleviate numerous symptoms of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, HIV, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and malignant diseases".

In this context he said that countries such as Canada, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic have annual revenues on aggregate in the amount of $55 billion due to the hemp legalisation.

The legalisation of hemp has a positive impact on the tourist trade, as enjoying freely cannabis can attract new guests, Bernadić said mentioning the example of Amsterdam.

The SDP-sponsored proposal envisages that every adult Croat can grow a maximum nine hemp plants.

The proposal, drawn up by the SDP green development council, also envisages the formation a a hemp agency as a regulatory authority.

The proposed legislation is now to be discussed by other SDP members before it is put up for public consultation.

More news about the legalisation of hemp in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, August 3, 2019 - MP Gordan Maras of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) said on Friday that the decision by the State Electoral Commission (DIP) to fine his party 86,000 kuna (€11,650) over a sticker he had displayed on his laptop in the Croatian Parliament during the campaign for May's European Parliament election was scandalous and that the DIP was subordinate to the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

"This is a scandalous decision and I hope higher instances will quash it," Maras told a press conference, adding that "the HDZ has usurped the DIP."

He said that during the EU election campaign "an entire retinue of ministers" had travelled around Croatia, spending millions of taxpayers' money, while he had only expressed his opinion through a sticker.

The DIP decided that Maras had violated the Election Campaign Financing Act because he had used the premises of a state institution for campaigning. Maras argued that laws say the national parliament is a public place, defined as a meeting hall, and not as an office space.

Maras insisted that he had not violated the law or the constitution, adding that under the constitution MPs cannot be punished for expressing their opinions. He said that the HDZ had exerted pressure on the DIP because he was an obstacle to the HDZ due to his anti-corruption rhetoric.

Asked to comment on the fact that the DIP's decision was unanimous and that the SDP's Vesna Fabijančić Križanić was the DIP's deputy chair, Maras told the press that they would have to ask her.

More SDP can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 25, 2019 - The Social Democratic Party's (SDP) candidate for President of the Republic, Zoran Milanović, told Hina in an interview that he did not enter the presidential race unprepared and without ideas and that he knew what values he would promote, adding that if he had begun his campaign differently he would have been portrayed as "aggressive and violent".

"I also know what I will not be doing - much of what we have seen in the last five years. ... I think I know a lot about state affairs. I have a great experience as the leader of a large political party and prime minister, which is an advantage, but possibly a drawback, too. People will give their verdict, that's how it is, it can't be otherwise in politics," he said.

Milanović would not comment on the performance of the incumbent President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović or say what he thought of the other contenders.

"I don't want to comment. I simply think and am confident that I will do this job better, with greater dignity and more worthy of Croatia," he said, adding that he would advocate Croatian interests "more convincingly, more energetically and with greater authority, and not opportunistically."

Asked how he saw the recent government reshuffle, he said: "This is another topic I would prefer not to comment on, because I think I will have to work and cooperate with these people. There's no stability there." He added that he would not use "dirty tricks" to undermine the government as had been done in 2015 in relations between the president and the opposition.

Milanović said that, if elected, he would not treat the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković "destructively and unconstitutionally" as the incumbent president had done, but that he wanted "a fair relationship, clear, transparent, direct and critical if necessary, but not opportunistic and cowardly."

Asked whose support he had for his presidential bid, he said he was backed by the SDP, the Pensioners' Party (HSU) and the Peasant Party (HSS). "But I cannot hope for a victory unless I am stronger than this. Above all, I am my own candidate and I will be what I have been all along - unquestionably independent, even rudely independent. ... I am in touch with the IDS (Istrian Democratic Assembly) and they will make their decision. I need their assistance because in Istria it is not irrelevant whether you are supported by the IDS or not."

Asked who would finance his campaign and how much money he intended to spend, Milanovic said: "Not much. We haven't planned it all yet, but we plan to spend as little as possible. I expect support from the SDP, but I believe other parties will also assist symbolically. But I am here to attract the hearts and minds of people. The President of the Republic cannot return a favour. What Croatia needs from the President is to be cunning, to look after national interests and show no sympathy for Serbian President Vučić and Hungary's Orban."

Asked if he was in favour of changing the powers of the President, Milanović said: "I am not one of those who want greater powers or who interpret the existing powers in their own way and misuse them. I will not behave like that. I will abide by the Constitution. The phrase that the President is the only one directly elected is music to the ears of megalomaniacs. It would be better if the President were elected by compromise because then that person would be more firmly on the ground and aware that they are not God-given."

More news about the presidential race can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 24, 2019 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) president Davor Bernardić said on Tuesday it was necessary to put up bilingual signs in Vukovar as constitutional issues regulating the protection of ethnic minorities must be neither contentious nor questionable for the SDP.

The constitution must be honoured, he said on RTL television when asked how to resolve the situation in the eastern town after the Constitutional Court ruled that the rights of Serbs in Vukovar must be enhanced and the parliamentary committee on ethnic minorities called on the government to put up bilingual signs on state institution buildings there.

Asked if he expected an extraordinary parliamentary sitting on the MOST party's motion for a no-confidence vote in Health Minister Milan Kujundžić, Bernardić said holding the sitting and discussing the motion was a constitutional obligation. He added that the SDP MPs on the parliamentary committee on the constitution had asked the Constitutional Court's opinion on the matter.

If the court does not take a position, we will have to ask the president to convene the sitting, Bernardić said.

Asked if the fact that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković had replaced some ministers whose dismissal the SDP had demanded was the start of a big coalition between the SDP and the ruling HDZ party, he dismissed the possibility.

"There's no coalition with the HDZ, the most corrupt party in Croatia right now. Plenković's government was forced to make the reshuffle. The public sees why the ministers had to go. Only DORH (State Prosecutor's Office), which is doing nothing about it, doesn't see."

Asked whether it would good if the Croatian People's Party, the HDZ's coalition partner, supported the SDP's presidential candidate Zoran Milanović, Bernardić said no one could be stopped from backing Milanović. "But my position is known. There's no cooperation with the party which betrayed its voters... by running into this coalition which exists on political corruption."

He said President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović had not fulfilled her campaign promises.

He also commented on former football mogul Zdravko Mamić's accusations of corruption against Supreme Court president Đuro Sessa, saying they were serious accusations which hit at the foundation of the democratic and judicial order. He called on the authorities to investigate the accusations.

More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 22, 2019 - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) said on Monday that increased wages and investments into quality tourism facilities and services, along with a reduced Value Added Tax (VAT) on hospitality and accommodation, were strategic objectives for the tourism sector because value for money was important to tourists.

"Our efforts in the tourism sector have to be directed at improving quality because people working in tourism are warning that all those who have invested in quality over the years are not experiencing any problems with occupancy," SDP MP Branko Grčić, the author of the party's proposals relating to the tourism sector, told a press conference.

Improving the quality of tourism facilities and services has to be the number one priority, he added.

He is concerned about attempts to compensate the shortage in demand by raising the price of services, saying that this is wrong because it could later cause additional problems in the tourism sector.

It is essential to see if data on the number of tourists indicate negative trends and what estimates of the real financial effect of the tourism season will be like, Grčić underlined. He added that emphasis however should be on the number and quality of services provided and consequently on the revenue generated.

"The most important thing for our guests is 'value for money', and whether they are getting the services they deserve for the money they are spending in Croatia," he said.

Grčić reiterated that the SDP wanted the government to reduce the 25% VAT on hospitality, which is the highest in the EU, to 13% and see if there was any room in fiscal policy to cut VAT on accommodation next year or the year after that from the current 13% to 5%. He added that this does not mean that prices should be reduced but for wages and investments in tourism to be increased.

He noted that a similar thing had occurred in 2013 when VAT was reduced to 13% and that in two years' time the number of those employed in tourism had increased and that revenue and investments doubled.

Grčić called on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to refrain from reducing the general VAT rate from 25% to 24% because that would be throwing money away if the effect is not felt in one's pocket while that money could be more effectively used.

"Once again we reiterate, let's help the tourism sector to be more competitive, so that it can increase wages for its workers and be in a position to further invest in quality," he said.

The head of the SDP's Pula branch, Sanja Radolović, recalled that when France and Germany reduced their VAT rate that had a positive effect, directly contributing to new jobs being opened and increased investments in hotels. She said that it was necessary to discuss reducing VAT with large hotel groups so that they increase net wages by at least HRK 2,000.

She also recommended reinstating the dual education system in tourism and hospitality schools where students attend classes for half the year and then do practical work in the second half of the year and during the tourism season through student contracts with future employers.

"At that time, we did not have a problem with a shortage of workers and that is a demand that we will address to the Ministry of Science and Education," she added.

More news about Croatian tourism can be found in the Travel section.

ZAGREB, July 20, 2019 - The Croatian Parliament's Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System decided that conditions had not been met to convene an extraordinary session of Parliament following opposition motions for a vote of no confidence in government ministers.

The Committee had been asked by Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković to say whether an extraordinary session could be convened in this case. Jandroković cited a constitutional provision saying that during Parliament's recess sessions can be called only by the head of state or government or by a majority of MPs.

This decision means that during Parliament's summer break it will not be possible to take a vote of no confidence in Health Minister Milan Kujundžić, as demanded by the MOST party.

The Committee's deputy chair, Peđa Grbin of the Social Democratic Party, said that he would turn to the Constitutional Court. "You are ignoring the article of the Constitution that says that a debate on a no-confidence motion must be held within 30 days of submission of such motion, and I emphasise the word 'must'. There is no mention that this does not refer to recesses," he told the Committee's chair, Željko Reiner of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

Reiner responded by saying that under the Constitution only a majority of all MPs, or 76, could call a session of Parliament to discuss a no-confidence motion, and not a fifth of lawmakers as in this case.

More Politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, July 12, 2019 - The parliamentary group of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Friday began gathering signatures for a motion of no-confidence in Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Gabrijela Žalac, Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić and State Assets Minister Goran Marić over their alleged involvement in corruption scandals, unofficial sources said.

A no-confidence motion requires the signatures of one fifth of MPs, or 31. If the necessary number of signatures are gathered, the motion will be formally submitted to parliament already next week, the sources said.

Such motions are debated no earlier than seven and no later than 30 days after being included on parliament's agenda.

The head of the SDP parliamentary group, Arsen Bauk, said recently that of the seven motions for a vote of no-confidence in cabinet ministers filed so far, four had resulted in their resignations.

In the meantime, the parliamentary group of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has unanimously supported Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's proposal that Ivan Malenica, the Dean of Šibenik Polytechnic, succeed Lovro Kuščević as the Minister of Public Administration, the group's chairman Branko Bačić told the press after their meeting on Friday morning.

Bačić said that they did not discuss changes for other ministerial positions. "It has been agreed that an extraordinary session of the Croatian parliament will be convened by the end of the month to decide on the appointment of new government ministers."

The HDZ leadership has backed Plenković to propose a government reshuffle after analysing the work of all government ministries.

"Today we did not discuss the number of ministers who would be replaced. The prime minister has our support to make such a proposal to the party's leadership and coalition partners, after which our group will confirm the necessary number of ministers," Bačić said.

Asked if State Assets Minister Goran Marić still enjoyed the trust of the party's leadership after all the scandals reported by the media, Bačić repeated that the HDZ leadership had expressed their support for the prime minister to decide which ministries would be reshuffled. He said that the prime minister decides on the status of each minister but that his decision also needs the support of the party's leadership.

Bačić said that he had notified all the coalition partners of the nomination of the new Minister of Public Administration before the prime minister made the announcement on Thursday evening, adding that they supported Malenica's nomination.

Bačić said that the position of the HDZ and most of the coalition partners was that a government reshuffle should be carried out as soon as possible.

According to unofficial sources, the extraordinary session of parliament might be held as early as the end of next week and the government reshuffle could include four to five ministries.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 7, 2019 - The main committee of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Saturday overwhelmingly supported Zoran Milanović as the party's candidate for President of the Republic, with 70 votes in favour, one against and one abstention.

Milanović is the SDP's presidential candidate and whether he will also be the candidate of some other party, he will have to agree that with them, the committee's chairman Erik Fabijanić told the press after the meeting, explaining the meaning of the wording "support his candidacy".

He could not say with how much money the SDP would support Milanović's campaign, noting that this would be known when the election process and campaign fundraising began.

In addition to financial support, Milanović will also be able to count on the SDP's full logistical support, Fabijanić said.

Responding to questions from the press, he said that Milanović's platform was yet to be discussed. Asked if the main committee knew what they supported given that Milanović's election programme had not been unveiled yet, Fabijanić said: "That's why he only has our support for now."

Fabijanić is widely seen as a critic of Zoran Milanović, as is SDP deputy leader Zlatko Komadina who did not attend the committee meeting.

SDP leader Davor Bernardić later unequivocally confirmed that Milanovic was the SDP's presidential candidate.

Zoran Milanović on Saturday thanked the main committee of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for confirming him as the party's candidate for President of the Republic, saying that he was counting on them in the fight for "Croatia to become a progressive, modern and open society."

"You have decided, and I'm calling on others who share a vision of such a society to join in. Because if you choose me, even without any promises, Croatia will be a completely normal country," Milanović wrote on his Facebook page.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.