Asked to comment on the parliamentary debate on the proposed amendments and whether he feared misuse, Butkovic said the proposal was prompted by the coronavirus emergency.
The fact is that some citizens have not been following self-isolation orders, so we want to help stop the epidemic in Croatia as soon as possible. That was also the reason for drafting the bill, under which certain persons, with their consent, can be monitored to see if they have stayed in self-isolation or not, Butkovic said.
There is no misuse here, he said, adding that this was not the first time something like that was done in the world and in Europe. He also said that this was only done in extraordinary circumstances, as stated in the bill, and that such circumstances were defined by the health minister.
Asked if he had seen the amendments put forward by the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), he said that the government would discuss the matter today.
The SDP is calling for the proposed amendments to be adopted by a two-thirds majority. The strongest opposition party says it is unacceptable that the bill does not specify a time limit for the application of the amendments.
Butkovic said that the bill contained a provision specifying that the application was limited to the duration of the epidemic, but added that he could not comment on the opposition parties' request to adopt the bill by a two-thirds majority until they harmonised their views with the Constitutional Court.