WHAT'S IMPORTANT IN CROATIA? Prime minister reshuffled government: new faces and sense of his weakness

Finally, reconstruction of the Government

Opposition leader, social democrats (SDP), is opening front: “This kind of reconstruction is an attempt to cover corruption. We want elections now”.

Although SDP is still not stable, this conclusion is reasonable. Reconstruction is just an effort of prime minister Andrej Plenković to stabilize the situation. But it seems vain because it is obvious that he lost his momentum. Weekly Globus was laconic on the front page: “Three lost years as a leader of HDZ”.

All reconstruction:

Gabrijela Žalac (EU funds) is leaving; Marko Pavić (minister of labour and pension) will replace her

A new minister of labour will be Josip Aladrović, director of Croatian Pension Insurance Institute

Nada Murganić (social care) is leaving; Vesna Bedeković, member of parliament, will replace her

Tomislav Tolušić (deputy prime minister, agriculture minister) is leaving; new agriculture minister will be Marija Vučković, state secretary in the Ministry of agriculture

Goran Mehkek/Boris Kovačev/Vlado Kos / CROPIX

Ministers that left government: Tomislav Tolušić, Gabrijela Žalac, Nada Murganić

A new minister of foreign affairs will be Gordan Grlić-Radman, ambassador in Germany, career diplomat, member of HDZ

Mario Banožić, chief of the State Administration Office in Vukovar-Srijem County, will be the new minister of state assets.

New vice presidents of government will be finance minister Zdravko Marić and interior minister Davor Božinović

Ivan Malenica is already nominated as public administration ministry

More in Jutarnji list including CVs of new ministers.

All coalition partners are satisfied which is understandable: all of them are afraid of early elections. After them, they could become opposition. And lose influence on lucrative positions in public administration and companies.

Bruno Konjevic / CROPIX

Ivan Vrdoljak, still leader of HNS (member of European liberals), said that good job was done. As long as his party is member of government.

Plenković showed that he is oriented to new faces, like in European elections. But, he lost, as perceived in his party HDZ, those elections. But he will fight with all power that he has, regardless of risks, to go through EU presidency that starts on January 1st 2020. Simple conclusion: he is weak. And this government lacks political credibility that former one had. New turmoils and inside party fights can not be excluded. Also early elections (30%). Iva Puljić Šego from Večernji list wrote: Three booby-traps for president of HDZ: partners, challengers and majority.

Interesting information: Andrej Plenković talked about the reconstruction of the government with only a few of his closest associates: speaker of the Parliament Gordan Jandroković, head of HDZ faction in Parliament Branko Bačić, and interior minister Davor Božinović. Jutarnji list discovered that afterwards Plenković called key members of the HDZ and they had dinner in restaurant Baltazar. There was also deputy party president Milijan Brkić and HDZ vice presidents: Tomislav Čuljak, Tomislav Tolušić, Oleg Butković, Josip Bilaver and Darko Horvat.

Dodik will stop the action of the Presidency of BiH against Pelješac bridge

Parliament of Republika Srpska will hold today a special session to discuss the request of BiH Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik, Serb representative, to use mechanism of special national interest to stop action of two other Presidency members: Željko Komšić, representative of Croats, but Croatian majority does not approve him as their representative saying he is elected with Bosniak votes, and Šefik Džaferović, representative of Bosniaks. Komšić and Džaferović plan to start international legal action against Croatia because of Pelješac bridge. Komšić yesterday said that action is not because of the bridge but because of the sea borders with Croatia. According to border agreement, not ratified, from 1999, Pelješac bridge is on the Croatian soil. Džaferović is asking contact of BiH with open seas according to UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) every country has: the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.

Member of HDZ BiH (sister party of Croatian HDZ) Željana Zovko (Croatian representative in European Parliament, before that BiH ambassador to Italy) and Božo Ljubić, former president of BiH HDZ 1990. complimented Dodik saying that he is a “voice of the reason” and “pragmatic politician”. More in Večernji list. Dodik is regularly calling for dissolving BiH.

HRT.HR / HRT.HR

Anchor of TV show "Topic of the day" Branko Nađvinski, Željana Zovko, Croatian member of European Parliament and Božo Ljubić, member of Croatian parliament from BiH

Forum 2020: Civil Society Priorities for the Republic of Croatia Presidency of the Council of the European Union

The Forum 2020, an informal civil society platform, on Wednesday, outlined its four priorities during Croatia's presidency of the European Union. Priorities are (whole document here):

1. A democratic Europe of free and responsible citizens. A Europe where rule of law and human rights are respected. A Europe of free, independent and critical civil society, and independent institutions and media.
2. A European Union which continues to have the potential for expansion. A Europea that stabilizes the Western Balkans.
3. A European Union committed to the Sustainable Development Goals within and beyond its borders
4. The EU as a global peacebuilder – let us not forget that the EU is a “peace project”

For the time being, much more detailed and substantial document than any from Government.

Aim to separate 50% of waste by 2020 unlikely, says the minister

Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Ćorić on Wednesday said that Croatia did not embark on resolving the problem of separating waste and a circular economy on time, hence the aim of separating 50% of waste by the end of 2020 is "very ambitious."

"Have in mind that certain local governments like the one in Prelog (north Croatia) and Krk (an island close to Rijeka) embarked in a positive direction a long time ago and the fact is that they separate more than 50% of their waste as a result," said Ćorić. Hina

Croatian, Slovenian hauliers demand transit across all border crossings

In a sign of cooperation based on common interest, the president of the Croatian chamber, Dragutin Ranogajec, and his Slovenian counterpart Branko Meh agreed that problem of border crossings closed to their trucks demanded an urgent solution from the two governments.

On June 1st, the Slovenian Infrastructure Ministry introduced on 17 local border crossings with Croatia a restriction barring the transit of trucks exceeding 7.5 tonnes in weight. Consequently, Croatian hauliers must use international crossings, which has resulted in higher expenses and longer transport. Croatian hauliers believe the restriction is a response to Croatia's closure of the Mursko Središće border crossing for the transit of trucks exceeding 7.5 tonnes. Hina