‘I am not prone to gambling, I knew briškula, I forgot that too’

The Government session has concluded, during which, as announced on Monday by Minister of Justice Orsat Miljenić, amendments to the Law on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters with EU Member States were not discussed.

However, Prime Minister Zoran Milanović commented on the situation regarding ‘lex Perković’, specifically the initiation of sanctions by the European Commission against our country due to the non-compliance of the law on the arrest warrant with European legal standards.

The Croatian Government does not gamble with anything, so it will not do so on this occasion either. I am not prone to gambling, I knew briškula, I forgot that too, I do not know how to play cards at all, I have never been on poker machines, I do not have those tendencies, and as far as I know, no one here does either. Let us be patient a little longer and I urge you to trust the Government. That is the only thing! There is no gambling, no exposure, no jeopardizing national interests, no damage to a single pound or penny, or euro, when it comes to European funds because that is simply impossible! said Milanović.

The Prime Minister asked everyone for a little patience and to trust the Croatian Government. In this whole story, says Milanović, there is no damage to Croatia.

So, let us allow a few more days to draw some conclusions and make a decision that will be good for the Republic of Croatia in consultations with partner member states and the European Commission, as just one participant in that process, and there is no harmful decision for Croatia. Therefore, do not be overly impressed. Take things seriously, but this is not a big battle, concluded Milanović his view of the newly emerged situation.

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić stated that the problem related to the application of the European Arrest Warrant, known as ‘lex Perković’, will be resolved in time, and she is very optimistic in this regard, claiming that there will be no negative consequences for Croatia. She responded to a journalist’s question – when will the law come to the Government?

It will be on time and with will. We are solving the problem in a reasonable way, I am very optimistic. We will solve the problem and based on that, there will be no negative consequences for Croatia, Pusić told reporters after the Government session.

According to how things stand now, everything is going in a reasonable and good direction. And when it is definitive, of course, we will be able to inform you about it. That is all I have to say about it for now, added Minister Pusić.

When asked if her optimism means that she has ‘won over Prime Minister Zoran Milanović to her side’, she repeated: That is all I had to say about that.

On the agenda of the open part of the session, a draft proposal for the amendment of the Law on Foreign Affairs, a draft proposal for amendments to the Law on the State Commission for Control of Public Procurement Procedures, and a draft proposal for the authority of the Government of the Republic of Croatia to regulate certain issues within the jurisdiction of the Croatian Parliament by decrees were adopted.

The Government, in a record short session, which lasted only half an hour, gave consent for eight ministries and four other budget users to assume obligations charged to the state budget for the lease of vehicles through operational leasing with a residual value, in the total amount of 96.7 million kuna.

Of that, the largest amount of funds relates to the Ministry of the Interior, and Prime Minister Milanović accompanied the voting of consent with the comment: Here is a topic for tabloids.

Based on the consent, the Ministry of the Interior will lease 159 vehicles, the Ministry of Justice 69, the Ministry of Social Policy and Youth 16, the State Hydrometeorological Institute 6, etc.

The Government also discussed personnel issues.

A new assistant to the Minister of Economy, Filko Cezner, has been appointed, who will perform tasks within the jurisdiction of the Public Procurement System Directorate, effective October 1, 2013. Due to taking this position, he was also relieved of his duties as assistant to the Minister of Construction and Spatial Planning, effective September 30, 2013.

Dubravko Ponoš has been appointed a member of the Management Board of the Center for Monitoring Business Operations in the Energy Sector and Investments.

The previous member of the Management Board of the Agency for Development and Education, Narcisa Manojlović, has been relieved, and based on the conclusion of the Workers’ Council of the Agency, Igor Rukljač has been appointed as a new member.

Member of the Management Board of the Center for Regional Activities of the Priority Actions Program of the Mediterranean Action Plan in Split, Mario Obrdalj, has been relieved, and the new member is Marija Šćulac Domac.

Additionally, Mario Obrdalj has been relieved of his duties as president of the Management Board of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, and Nenad Strizrep has been appointed as the new president, as a representative of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nature. At his personal request, and based on the decision of the Management Board of the Fund, the previous director Dinko Polić has also been relieved, and Sven Müller has been appointed as acting director until the appointment of a director based on the conducted procedure through a competition.

Finally, the previous member of the Management Board of the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute, Jagoda Milidrag Šmid, has been relieved, and Miroslav Brzica has been appointed as a new member, at the proposal of the Economic and Social Council from the ranks of trade unions.