Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction Branko Bačić said on Tuesday, after a coalition meeting in Banski Dvori, that decisions on the new Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds and on the entry of DP President Ivan Penava into the Government will be known by July 15th, writes N1.
Bačić said that the coalition meeting did not discuss personnel issues related to the Government. He said that Prime Minister Plenković will decide on the vacant position of Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, after Šime Erlić was elected Mayor of Zadar, as well as Ivan Penava's entry into the Government, and the plan is to announce all personnel decisions by July 15th.
Asked if the prime minister is waiting to see what the investigation into vote buying in Vukovar will reveal, Bačić said that he would not comment on individual articles in the media, that he had no information about it, and that it had not been discussed at coalition meetings.
The ruling majority has not considered the question of what it will do if the candidate for the president of the Supreme Court, Sandra Artuković Kunšt, responds to the renewed public call of the DSV. She now does not have the support of the ruling majority. The vote in the Parliament should take place on Friday, said Bačić, adding that the coalition's position on this is clear. This means that the DSV will go to a new public call.
Asked whether such an outcome would affect further relations between the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, given that other issues such as ambassadors need to be resolved and agreed upon, Bačić said that it was unrelated and he thought it would not affect future talks between the Government and the President.
At the coalition meeting, the Prime Minister informed the partners about his activities related primarily to the European Council and NATO meetings. In this context, there was discussion about significantly increasing defense spending in the next 10 years, and all coalition partners agree with this. Bačić said that this would in no way jeopardize the financing of other public needs from the budget.
The situation in the Middle East was also discussed, and the Prime Minister called for restraint and the establishment of a ceasefire in that area, said Bačić.
There was also talk of negotiations between the Government and public and state service unions regarding determining the base for calculating salaries in 2026. The negotiations are being led on behalf of the Government by the Minister of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, Marin Piletić, who informed them that efforts are being made to find positions that are as harmonized as possible.
Minister Bačić confirmed that 450 young families who are entitled to a refund of their value added tax and real estate transfer tax have come forward in the past week. The first payments, he said, are expected in early July.
Source: N1
Photo: archive (Vlada.hr)
