ZAGREB, April 11, 2020 – Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Friday there was no need to declare a state of emergency and that he would continue to support citizens, workers and the economy as well as downsize budget expenditures.
Speaking for Večernji List TV, he said there was no need to declare a state of emergency because both the government and parliament functioned. “They are doing what democratic institutions should.”
Plenković said although restrictions had been imposed, there was no curfew or the army in the streets as in some other countries. He added that what the government was doing was appropriate and clear, that people were aware of the seriousness of the situation and that they were mostly responding very responsibly.
The prime minister said the government would propose further measures to help the economy, “adapting to the circumstances.” He added that he was glad the measures proposed so far had been supported in public.
Plenković said the government would propose a law to suspend enforcement on monetary funds and other measures benefitting citizens.
He said the government had talked with representatives of the most important state-owned public companies to appeal for cost cutting, making crisis plans and paying a portion of their profits into the state budget.
He refuted media speculation on the establishment of a national crisis management team for the economy. He said that after Easter the government would consider how “experts from the academic community, the private sector and possibly unions” could contribute to making the Croatian economy adapt to “the new normal.”
The prime minister underlined the importance of investing in agriculture in the wake of the closure of borders and communication disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the digital economy and the digital society as well as in all services necessary to catch up with the fourth industrial revolution.
“The government is thinking about that next step because the most important thing will be how fast an economy stands back on its feet and catches up with new challenges. In that sense we will see that those solutions are good for Croatia and Croatian citizens.”
The prime minister said that in this crisis “the state has shown to be quite resilient and effective” and he also highlighted the responsible behaviour of citizens.
Asked if he was satisfied with the behaviour of the opposition, he said it was “playing its game” and had its initiatives but that it had, for the most part, backed all government proposals.
He said the government was doing what it could given the financial situation and that what had been done so far was quite generous.
More news about coronavirus can be found in the Lifestyle section.
