ZAGREB, May 4, 2018 – Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday there would be no government reshuffle, adding that he had no idea why this possibility was being raised.
Asked by Nova TV about divisions within his HDZ party over the recent ratification of the Istanbul Convention and if those who had been against it, such as Davor Ivo Stier and Miro Kovač, would remain the party’s political and international secretary respectively, Plenković said they stayed in the party and had their roles. “We’ll see if they will remain the political and the international secretary in the long term.”
Speaking of the indebted Agrokor food and retail group, he voiced confidence that the outstanding issues would be solved by July 10, the deadline for reaching a settlement with the creditors. He said the government provided a legal framework for the group’s restructuring and that the role of the Commercial Court was proving very important now.
Asked about the issue of citizens with blocked bank accounts, Plenković said there were over 320,000 of them and that their debt principal totalled 42 billion kuna. He recalled that three measures were put up for public consultation last week with a view to finding a solution – a debt write-off bill, a financial distraint bill, and a simplified approach to the consumer bankruptcy law.
“Liabilities must be serviced,” he said, adding that the government would not favour something which could be interpreted as “it doesn’t matter, don’t pay your debts, someone will write them off eventually.”
We are extending the hand of solidarity and social sensitivity, he said. “That’s a measure that’s here and isn’t a buying of social peace.”
