Opposition says government has failed to properly implement reforms

Several left-leaning opposition parties have submitted an interpellation on government reforms over the past decade, covering the entire tenure of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

They argue that despite significant public investment, state institutions and the economy have weakened, while living standards have continued to decline.

At a press conference, Možemo! MP Sandra Benčić said:

“The government has managed to ruin every sector of the economy, even though it had 25 billion euros in EU funds and a further 9 billion euros from the state budget. Despite this, Croatia still has one of the highest inflation rates, and pensioners are among the poorest in Europe. The economy is not diversified and is not resilient to external shocks. This latest crisis has shown we are one of the most vulnerable countries in the EU. We are not self-sufficient in energy and increasingly depend on food imports. If you are sick, you need money for private healthcare, and if you retire, you are condemned to poverty.”

SDP MP Arsen Bauk said the initiative was backed by 16 MPs, several from SDP, and called for a parliamentary debate on what he described as reform failures in social policy, healthcare, taxation, pensions, culture, and media. He added that the aim is to produce binding conclusions that would require government action.

Government ministers from HDZ rejected the criticism. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction Branko Bačić said the opposition’s claims were unfounded, pointing to independent data showing Croatia has the third-highest GDP growth in the EU, alongside record employment and low unemployment.

Health Minister Irena Hrstić said opposition parties are entitled to raise interpellations but insisted that healthcare reforms have been successfully implemented and that the ministry is prepared to demonstrate results.