Plenković: Government to cap fuel prices again

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday that the government would again cap the price of basic fuels, as well as of blue diesel fuel, due to a likely increase in the prices of petroleum products, and the price cap will be HRK 11.37 for petrol, HRK 11.29 for diesel and HRK 6.50 for blue diesel.

"Due to a likely increase in the prices of petroleum products, we have decided to again pass a decree capping the price of Eurosuper 95 at the current HRK 11.37, which... will stay for the next month, and of diesel at HRK 11.29," the prime minister said at a press conference after a meeting of the HDZ party leadership.

He added that the government would also limit the price of blue diesel, which is used in agriculture and the fishing industry, to HRK 6.50.

He underscored that by doing so the government "demonstrates that it is taking care of its citizens and their standard".

The decision, he said, would be issued today and would immediately enter into force.

"The price of fuel - regular Eurosuper 95, regular and blue diesel, will be the same tomorrow, while the price of premium fuel will not be capped," said Plenković.

Author should have checked if he may use photograph of marten

The author of the motif on the Croatian side of the €1 coin, chosen as the best national motif for that coin, should have checked with the author of the photograph he used if he may use it, and if so, he should have paid for it, respecting copyright.

"Had that been done, everything would be O.K., but it was not done," Plenković told reporters after a session of the leadership of his HDZ party.

"It's a pity. The selection procedure was open and very transparent," the PM said, recalling that there were more than 1,300 proposals for the national sides of euro coins.

Asked why the photograph used for the motif on the €1 coin, featuring a marten, was not checked by the body in charge of the procedure to select the best designs for the national sides of euro coins, Plenković said it was a question for the Croatian National Bank (HNB) Currency Committee because the HNB was in charge of the process.

"As far as I know, they signed a statement guaranteeing that everything they submitted was their property, meaning that they own the copyright. As to whether something can be recognised right away, maybe it can, maybe it cannot. In any case, this is an unnecessary embarrassment," said Plenković.

Asked why the Ministry of Culture had not been in charge of selecting the best designs for the national sides of euro coins, the PM said that procedures of that kind were usually conducted by the HNB.

"If, for example, the 25th anniversary of the kuna is commemorated, that is done by the HNB," he said.

Another chance should be given to the talks with Bosniak political parties on changing Bosnia and Herzegovina's election law

"We are trying to create a climate which will first raise the level of trust between Croats and Bosniaks," he told the press after a joint meeting of the presidencies of his HDZ party and the HDZ BiH. "We are trying to be the constructive factor which raises that level of trust."

Negotiations held in Neum between BiH's Croat and Bosniak political parties on changing the country's election law, mediated by EU and US delegates, failed at the end of last month.

BiH is to hold general elections in October but the two sides have still not agreed on changes to the law which now enables the more numerous Bosniaks to elect the Croat member of the BiH Presidency and enough members of the Federation entity parliament's House of Peoples to form the entity government.

"We will try to give a chance to the talks so that this trust is raised and so that a solution is found that will enable quality functioning for BiH," Plenković said, adding, "given that we still have quite some time in front of us, I'd still give the talks a chance."

Asked about the possibility of supporting an election boycott if the law was not changed, he said: "We are still not at that stage in the talks. At this moment, we are at the stage of giving a chance to the continuation of the talks. I think that would be most useful and best."

Plenković said the HDZ and the HDZ BiH concluded today that "the most important thing at the moment is to maintain cohesion" between BiH's Croat political parties.

He reiterated that it is necessary to find a solution "which will be acceptable to all and resolve the fundamental question, which is avoiding electoral engineering and the discrimination against Croats in BiH."

Plenković said the Venice Commission representatives at the Neum negotiations said the Croat side's proposals were in line with European standards.

Asked about HDZ BiH president Dragan Čović's statement at a session of the Bosnian Serb entity's parliament in which he urged the MPs to watch over the entity, Plenković said the point of that statement was respecting the framework established under the Dayton peace agreement.

"The message he wanted to send was one of respect for the Dayton-Paris peace agreement. For the concept: one state, two entities, three constituent peoples. I have nothing to add to that."

Plenković said the Dayton agreement evolved from a ceasefire agreement to a peace agreement which became BiH's constitution. "Now, 27 years later, it's the foundation on which the country functions. Perhaps it would be better if it was different somehow, but right now none of us can change that."

Vanđelić agreed with decisions as president of INA Supervisory Board

"He is no longer on the Supervisory Board and now someone is to blame for something. He should consider his responsibility," said HDZ leader and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković after a joint session of the HDZ's Presidency and the Presidency of HDZ BiH and then a joint session of the HDZ's Presidency and National Council.

Speaking of yesterday's murder of a woman in Rijeka and a recent murder in Split, Plenković said that the Criminal Code would be tightened, but that this was unfortunately a phenomenon in the society that occurred cyclically many times.

"There is no cure for that," he said, answering the question whether the Criminal Code would be tightened after the murders of women.

"Unfortunately, we have people who have big problems with themselves and then they are the perpetrators of the worst possible crimes, of aggravated murders that are unbelievable to anyone who is normal," Plenković said.

He recalled that they had tightened the Criminal Code but, if needed, they would tighten it again. "Even if you tighten the laws, how are we going to avoid this," he asked.

Asked by reporters whether MP Hrvoje Zekanović was his possible coalition partner, Plenković said that if someone in the parliament wanted to support the government or the majority in parliament, that person or party had to decide themselves, of their own initiative, and say it publicly. He also said that if Zekanović decided to support this government, he should say so himself.

Asked about the situation in the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) after the Istria County prefect and former IDS leader Boris Miletić left the party, he said that he rarely commented on situations in other parties.

Plenković said that at the session of the party leadership, they discussed, among other things, the activities ahead of this week's parliament session, the government session, the situation with the coronavirus pandemic and the package of measures the government would introduce due to the increase in fuel price and to protect living standards by mitigating the impact of the price hikes on citizens' budgets.

Text: HINA

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