Plenković: There is no place for hate speech in modern Croatia

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic repeated on Monday that last week's anti-Serb graffiti was intolerable and unforgivable and that those responsible had to answer for it and that it is necessary to establish why the perpetrators, all young people, did that.

"It is up to the police to investigate the matter. We condemn it. Those responsible must answer for that. We could also talk about whether this was an orchestrated event, occurring three and a half weeks before elections. I have no proof of that, but those who act that way are playing into somebody's hands," he told reporters during a visit to the Zagreb Hospital for Infectious Diseases.

The PM said he saw no reason why young people would do these things, "which are intolerable, unforgivable, punishable, unnecessary and ugly."

"I think that it is necessray to establish why those young people did that. Something evidently was not done right, there are no manners from home here, that's as clear as day," he said.

Minister Beroš' statement not the most fortunate one

Plenković was also asked by reporters to comment on Health Minister Vili Beroš' statement, given in an interview with N1 television, that a child without parents was better off in a children's home in healthy conditions than if adopted by a same-sex couple.

"The proposed legal solution is the HDZ's position. I do not think that Minister Beros is homophobic in any way. His statement might not have been the most fortunate one, but as a political party we definitely demonstrated our position when the law was proposed and was eventually voted in as such," Plenkovic said, adding that the process of deinstitutionalisation should always be supported.

No layoffs, unemployment rate below 7%, lowest ever

Plenković dismissed speculation that Croatia was in for yet another wave of layoffs.

"A very small number of Croatians ended up at the Employment Service during the recent crisis... those were people who had already been hired for the season. The unemployment rate during the term of my government has dropped below 7%, which is the lowest rate ever," he said.

He added that the government would continue helping sectors in need of further assistance such as transport, storage, and the hospitality and event industries.

Asked to explain his statement that a law on the post-quake reconstruction of Zagreb was not a precondition to start working on reconstruction, Plenkovic said this meant that anyone with insured property could launch the renovation process without any problem.

"According to information made available to me yesterday, the last day of public consultation on the bill, 201 objections have been submitted. I phoned (Construction Minister Predrag) Stromar right away and instructed him and his services to immediately start a thorough analysis of those objections," he said, noting that the reconstruction process would last at least ten years.

I did my share of work in foreign affairs

Plenković also commented on Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Škoro's statement that his party could form a coalition with the HDZ on the condition Plenkovic was not prime minister but foreign minister.

"I think I did my share of work in foreign affairs, but there is room for a ministry of happiness, too," he said in an ironic remark on a recent statement by Škoro.

Text:Hina

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