Plenković Criticises Milanović over Court and Ambassadors

The news in Croatian

1. kritizirati
   izražavati nezadovoljstvo nečijim postupcima ili radom ↩︎
2. predsjednik  (m.)
   osoba na čelu države ili organizacije ↩︎
3. prijedlog  (m.)
   što je ponuđeno kao odluka ili akcija ↩︎
4. imenovanje  (n.)
   čin postavljanja nekoga na neku funkciju ↩︎
5. sukob  (m.)
   situacija kada dvije strane imaju različite interese ↩︎
6. tenzija  (f.)
   napetost ili zategnutost između strana ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Who criticized the president over the Supreme Court and ambassadors?

Question 2: What is the conflict about between Plenković and Milanović?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
kritizirati	criticise
predsjednik  (m.)	president
prijedlog  (m.)	proposal
imenovanje  (n.)	appointment
sukob  (m.)	conflict
tenzija  (f.)	tension

Read the full story

Croatia’s Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković, has sharply criticised President Zoran Milanović for his handling of two hot-button issues: the nomination process for the head of the Croatian Supreme Court and the appointment of ambassadors. His comments came after a session of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leadership, during which Plenković touched on various current affairs including inflation reduction and the search for missing persons.

Plenković accused Milanović of breaking the law and undermining legal processes, particularly regarding the president’s proposal of a candidate for the Supreme Court presidency, Mirta Matić. “The thesis that the public call is insignificant is completely wrong,” remarked Plenković, referring to the President’s dismissal of the legally mandated selection procedure. He reminded the public of a previous instance when Milanović allegedly bypassed standard procedures to nominate a candidate years ago.

The prime minister argued that the legal framework, including the public call, aligns with European anti-corruption recommendations and emphasised the importance of adhering to these standards in political appointments. He indicated openness to continued dialogue, noting that all candidates will undergo the established selection procedure.

In addition to the Supreme Court issue, a significant clash involves the appointment of ambassadors. Plenković rebuffed Milanović’s claims that his government’s ambassadorial candidates are primarily from the HDZ and unqualified. The Prime Minister refuted this, stating that of the 80 proposed diplomats, none were selected based on party affiliation alone. Furthermore, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman highlighted that eight individuals proposed by Milanović were controversial as they came from outside the diplomatic service.

Milanović characterised the lack of agreement on ambassador nominations as “shameful,” criticising the Government’s unwillingness to compromise. He stated that he had allowed Plenković significant influence over the selections, contradicting the government’s claims of fairness. The discord appears deeply entrenched, with Milanović alleging that government insiders resist change to maintain longstanding appointments predating his presidency.

Grlić Radman reassured the public that discussions about diplomatic appointments are ongoing and dismissed the president’s tactics as unhelpful intervention. Neither side seems willing to concede, with undercurrents of political manoeuvring evident in their public exchanges.

This ongoing diplomatic and legal confrontation highlights the complexities and tensions within Croatia’s political landscape, as both leaders assert their visions for governance and international representation.

Info: “Croatian Learner News” is a service from “Let’s Learn Croatian”, a language school dedicated to teaching the Croatian language through various online courses. Discover your path to fluency by exploring our Croatian classes designed for learners at every level.