Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic refused on Tuesday President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic's invitation to convene a special cabinet meeting on demographic policy.

“There will be no joint government session on this subject. The President sent a memo with the initiative, but without any specific measures on which she notified the public,” Plenkovic said.

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic sent on Monday a written recommendation asking for a special cabinet meeting be convened on the subject of demographic policy, i.e. measures to tackle the accelerating population drain due to increasing emigration and historically low birth rates.

“I would like us to create a synergy because I believe that demography is an issue that requires state consensus, as a basis for strong development policies,” she told reporters.

“I invite the president and all others who wish to do so, to put their ideas forward. We will very gladly hear all the ideas. We also have a council for demographic revitalisation…” he said.

Commenting on the statement Grabar-Kitarovic made earlier today, that the government is implementing only partial demographic measures, he said: “When you put them all together, you will see whether they are partial, or if they have a guiding principle to solve this problem. We are aware of the problem. We have 100 births and 150 funerals a day. These are the problems countries the size of ours face, created by a series of demographic and economic changes in the society.”

He added he was supportive of the President’s efforts to keep the topic of demographic policy in the spotlight.

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