Croatia's Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic announced on Sunday that everything was ready for the introduction of mandatory EU digital COVID certificates in the healthcare and welfare systems.

“Everything is ready. … I am confident that the people working in the healthcare and welfare systems will do their best and that the interests of patients are their priority. I think they will continue to observe the professional and ethical principles as they have so far,” Bozinovic told RTL television during a visit to Velika Gorica, just south of Zagreb.

Commenting on the request by the nurses’ union for assessment of the constitutionality of this decision, Bozinovic said that the purpose of decisions like this was to protect the health of the most vulnerable people, adding that the decisions by the national COVID-19 response team were in line with the constitution and law.

“Mandatory testing of staff before coming to work was in place before. Drawing a parallel between COVID certificates and mandatory vaccination is completely wrong and untrue,” Bozinovic said, adding that the Constitutional Court had confirmed the constitutionality and legality of decisions made by the national coronavirus response team before and “that is what is going to be this time as well.”