The Centre party said on Monday it had reported the government and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to the European Commission and the European Parliament over amendments to the Penal Code, dubbed Lex AP, claiming they jeopardise media freedoms and the citizens' right to information.

Although the amendments protect journalists from criminal liability, this does not mean that the amendments will not have a detrimental effect on informing the public, notably on corruption affairs, because they will deter potential sources and whistleblowers, the party said in its complaint.

The amendments foresee up to three years’ imprisonment for the unauthorised disclosure of information from investigations and this Opposition party is concerned that the law could be used to surveil journalists in order to find out their sources.

Such changes hamper the fight against corruption and prevent whistleblowers from acting and victims of criminal offences from going public if the authorities are not doing their job, Centre party leader Ivica Puljak said in the complaint.

Although the amendments decriminalise the disclosure of information from investigations if it is done in the public interest, this is not enough and they should be scrapped, he said.

Combined with the candidate for the new state attorney general, who is loyal to the ruling party and has criminal ties, these changes signal the potential establishment of a partisan state of fear in which the government controls all institutions, he added.