On Thursday, the government adopted a decree on the amount of supplements to the basic coefficient for the profession of professional firefighter. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that this was a good solution in the context of protecting the labour status of firefighters.

He recalled that the government had raised the status of the Croatian Firefighting Association to the level of a central state authority, adopted new laws, significantly increased funding for firefighting, invested 600 million euros in equipment and modernisation and commissioned two new firefighting aircraft worth 105 million euros.

Chief Firefighting Commander Slavko Tucakovic said the decree was a result of support for the firefighting sector.

The decree had been agreed with all interested associations and trade unions, he said, adding that other regulations for the professional firefighting system had also been adopted.

Speaking to reporters after the government meeting, Tucakovic said that the starting salary of a professional firefighter could be up to €1,300 per month.

In May, Croatian firefighters protested on St Mark’s Square in Zagreb, organised by several firefighters’ unions. The demonstration entitled “Fires don’t go out with lies” was a reaction to the possible closure of fire brigades due to funding problems. The demonstrators called on the Croatian government to ensure permanent and uniform funding for fire brigades and to create a clear legal framework to regulate firefighters’ salaries, which have been unresolved since 2020.