The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) secretary-general and a parliamentary deputy, Krunoslav Katicic, has said that it is not the job of judges, including the Supreme Court President, to give political assessments of elected office-holders.

Giving political assessments about democratically elected and legitimate state officials in Croatia is not the job of any judge, including the Supreme Court President (Radovan Dobronic). Those who harbour such ambitions are free to run in the elections and possibly win a term,” Katicic wrote on social networks after Dobronic criticised the HDZ government and PM Andrej Plenkovic for behaving as if they were employers of judges.

Supreme Court President Radovan Dobronic told the Jutarnji List daily on Saturday that the statements of the PM and the justice minister were such as if there was no separation of the executive powers and courts.

The exchange of accusations followed after the Association of Croatian Judges turned down the justice ministry’s proposal for an increase of €700 in the net pay of judges.

“It is clear that neither the premier nor the general public are aware that the profession of judges is the only one in which the wages are not determined by the market or by demand and supply and collective negotiations,” said Dobronic underscoring that wages are a guarantee for judges’ formal and real material independence and they must be high to provide judges with this independence and dignity.

Dobronic says, among other things, that the issue of the indexation of judges’ salaries does not fall within trade union negotiations, how it is presented by the government in the public, and criticised Plenkovic for lack of understanding of and respect for the autonomy of judges.