Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic told state radio on Monday that he believed that vaccination against Covid would not be made mandatory, and that "for now there had been no mention" of introducing Covid passes for entering the parliament building, state agency Hina reported.

Jandrokovic also stressed that vaccination was the only way to put an end to the pandemic.

“Science found the vaccine very quickly, we can fight the pandemic now, and the more vaccinated people there are, the better, more easily and more meaningfully will we live,” he said, calling on citizens to get vaccinated because that will ensure their own health, as well as that of all citizens.

Jandrokovic said that introducing a Covid pass for the parliament had not been discussed yet.

Asked about making job-retention support conditional on inoculation, Jandrokovic said he did not understand the logic of those who said ‘I won’t get vaccinated, but I want the money.’

He stressed that employers could not force workers to get vaccinated and added that the state was not obliged to provide HRK 4,000 in support for job keeping in sectors affected by Covid as there was a vaccine, recalling that Covid had so far cost Croatia HRK 30 billion.

Commenting on today’s debate in parliament, Jandrokovic said that Croatia had €30 billion from European funds at its disposal in the next 10 years.

Surprisingly good data on GDP growth

It is estimated that that funding directly affects GDP growth. I’ve heard some data on GDP growth in the second quarter of this year and it is surprisingly good, he said.

He was positive about the first year of the 10th Croatian parliament and said that he was the parliament speaker with the longest term in office.

“Slightly over four years and two months, time flies, I’m honoured to be the parliament speaker with the longest term in office,” said Jandrokovic, who is the first parliament speaker with two terms in office.

He also said there were no indications that the parliament, which ends its regular work on 15 July, would hold an extraordinary sitting.