Ahead of Thursday's debate on the effects of measures from the law on the protection of the population from infectious diseases during the Covid-19 pandemic, the parliamentary majority and the opposition clashed over their justification and success, the opposition also raising the vaccine issue.

The report on the effects of coronavirus measures says we will procure 6.8 million vaccine doses, while the government’s conclusion says we will procure 5.9 million doses, Marija Selak Raspudic (Most) said ahead of the debate, wondering how people’s needs had surpassed one million in a matter of weeks.

Rada Boric (Green-left Bloc) said the EU signed vaccine procurement contracts on Croatia’s behalf and recalled the EU’s current row with pharmaceutical companies over deliveries.

What exit strategy do we have? How autonomous are our health institutions regarding alternative vaccines? What is our stand on other vaccines? Have we done any research on that?, Boric asked rhetorically.

Hrvoje Zekanovic (Sovereignists) said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic boasted about having ordered thousands of doses, yet that in the end Serbia, which is not in the EU, had already vaccinated 320,000 people while Croatia could not ensure the vaccine for those who wanted it.

Anka Mrak-Taritaš (Glas) said Croatia had done good things in the fight against the virus over the past year as well as making a series of mistakes.

We expected an analysis of all that so that in future we know what to do if something like this happens again, but there is no such analysis in the report, she added.

Vesna Vucemilovic (Homeland Movement) said the restrictions were affecting entrepreneurs the most and that they were worried because compensation measures were not being adopted.

What has the opposition done and claimed?

Zeljko Reiner of the ruling HDZ said the opposition was showing enormous concern for citizens and this topic today, yet that some had taken part in protests against the restrictions, expressed fears that Croatia was returning “to the dark period of totalitarian regimes”, and claimed there would be 10,000 fatalities by March and that the national Covid response team was unnecessary.

Pedja Grbin of the Social Democrats said the considerable decline in new infections in recent weeks indicated the measures were effective, but wondered why they were not adopted sooner and why tens of thousands were allowed to become infected and hundreds to unnecessarily die.