MEP Biljana Borzan (Social Democratic Party) called out the Croatian government and Health Minister Vili Beros on Thursday for not banning the sale of energy drinks to minors, asking how many more children, like a 12-year-old who had a stroke, needed to suffer before the government does something.

“I have been warning about this problem for years. I have twice submitted a bill to the parliament for a ban, but the minister of health and the government do not care about that,” said Borzan.

Last year, a 13-year-old child died in Zagreb, and the cause of death was related to the consumption of energy drinks, Borzan noted.

“How many more children need to suffer for you to do something? Whose interests are you defending with carelessness and inaction?” Borzan asked.

The MEP pointed out that research has shown that children and young people are increasingly drinking energy drinks, which are harmful to them in many ways, and a majority of these children have said they drink them because they need energy.

Varazdin County conducted a survey in 30 primary and 10 secondary schools on a sample of more than 5,300 students, which showed that as many as 65 percent of elementary and 85 percent of secondary school students consume energy drinks.

It is particularly disturbing that 20 percent of elementary school students and 30 percent of high school students had serious disorders while consuming these beverages, warned Borzan.