Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Tuesday that according to information he received at the inner cabinet's meeting, the introduction of Covid certificate mandate in state and public institutions practically proceeded smoothly.

I believe it is good to raise the level of health safety this way. We expect a vast majority of citizens to adapt to this situation, Plenkovic told the press after a session of the leadership of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

Asked to comment on the position od local and state official regarding Covid certificates, for example that of Sinj Mayor Miro Bulj, Primosten Mayor Stipe Petrina, but also that of President Zoran Milanovic, who said that they would disregard this requirement, Plenkovic responded that this was a disaster.

It is easy for him (Milanovic) to say that we are not going to harass people when he received all the three doses of the vaccine.

He is safe and protected and he keeps telling people that the decisions of the national coronavirus response team should not be respected, Plenkovic said.

As far as Bulj and Petrina are concerned, we have to find legal means to sanction this situation, the PM said.

Commenting on protest against epidemiological measures, Plenkovic said that Croatia is a democracy and people can have different opinions and express their dissatisfaction.

We will hear what they have to say and see if there is common ground. Our objective is to provide health protection, work, public transportation and education by securing enough dosses of the vaccine, Plenkovic said. He announced the government, at its session on Wednesday, would donate 300,000 doses of the vaccine that Croatia did not use, saying this will be Croatia’s contribution to the global fight against the pandemic.

Plenkovic said that the HDZ membership of former minister Gabrijela Zalac and the SAFU director, Tomislav Petric, would be suspended.

Recently, Zagreb County Court set month-long detention for former minister Gabrijela Zalac, the head of Croatia’s Central Finance and Contracting Agency (SAFU), Tomislav Petric and two other suspects in a case dubbed Software in which they are suspected of embezzlement of €1.8 million from the EU and Croatian budgets.