The government plans to expand the list of products whose prices will be capped and will continue to take care of citizens' living standards, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Economy Minister Ante Susnjar said during question time in Parliament on Wednesday.

“We will expand the list of products with capped prices, and the State Inspectorate and the Competition Agency will play a greater role,” said Prime Minister Plenkovic in response to a question from independent MP Nino Raspudic.

Plenkovic recalled the measures that the government has taken so far to curb inflation, such as lowering the VAT rate to 5% for a number of products. “Almost nobody realises this anymore,” he said.

Susnjar: We continue to take care of maintaining the standard of living of citizens

Inflation was 2.975% in 2024 and is expected to be 2.7% this year, Plenkovic added, highlighting GDP growth, the reduction of public debt, credit rating, and the increase in wages and pensions.

Inflation continues to be a pressing problem in Croatia. The country has recorded some of the highest rates in the EU over the past three years and currently has the highest inflation in the eurozone, Raspudic said, explaining that the capping of prices for some products is insufficient.

Minister Susnjar also addressed the plan to expand the list of products with regulated prices. He was responding to a question from Dragana Jeckov (SDSS party).

“We continue to care about maintaining the standard of living of citizens. The government plans to expand the list of products with regulated prices and we will try to balance the basket of goods so that it is as healthy and affordable as possible for our citizens,” Susnjar said. He pointed out that meetings are being held with producers, traders and distributors to ensure that everyone plays their part in reducing inflationary pressures.

Congratulations, but not to the president

During question time, the verb “congratulate” was mentioned several times by the Prime Minister, but not in the context of the recent presidential election. Instead, it was used in connection with the Day of the International Recognition of the Republic of Croatia and the Day of Peaceful Reintegration of the Croatian Danube Region, as well as in connection with Croatia’s economic successes.

“I join the Parliament Speaker in congratulations on the Day of the International Recognition of Croatia. We can congratulate Croatia which, together with Malta and Cyprus, has the highest GDP growth in the European Union,” Plenkovic said.

During question time, the Prime Minister and the MPs of the governing majority also exchanged blows with the SDP leader and other opposition MPs over the outcome of the presidential election, in which the incumbent Zoran Milanovic clinched a sweeping victory against Dragan Primorac, who is supported by the ruling majority.