Head of Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia Replies to Correspondence from Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office Related to Convening the National Security Council

The Head of Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia Orsat Miljenić sent a letter today to the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office Zvonimir Frka Petešić in a reply to his correspondence of 12^th November 2020.

The letter from the Head of Office of the President of the Republic is a reply to proposals related to convening a National Security Council meeting, which Mr. Frka Petešić sent on behalf of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. Since Prime Minister Andrej Plenković released the Government’s letter to the media, the reply from the Office of the President of the Republic is herewith forwarded (including attachment):

“Dear Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office,

Further to your letter of 12^th November 2020, we ask you to convey the views of the President of the Republic to the Prime Minister:

1. Means of communicating

The President of the Republic further considers this kind of communication ‘between mediators” to be inappropriate, especially when it concerns important issues for the Republic of Croatia. Exclusively for the purpose of enabling the national security system to function, the President of the Republic will communicate via a “mediator” on which the Prime Minister insists.

• Issues to be Discussed and Decided

The President of the Republic does not agree with two items proposed by the Prime Minister:

1. The President of the Republic believes that the systematic violation of the Dayton Agreement to the detriment of the Croatian people in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is an exceptionally important issue for the national security of the Republic of Croatia and that it needs to be discussed at the meeting of the National Security Council. To put this issue within the framework of ‘the status of Croats in neighbouring countries’, as proposed by the Prime Minister, in the President of the Republic’s view will not facilitate an appropriate discussion and adoption of conclusions. Especially in view of the fact that the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina are a constituent people and their status cannot be on a par with the status of Croatian national minorities in other neighbouring countries.
2. The President of the Republic considers that the item, ‘Information about the National Strategy and current preparations of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan’, although an exceptionally important issue, is not something that needs to be discussed by the NSC.
3. Inviting Other People to the Council Meeting

The President of the Republic believes that the legally defined composition of the National Security Council enables information to be obtained and discussed on all the proposed items. Consequently, the President of the Republic considers that there is no need to invite other people who are not members of the NSC. That means that information about the COVID-19 pandemic can be given by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Interior Minister Davor Božinović as head of the National Civil Protection Authority. By the same token, all the relevant data necessary to discuss ‘The Functioning of the Judiciary, and in particular, the Fight against Corruption and Organized crime’, can be provided by Justice and Administration Minister Ivan Malenica, who is by law also a member of the NSC.

• Date and Place of the Meeting

After reaching an agreement on the aforementioned issues, the President of the Republic is willing to accept the proposed date of November 20^th. Should it not be possible to hold the meeting on that date, the President of the Republic proposes that it be convened on November 23^rd or 24^th. He also proposes that the meeting be held as usual in Villa Prekrižje.”