President of the Republic Proposes to Prime Minister to Include Opposition in Drafting National Development Strategy, to Ensure Consensus

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović has proposed to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to include representatives of opposition parliamentary parties in a steering committee and a task force in charge of drafting the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia for the period until 2030.

President Milanović believes that the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia for the period until 2030 is a document of national strategic interest and that it requires the broadest possible consensus.

The President recalled that Croatia has always reached a consensus on important national issues, which has contributed to the achievement of its strategic goals. As this is a key document for the overall development of society and the economy over a ten-year period, the President of the Republic proposed to the Prime Minister that the steering committee and task force for drawing up the strategy be inclusive, and that they make it possible for representatives of parliamentary parties that entered Parliament by the will of the people to participate in this endeavour as well.

Below is the full content of the letter of the President of the Republic, containing the aforementioned proposal, which was sent on 10 November 2020 to the Prime Minister:

“Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

In reference to the invitation to participate in the steering committee for the drafting of the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia for the period until 2030, which was sent to the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia by the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Nataša Tramišak, I would like to point out that the Strategy is an extremely important document for the Republic of Croatia.

Due to the importance of the Strategy, the challenges faced by Croatia and the possibilities that will open up in the coming decade, I suggest that you change your decision on the establishment of the steering committee and task force for the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia for the period until 2030, by making it possible for representatives of opposition parliamentary parties to participate in drafting it as well.

Since this is a key document for the overall development of society and the economy over a ten-year period, I believe that the steering committee for the National Development Strategy should be inclusive and include not only representatives of the relevant institutions, but also representatives of political parties elected to the Parliament by the will of the people, in order to make sure that the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia for the period until 2030 is implemented regardless of which party is in power. Dear Mr. Prime Minister, Croatia has always reached a consensus on important national issues, which has contributed to the achievement of its strategic goals. The National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia for the period until 2030 is a document of national strategic interest on which a consensus should be reached.”