.png)
Zagreb - The Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution, Rules of Procedure and Political System decided on Friday that, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure , the Ministry of the Interior's report on illegal migration cannot be included in the agenda of the plenary session.
The Committee on Home Affairs and National Security, at the initiative of Bridge MP Nikola Grmoja, requested that the Ministry of the Interior's report on illegal migration be included in the discussion at the plenary session.
While the ruling parties claim that the report is a working paper, that it was not submitted on the basis of a legal obligation and therefore cannot be discussed at the plenary session under the Rules of Procedure, the Bridge party and the Croatian Sovereignists say that the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) only wants to prevent the discussion of this important topic.
Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković is hiding behind this Committee so that illegal migration would not be discussed at the session, Grmoja said.
In Croatia, the number of illegal migrants has increased by more than 170 percent, and it is unbelievable that the ruling party is going to such lengths that they do not want to discuss this in Parliament, said Marko Milanović Litre (Sovereignists).
"By refusing the debate, you are actually belittling the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Davor Božinović, his department and the report he submitted," Milanović Litre said.
Marija Jelkovac (HDZ) said that there is a clear procedure under which the opposition can propose the inclusion of a certain item on the agenda, but that this is not in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.
"I have nothing against discussing all topics in Parliament, but in such a way that they come for discussion in accordance with the Rules of Procedure", she said.
If the opposition's request were accepted, then every parliamentary committee could request that a report be included in the discussion every week, which would result in hyperinflation, Damir Habijan (HDZ) said.
Although she believes that the debate on illegal migration would contain hate speech and racist statements, Sandra Benčić (We Can!) says that this cannot be a reason for rejecting the debate on the report of the Interior Ministry, a legal entity with public powers, based on the conclusion of Parliament's committee.
Milorad Pupovac of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) asked what good this discussion could bring to addressing the migration problem.
Grmoja said Pupovac's statement shows the totalitarian and authoritarian tendencies of the ruling majority, and Milanović Litre called it a shameful attitude of the government that wants to decide what is a topic and what isn't.
"If anyone speaks a totalitarian language from a populist nest, then it is you, God forbid you become the minister of the interior", Pupovac replied and walked out of the session.
Legal experts are also divided on this issue. While some believe that the Interior Ministry's report should be discussed at the plenary session, others say that there are reports that must go to the plenum, but that the report on illegal migration is not such and does not have to be included in the agenda.