Zagreb - Parliament on Tuesday appointed Nataša Mikuš Žigman as the new minister for regional development and EU funds, with support from the ruling majority. Speaking on Monday, she pledged to ensure that every corner of Croatia has a place in regional development.
She was backed by 76 MPs from the ruling coalition, while 56 opposition MPs voted against. Mikuš Žigman was immediately sworn in to her new role, which she takes up after leaving a position at the Podravka food company.
Previously, she served two terms as state secretary at the Ministry of Economy and has held numerous senior roles in the public sector over the past 20 years.
"My responsibility is to truly ensure that every part of Croatia, whether an urban centre, island town, village in Slavonia or a mountainous municipality, is included in regional development and that their development needs are taken into account in planning," she said during her hearing before the relevant parliamentary committee yesterday.
She emphasised that she would ensure EU funds are spent responsibly, transparently and in accordance with the law. "There will be no exceptions in this. Croatia must be a country that offers opportunities to all its citizens."
Her appointment comes three months after Šime Erlić vacated the post to run for mayor of Zadar in the local elections, a contest he went on to win.
Across the three governments led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Erlić was the 35th minister to leave office. Mikuš Žigman is the third new member of the cabinet during Plenković's third term as prime minister.