Zagreb - After a one-week break, MPs return on Wednesday for the 10th session of the Parliament, running until 15 July.
The session opens with the current affairs debate, during which MPs pose questions to the prime minister and cabinet ministers. The ruling coalition enters the session strengthened by one additional vote from HSS leader Darko Vuletić, bringing their total to 79 seats.
During the debate, ministers will answer 39 parliamentary questions.
Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković announced plans to amend the Standing Orders to shorten debates within parliamentary groups, limit individual speeches, remove internal group replies and potentially revise the format of the current affairs debate.
The session’s agenda currently includes 120 items, over half submitted by opposition MPs, including reports from the Ombudsman offices, the Public Ombudsman 2023 report, mandatory pension fund reports for 2022, and the National Foundation for Civil Society Development 2022 report. Additional government proposals and opposition initiatives are expected to expand the agenda.
Following the debate, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will present a report on the 19 March European Council meeting, which focused on the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, EU competitiveness and the single market, with special emphasis on energy markets amid shifting geopolitical conditions.
Later in the week, MPs will discuss the Affordable Housing Bill (second reading), the Capital Market Bill (fast-track procedure) and the Electronic Communications Bill (second reading).
Parliament also faces the pending selection of three new constitutional judges and a Supreme Court president, as current terms expire on 12 April, but negotiations remain deadlocked, leaving the timing of appointments uncertain.