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Zagreb/Split (ANSA) – The conservative party in power in Croatia has reached an agreement with a right-wing party to form a new coalition government after last month’s legislative elections. The alliance is set to shift Croatia back to the right, after the current pro-European Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, had steered the Croatian Democratic Union (Hdz) towards the center.
The Hdz – the main ruling party since independence in 1991 – and the right-wing nationalist movement Patriotic Movement (Dp) have now reached an agreement on forming a new parliamentary majority and on the structure of a new government. The new executive will be led by Plenkovic, who has been the prime minister since 2016.
After the European elections in June, the Dp might join the group of European Conservatives and Reformists (Ecr), the same group as Brothers of Italy (Fdi). During the visit of Ursula von der Leyen to Split, as the Spitzenkandidat of the European People’s Party, Plenkovic confirmed the Ppe’s shift to the right. “After the vote, we can find parties a bit more to the right but that can give confidence to a pro-EU majority. The Ppe is a guarantor for democracy and for a majority that is pro-EU,” he said.
The red line was drawn by von der Leyen: “To be pro-EU, pro-Ukraine, and pro-NATO.” Beyond that, in fact, negotiation is possible. The real danger, for the president of the European Commission, is the rise of parties that she describes as “Putin’s proxies” and that could influence the choices of the future EU. “Russia’s behavior is a real threat, the interferences are numerous. We have established rules that require greater control and transparency from platforms. But it is important that European citizens remain vigilant, are aware of these interferences, and protect the unity of the EU,” is the warning launched less than a month before the vote (May 10).