Minister Vučković, where is the new climate plan?

"The new Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition needs to live up to its name and finally be transparent compared to its previous two compositions", Marija Mileta from FoE Croatia said in front of the Ministry building.

Namely, all EU member states, including Croatia, must send the European Commission an updated climate and energy plan (the so-called NECP) by the end of June, but the public has not even seen it yet. "We are calling on Minister Marija Vučković to launch a public consultation on the climate plan as soon as possible, with a legal duration of at least 30 days", said Mileta.

She emphasised that she hopes that the new minister will take the climate crisis seriously and propose measures and policies which correspond with the urgency of this problem. "It is shameful that for eight years we have had a government that talks about climate change only when disasters occur. We call on the minister to take a better path, and not, like previous ministers, subordinate the protection of the environment and climate to the economy and the lobbies of polluting industries", Mileta added.

Activists held a performance which showed the closedness of the Ministry towards the public. They brought a door that they persistently tried to open, symbolising the public, but without success. In addition, they had a sign with the messages "Climate resilience - our right" and "Public involvement - your duty".

FoE Croatia requested a public debate on the climate plan both in 2018 and 2020. However, the Ministry basicaly ignored it and held a four-day consultation, contrary to the Environmental Protection Act. "It is our right as citizens to participate in the formation of such important policies that will affect our lives. And the duty of the Ministry and the Government is to include and respect the opinion of the public", Mileta pointed out.

The Ombudsperson also got involved in this process. "The Ombudsperson's office responded positively to our complaint. They requested a statement from the Ministry and the initiation of a public consultation on the climate plan", Mileta said.

The NECP is the umbrella document for all national climate policies, and it derives as an obligation from the Paris Agreement on climate change.

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