President Milanović Urges Prime Minister to Discuss and Align Foreign Policy: The Constitution obliges us to cooperate

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović sent a letter on 9 September 2024 to the Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković, inviting him to a meeting on the topic of foreign policy. The reason was the Government’s intention to establish new diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Croatia worldwide without any prior agreement or consultation with the President, although such decisions can only be made in agreement and with the mutual consent of both the Government and the President of the Republic.

The Prime Minister has yet to respond to the written request from the President or show any interest in cooperation.

“The Constitution obliges us to cooperate and I invite you once again to discuss and agree on this topic. Your approach, which suggests that the President’s role would be reduced to unconditionally accepting all Government proposals without the possibility of discussion, is contrary to both the Constitution and the interests of Croatia, and I will not accept it now or in the future. Croatia’s foreign policy is not a party matter but a common interest of all our citizens, for whose creation and implementation both the Government and the President are jointly responsible under the Constitution. The powers and obligations of both the Government and the President of the Republic are clearly defined by the Constitution, and I urge you to respect them,” President Milanović wrote, among other things, in his letter to the Prime Minister.

The letter from President Milanović addressed to the Prime Minister on 9 September is published in full below.

“Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

The provision of paragraph 2 of Article 99 of the Croatian Constitution stipulates that, upon the proposal of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and with the co-signature of the Prime Minister, the President of the Republic decides on the establishment of diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Croatia abroad. This constitutional provision clearly establishes that all decisions regarding the establishment of diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Croatia abroad can only be made with the consent and agreement of both the Government and the President of the Republic. Therefore, it is impossible for any party to impose decisions unilaterally.

Recently, I have started receiving proposals from the Government regarding the establishment of certain diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Croatia, with a request that I sign them, without these proposals having been previously discussed or agreed upon, and without any explanations provided for such proposals.

My associates have repeatedly informed your Minister of Foreign and European Affairs that I cannot and do not wish to make decisions on the establishment of new diplomatic and consular missions and offices without prior discussion and coordination, as well as without prior justification of such proposals. Specifically, I believe it is necessary to review the existing network and number of diplomatic and consular offices, their geographical distribution, and assess the justification for their existence. Only after that can we discuss the needs for further expansion of the network of diplomatic and consular missions, and then specific locations. These are strategic decisions that require careful consideration and detailed analysis, of course before their adoption, as well as mutual consultation and agreement. Therefore, without prior consultation and agreement, I will not make any decisions regarding proposals for the establishment of new diplomatic and consular missions and offices.

Furthermore, as you are well aware, the four-year terms of all heads of diplomatic and consular missions have expired. To make matters worse, some missions have been without leaders for years. Additionally, it has been announced that some other posts will soon become vacant. All of this negatively affects not only the quality of work of Croatia’s diplomatic-consular network but also the functioning of Croatia’s foreign service as a whole.

Bearing all this in mind, and considering the need to appoint new heads of diplomatic missions and consular offices, over the past four years I have repeatedly invited you, Mr. Prime Minister, both in writing and verbally, to discussions on foreign policy. Yet, each time, you either refused or did not even respond to the invitations.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, the Constitution obliges us to cooperate and I invite you once again to discuss and agree on this topic. Your approach, which suggests that the President’s role would be reduced to unconditionally accepting all Government proposals without the possibility of discussion, is contrary to both the Constitution and the interests of Croatia, and I will not accept it now or in the future. Croatia’s foreign policy is not a party matter but a common interest of all our citizens, for whose creation and implementation both the Government and the President are jointly responsible under the Constitution. The powers and obligations of both the Government and the President of the Republic are clearly defined by the Constitution, and I urge you to respect them.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, I once again invite you to a meeting on the topic of foreign policy so that we can fulfil not only our constitutional obligations but also the expectations of our citizens by reconciling our positions and making appropriate decisions.”