Croatian Parliament has approved the country\'s new conservative government led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic who has vowed to recover the economy and move the country out of political stalemate.

On Wednesday evening, after a long debate, Croatian Parliament approved the government to be led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković (HDZ). The government was confirmed by 91 votes in favour, 45 against and 3 abstentions. Andrej Plenković’s cabinet was supported by MPs from HDZ, MOST, national minorities representatives, HSS, BM 365 and HDSSB. The Government outline will be: Gari Capelli – Tourism Minister Oleg Butković – Transport, Infrastructure and Maritime Affairs Minister Nada Murganić – Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy Minister Nina Obuljen – Culture Minister Zdravko Marić – Finance Minister Milan Kujundžić – Health Minister Davor Ivo Stier – Deputy Prime Minister; Foreign Minister Damir Krstičević – Deputy Prime Minister; Defence Minister Martina Dalić – Deputy Prime Minister; Economy Minister Lovro Kuščević – Construction Minister Pavo Barišić – Science and Education Minister Tomo Medved – Veterans Affairs Minister Gabrijela Žalac – Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Tomislav Tolušić – Agriculture Minister Tomislav Ćorić – Labour and Pension System Minister Goran Marić - minister without portfolio (state assets management) Slaven Dobrović– Environmental Protection and Energy Minister Ante Šprlje – Justice Minister Vlaho Orepić – Interior Minister Ivan Kovačić – Deputy Prime Minister; Administration Minister In the morning, Plenković gave a speech in which he presented the government programme and his nominees for ministers. After the debate and before the vote, Plenkovć again made a short speech. “I would like to thank everybody for the debate, which was interesting. I have great respect for all the MPs who expressed their opinion. Some said that we should have been more detailed in our programme, but we wanted to go step-by-step. We have heard some good suggestions and we will accept them. We know what should be done for Croatia to be better. We will advocate for development of all Croatian regions and accept good proposals from opposition parties. It is important to ensure that national minorities’ rights are protected, because Croatia has to be an inclusive society. We will do everything not to betray your trust”, said Plenković. Following the vote, European People\'s Party President Joseph Daul said: “The vote that took place today in the Croatian parliament reflects the determination of the new leadership in the country. Nearly a month after the elections, Andrej Plenković has swiftly delivered a steady government with concrete proposals for boosting Croatia’s economy and improving the lives of Croatia’s citizens\". After the vote, Plenković went to the Banski Dvori palace where he officially took over power from outgoing Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković. On Thursday, he will travel to Brussels to take part in his first EU summit. Croatia is seen unlikely to surpass the 2.5 percent growth figure in the coming years. Plenkovic, a 46-year-old former European Parliament member, announced further education and judicial reforms and urged support, insisting that national goals should come before political differences.