Zagreb - Alongside amendments proposed by MPs from the ruling majority to the draft 2026 budget, government representatives on Tuesday also approved several amendments from the IDS-led opposition group, including funding for the renovation of Pula Airport.
The IDS proposal was approved in a slightly modified form, securing €2 million in the 2026 budget under the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure for the renovation of Pula Airport.
Six draft amendments by IDS accepted, draft amendments by NPS also accepted
"I am extremely pleased that the Ministry recognised the need for investment in Pula Airport. Since 1989, there has been no investment in this airport -- it literally leaks when it rains and the runway is in poor condition. We know what an airport means for a tourist region that accounts for 30 per cent of Croatian tourism," said Dalibor Paus (IDS), expressing satisfaction that the government approved the amendment.
Amendments from the same group were also approved to allocate €100,000 each under the Ministry of Environment and Green Transition for the remediation and removal of sedimentation at the mouth of the Mirna River, and the comprehensive flood protection and stormwater management system in Novigrad-Cittanova.
The IDS parliamentarian explained that the deposition of silt and sediment brought by the Mirna River into its estuary and coastal waters affects the functioning of marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as the stability of coastal infrastructure, directly impacting the safety and sustainability of the area.
He also noted that Novigrad had experienced flooding twice this summer. "I am pleased that the Ministry recognised the needs of Novigrad residents in this case," he said.
Earlier, an IDS amendment was also approved in a slightly modified form: instead of the €1 million originally requested for the continuation of the Euphrasian Basilica restoration in Poreč, the government allocated €700,000.
The IDS group submitted a total of 41 amendments to next year's state budget, of which the government approved six.
Among opposition MPs, in addition to IDS, the government also approved amendments from two MPs of the Independent Platform North (NPS), and an amendment proposed by independent Boška Ban.
Other opposition amendments, which government representatives reviewed in the morning session, were rejected.
A government representative also approved an amendment from independent MP Marijana Petir, who supports the governing majority, to allocate €250,000 in the budget under the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds for the construction of the Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac Pilgrimage Centre within the parish of the Holy Trinity and the site of veneration of Blessed Alojzije Stepinac in Krašić.
A slightly modified amendment from Josip Đakić (HDZ) was also approved to allocate €1.5 million under the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds to complete the broadband internet project in parts of Virovitica-Podravina County.
The amendment from Ivan Penava (Homeland Movement) also passed, increasing projected budget allocations under the Ministry of Environment and Green Transition for the construction of an economics school in Vukovar, and thus for 2027, funds will rise by €11.1 million to €24.5 million, and for 2028, funds will increase by €8.1 million to €17.5 million.