Plenković Announces Higher Pensions on Operation Storm Anniversary
The Prime Minister promised pension supplements for veterans in Knin, but without specific figures. Opposition and analysts question whether this is a pre-election move.
The Prime Minister promised pension supplements for veterans in Knin, but without specific figures. Opposition and analysts question whether this is a pre-election move.
Prime Minister and HDZ leader Andrej Plenković used yesterday's celebration of the 31st anniversary of the Military-Police Operation Storm in Knin to announce increases in veterans' pensions. "Our gratitude is not expressed only through words, but also through concrete care for the dignity of Croatian veterans. Therefore, this autumn, the Government will submit to the Croatian Parliament amendments to the law introducing a pension supplement, the amount of which will depend on the length of participation in the defense of Croatia's sovereignty. By the same criterion, we will also increase the lowest veterans' pensions," Plenković stated on August 5, 2026.
The announcement came in a celebratory tone, in front of television cameras, but without a single concrete detail. What the supplement per day of participation in the war will be, by how much the lowest pensions will increase, exactly how many veterans are covered, and what the long-term cost to the state budget will be, remains unknown for now. This has raised the question of whether this is genuine care for the veteran population or yet another in a series of political bids ahead of the elections.
Just before HDZ came out with its plan, the party Možemo! proposed a 20 percent increase in veterans' pensions in February 2026. At the time, the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs rejected the proposal as "a partial and politically motivated solution that does not consider the pension system as a whole." Ironically, Plenković's announcement now comes without a comprehensive consideration of the system and just a few months after that criticism, which Index.hr describes as an attempt to counter "the most dangerous competitor" on the electoral battlefield.
Demographic data shows why the fight for veterans' votes is so important. According to Index.hr data, as of December 31, there were 403,918 living veterans, with an average age of nearly 62. As many as 51,382 veterans have no pension and are not employed, while 140,000 of them are already retired. The last veterans will leave the working-age population within about ten years, making this relatively unique demographic group extremely attractive to political parties.
Every new permanent right further burdens an already unsustainable pension system. Contribution payments currently cover only 60 percent of pension payouts, with the remainder financed from the budget, that is, from the taxes of all citizens. Index.hr warns that the state should clearly separate pensions earned through work and paid contributions from special budget allowances, so the public knows what is financed from where.
At the same time, while politicians compete in making promises to veterans, other vulnerable groups remain in the shadows. The association Sjena, which represents families of children with developmental disabilities and persons with disabilities, fights daily battles with bureaucracy. However, unlike veterans, these families have no political power, do not take to the streets, and do not set up tents, so they do not receive pre-election promises either.
In addition to announcing pension increases, Plenković also sent a message of unity on the Operation Storm anniversary. "The unity of Croats from around the world, from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, other neighboring countries, and the diaspora, is one of the fundamental principles of HDZ since its founding, since Dr. Franjo Tuđman. There is one Croatian people!" the Prime Minister said at a gathering of HDZ's national leadership with representatives of the party's coordinations abroad, posted on HDZ's Twitter profile on August 6, 2026.
Also present at the gathering were the President of the Croatian National Assembly of BiH and HDZ of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Čović, and the candidate for the BiH Presidency member, Filipović D. A day earlier, Plenković met with the President of the Šibenik-Knin HDZ and County Prefect Paško Rakić, as well as the leadership of Knin HDZ led by Robert Marić. They discussed the development of health and transport infrastructure in Šibenik-Knin County.
In a Twitter post on August 5, Plenković thanked veterans and all those who laid down their lives for Croatia's freedom, emphasizing that the Government is "dedicatedly working on finding the missing, cares for the dignity of Croatian veterans, and invests in the modernization of the Croatian Army and Police." However, Index.hr, in its column, raises the question of credibility: "Neither Plenković's nor anyone else's personal war experience is a measure of their work, but when speaking about Croatian veterans, the Prime Minister would sound much more credible and convincing had he participated in the defense of the homeland with a weapon in hand in 1991 or at least in August 1995."
