The United Pensioners' Bloc fiercely criticizes the government's announcement of increased veteran pensions, calling the math that amounts to 35 euros a month a farce and an attempt to buy votes.
The United Pensioners' Bloc (BUZ) reacted sharply on Friday, August 8, 2026, to the announcement by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's government about legislative changes aimed at correcting injustices toward veterans. In a statement signed by Milivoj Špika, BUZ presents a damning calculation: a month of combat sector service will be valued at three euros, or ten cents per day of warfare during the Homeland War.
"The veterans' joy did not last long... here comes the price list for life per day of warfare!?" the statement reads. "For every day during the Homeland War when you could have lost your life, Plenković's government now values it at 10 cents." BUZ says that veterans' lives are now officially "cheaper than the price of a single bullet."
The legislative changes, planned to take effect on January 1, 2027, allocate 88.5 million euros for just over 200,000 veterans. "The math then clearly shows that this amounts to about 35 euros on average that veterans would receive in increased pensions," BUZ calculated. This average increase of around thirty euros, they claim, will not correct any injustice but will only "spark even greater anger and new divisions among veterans themselves."
They particularly highlight the disparity among veterans: those who continued working after the war and have an average pension of 670 euros get crumbs, while initiatives to correct injustices were launched for those with pensions of 1,400 euros, who retired immediately or shortly after the war, mostly due to disability.
BUZ does not spare the ruling party either. "There is no doubt that the ranks of the HDZ are being infiltrated by an increasing fear of losing power in the next elections," the statement reads. "This 'correction' of injustice is actually an open attempt to buy the favor of a part of the veteran population."
In the statement, Špika recalls the context: "Although all the presenters tried to give the impression of great concern for veterans, denying that their proposal has anything to do with the recently rejected proposal by the Možemo party, some data presented at the press conference revealed the true nature of this PR surprise 'initiative' by the government."
BUZ warns that the presented "help" to one group of veterans creates new injustices against the majority of other veterans, as well as against "hundreds of thousands of other pensioners who, even with full work records of 40 or more years, are literally surviving in increasing poverty."
"Trying to buy veterans with a few dozen euros in pension increases is exactly the same as telling them they are all stupid sheep that are easy to buy for pocket change," BUZ says. The statement concludes with a direct address to the Prime Minister: "Mr. President of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, you once told us you can do whatever you want; we hope you won't do it for as long as you want!?"
