Opposition MPs said the regulation of judges' salaries should remain within the remit of the parliament and not determined by decrees from the government.
Speaking on behalf of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) caucus, Josip Leko said it was unacceptable of the parliament to give up its jurisdiction to the benefit of the government when it comes to decisions on taxpayers' money.
Encouraging such a practice, we allow the government to have the final say in matters which citizens entrust to us under the Constitution, Leko said.
"The government is the most responsible for this crisis situation and this is yet another reason for not letting the government determine judicial officials' salaries in accordance with its economic policy needs," the parliamentarian of the strongest opposition party said.
Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) said things would have been different if the government had admitted the crisis and recession last year and responded to it in a timely fashion.
The government recently proposed that it should define salaries in the judiciary, which means that it could cut them as one of its anti-recession steps.
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) deputies refuted criticism of the Opposition that the government wanted to interfere in the powers of the highest law-making body.
In this context, HDZ parliamentarians said the bill which was being discussed would be adopted by the parliament.
Goran Maric of this ruling party said that judges had accepted to take on the burden of the crisis, and he called on lawyers to follow their example.