The opposition demanded that the government undertake more drastic cutting moves in the announced third revision of the budget.
"The media labels this (second) revision of the budget as light and cosmetic. The SDP finds (the proposed revision) to be unacceptable as its planned economies of HRK 780 million are insufficient," said Dragica Zgrebec on behalf of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) club during a parliamentary debate on the second budget revision.
"The revision has only a psychological effect that something is being done ... but nothing is being changed, and therefore we cannot accept it," Zgrebec said expressing hope that the third revision of the budget, announced for the end of July, would bring about more serious cuts in the budget policy.
Speaking on behalf of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), Vesna Pusic said that the discussion on the proposed second revision of the budget "is a show and a farce as we are discussing something which will not exist, a revised budget which will be in force two-three weeks."
"We have a budget gap of over HRK 11 billion. The revision shows that budget revenues are lower by HRK 7 billion than what was planned and now there are attempts to cover this deficit with HRK 780 million from the reduced expenditure. Who is David Copperfield here?" Pusic said.
Although parliamentary parties' caucuses have agreed not to propose amendments to the proposed second revision of the budget so that the revised budget could be adopted by 15 July, the constitutional time term for the end of the parliament's regular session before its summer recess, Boro Grubisic of the regional HDSSB party said that his party would move two amendments: that an additional HRK 800 million intended for the shipbuilding industry be halved so that HRK 200 million could be reallocated to crop growers and to dairy farmers each.
The Sabor adopted the first budget revision on 3 April this year.