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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

5 clusters · 17 sources · 54 days · First seen about 2 months ago · Last updated 5 days ago

Categories: POLITICS

Zagreb mayor's administration under criticism

Entities: Ban Jelačić Square · City of Zagreb · Tomislav Tomašević · Ministry of Culture of Croatia · Dinka Živalj

Overview

Since early June 2026 opposition leader Marija Selak Raspudić (Drito) has accused mayor Tomislav Tomašević of a "year of false promises," noting that none of the 27 announced strategic works have been finished and pointing to labour shortages, opaque appointments and a 60 % drop in customers at the city gas utility. The dispute widened on 9 July when Drito councilors highlighted unfinished excavations in Trešnjevka, a long‑standing pothole at the Krapinska‑Trakošćanska‑Ozaljska junction and safety‑related site closures on Savska, Vukovarska and Zvonimirova streets. A fallen glass pane at the main bus station was cited as evidence of chronic neglect. The party also criticised mixed‑waste collection contracts as costly despite higher recycling rates. Tomašević replied that 62 % of the €292 million investment programme had been completed, citing the renewal of a 70‑year‑old water pipe in Vukovarska and the renovation of Trg Krešimira Ćosića, and framed the waste‑handling plan as a transitional step funded by the city and the EU. On 24 July the Ministry of Culture warned that installing underground waste containers on Ban Jelačić Square—a protected historic site—required a municipal ordinance and consent from the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, which the city had yet to secure. HDZ deputy prime minister Branko Bačić likened the works to the 1947 removal of the Ban Jelačić monument. The governing coalition Mo Možemo defended the measure, noting dozens of similar containers already in place, a €50 million plan for a modern waste‑treatment centre in Resnik and a target to close the Jakuševec landfill by 2029. Public reaction on social media remained mixed. On 26 July the city installed five semi‑underground waste containers on Ban Jelačić Square, temporarily suspending tram service.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 3 SOURCES] Možemo reports installing underground waste containers at 66 city‑centre locations, including Ban Jelačić Square, and 184 of a planned 750 semi‑underground containers city‑wide. (Možemo statements)
[● 3 SOURCES] Možemo says it is preparing a modern waste‑processing centre with sorting and composting facilities, planned to open in 2‑3 years to enable closure of the Jakuševec landfill. (Možemo statements)
[● 2 SOURCES] Zagreb has not adopted the Ministry of Culture's guidelines for underground waste bins on Ban Jelačić Square into a communal‑order decision. (Ministry of Culture)
[● 2 SOURCES] The Ministry of Culture indicated that interventions in protected cultural‑historical areas must be detailed in the communal‑order decision rather than granted individual approvals. (Ministry of Culture)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Installation of underground waste containers on Ban Jelačić Square requires consent from the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments. (Minister Branko Bačić)
[○ 1 SOURCE] HDZ politician Ivan Matijević publicly condemned mayor Tomislav Tomašević's plan, calling the bins a political devastation and comparing it to the 1947 monument removal. (HDZ statement)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Branko Bačić stated the bin placement is not covered by Zagreb’s spatial plan and must follow the Simple Buildings Regulation, requiring a municipal decision. (Minister Branko Bačić)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Zagreb is carrying out an unprecedented number of summer construction projects in 2026, causing traffic disruptions across the city. (City reports)

Timeline

5 days ago

[POLITICS] 5 sources
Zagreb installs underground waste containers at Ban Jelačić Square
Zagreb placed five underground waste containers at Ban Jelačić Square, temporarily halting trams. Officials say the site meets all utility and heritage approvals and offers cleaner, quieter waste handling as it
7 days ago

[POLITICS] 10 sources
Zagreb installs underground waste containers at Ban Jelačić Square
Zagreb pushes forward with underground waste containers on Ban Jelačić Square, sparking a political clash between the Ministry of Culture, HDZ and the ruling Mo Možemo coalition over heritage rules and waste‑in
22 days ago

[POLITICS] 3 sources
Zagreb mayor Tomašević criticised over stalled construction and waste contracts
Zagreb mayor Tomislav Tomašević faced opposition criticism over prolonged road works, safety lapses, waste‑management contracts and delayed investment projects.
about 1 month ago

[POLITICS] 2 sources
Zagreb mayor Tomislav Tomašević accused of lying over opaque city‑company appointments
Zagreb councilors say mayor Tomislav Tomašević lied about appointments, highlighting a pattern of opaque management and recent resignations in city firms, and call for a post‑summer accountability debate.
about 2 months ago

[POLITICS] 2 sources
Zagreb mayor Tomislav Tomašević slammed over unfulfilled promises
Zagreb opposition leader Marija Selak Raspudić says mayor Tomislav Tomašević’s first year in his second term delivered no completed projects, citing four scandals and 27 stalled infrastructure plans.

Sources

24sata.hr · baustela.hr · index.hr · jutarnji.hr · leirfjord.no · m.tportal.hr · n1info.hr · noplanetb.tportal.hr · novilist.hr · optimalis.hu · prigorski.hr · sesvete-danas.hr · telegram.hr · vecernji.hr · vijesti.hrt.hr · zagreb.info · zivim.gloria.hr

This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history