Today, the President of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Andrej Plenković, officially confirmed a long-standing unofficial rumour: he will spearhead the HDZ list in the upcoming European Parliament elections. The elections are slated for June 9th, and speculations have been circulating for some time regarding Plenković's pivotal role in leading the HDZ list.

This decision is seen in light of potential aspirations for Plenković to assume the presidency of the European Commission, leading to discussions about succession within the HDZ. Mentioned as a possible successor is Ivan Anušić, the party's vice president.

Addressing concerns about his motivations, Plenković asserted, "It's not [a resignation]. It's a winning list of those who truly work for Croatia in Europe, to make it stronger."

Plenković's confirmation came during a meeting at the Sheraton in Zagreb, where the HDZ leadership convened to explore potential coalitions and to finalize the list for the European elections.

European media outlets, including the German Bild, have also highlighted Plenković's candidacy as a potential successor to Ursula von der Leyen, adding weight to the significance of his leadership in the upcoming elections. Notably, Plenković occupied the top spot on the EU elections list in 2014 before assuming leadership of the party. However, in the subsequent 2019 elections, despite his position as both the leader of HDZ and the Prime Minister, he was absent from the EU elections list.