The EU accession treaty is clear - elections must be held in April, May or June at the latest, Milanovic said at a Cabinet meeting, calling on the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and other opposition parties to make their proposal.

"I'm not saying we will definitely take it into account, but I want to hear what they want, what they consider the best from the point of view of election success, turnout and election preparation," the prime minister said. "By July 1 we must have 12 elected representatives for the European Parliament, so we have two or three months at best for preparations," he added.

The government on Thursday sent to Parliament a bill of amendments to the law on the election of representatives of Croatia in the European Parliament. The proposed amendments provide for open slates, and Administration Minister Arsen Bauk told the press after the Cabinet meeting that this meant that people would be able to vote not just for a party but also for one candidate on the slate of the party for which they voted.

When asked why local elections and elections for the European Parliament could not be held at the same time, Bauk said that there were both technical and political reasons, including disparate topics that would be raised. One minute we would be discussing local utilities and the next we would be talking about Cyprus or relations between France and Germany, he said.