Nominating Zmajlovic for the post, Milanovic said the government expected ideas and projects as well as a pro-active attitude.

He said that after Mirela Holy's resignation as environment and nature protection minister last week, he held consultations and decided to nominate Zmajlovic as her successor, an MP of the Social Democratic Party and mayor of Jastrebarsko who had worked in ecology and environmental protection.

Milanovic said the ministerial duty was a political position for implementing the government's policy in cooperation with experts in the ministries.

He said Holy had done that honestly, openly and energetically and that Zmajlovic would continue that policy, while also giving it his own personal stamp.

Zmajlovic said the environment ministry would continue to pursue transparency, respect all regulations and European directives and work on the goals set by the government.

He said he had experience in waste management and the protection of waters and nature.

Reporters asked him if the Ombla hydro-electric power plant project should be pursued after four independent audit companies gave a negative assessment of a study of the plant's impact on the environment, and what he thought about the construction of a third bloc of the Plomin thermoelectric power plant.

Zmajlovic said he would state his opinions after examining the project documentation and expert opinions.

Milanovic said the government's position was that it was necessary to work and build, while at the same time protecting the environment.

He expects the environment ministry to be a guardian of the environment and a spokesperson for ecology, while at the same time "drawing economic gain for Croatia."

"Croatia must develop. The rules are very strict and clear, especially European ones. You can't build something if the neighbour is explicitly against it and has arguments," Milanovic said.

Regarding those two projects, he said it should be objectively established if they were ecologically dangerous, adding that the impact studies gave some indications and that the matter should be discussed.

"I'm neither for nor against. Generally, we have to start investing and building things that are profitable for Croatia, but the environment ministry can't do it alone. The government can do it because of the ecological and economic aspects," said the prime minister.

Members of the press asked Zmajlovic if he was aware that there were criminals in the environmental protection business, reminding him that Holy said she had antagonised some interest groups.

He said Croatia had taken on international commitments, also by signing the EU Accession Treaty, and that it would honour them, notably with regard to renewable energy sources and waste disposal.

He said it was necessary to swiftly adopt solutions for the realisation of those goals, including on waste sorting, notably biowaste. Croatia has undertaken the obligation not to dispose of larger quantities of biowaste at landfills in the next five to ten years.

"That's a big job and I feel the ministry and the government will adopt solutions acceptable to everyone in that business. What's important is that the whole system will have to be transparent and that the interests of citizens and the state will be taken into account."

The government expects parliament to approve Zmajlovic's nomination this week, perhaps already on Wednesday.