Politico EU1 hour agoPolitics2 min read

Croatian MEP stands down from national party after friends and family attended EU Parliament event

Quick Look

Croatian MEP Romana Jerković resigned from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) after POLITICO reported that her friends and family attended a taxpayer-funded European Parliament health policy event in Strasbourg, posing as doctors and academics, which she called an 'admin error'; SDP leaders had planned disciplinary action to exclude her, but she preempted the move by leaving the party, asserting her integrity and accusing critics of smear tactics.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Romana Jerković is a Croatian MEP affiliated with the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament. Her national party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Croatia, was preparing to investigate her conduct after media reports questioned the use of public funds for personal invitations to a parliamentary event.

Font size

A Croatian MEP stood down from her national party on Thursday after POLITICO revealed her inner circle attended a taxpayer-funded European Parliament event in Strasbourg.

Romana Jerković, who sits with the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, was to face a disciplinary investigation by her SDP party in Croatia. The party leader, Siniša Hajdaš Dončić, said he wanted the SDP presidency to open a disciplinary proceeding with the intention of excluding the MEP.

Before the meeting, due Thursday, Jerković announced she was leaving the party.

“I am not leaving because I have done anything for which I should have to justify myself or feel ashamed,” she said in a press release.

“Just like all other MEPs, I invited citizens to Parliament whom I was entitled to invite —individuals whose experience and work directly contributed to the health policies we were developing. All rules were followed, including transparent reporting to the competent institutions, which confirmed that there were no irregularities,” the MEP said.

POLITICO revealed that some of Jerković’s friends and family — including an art historian acquaintance and an actor friend — attended a health policy event organized by the lawmaker in December 2024, with their flights and meals paid for by the Socialists and Democrats group.

An attendance list seen by POLITICO showed these people had signed up for the event as doctors and medical academics. Jerković said this was an “admin error,” and that the S&D had no issues with her conduct. The S&D said it had rechecked the relevant documents and had concluded “the related financial rules were respected.”

“That is why I am not prepared to accept having my professional integrity judged based on insinuations, fabrications, and smear tactics. One set of rules cannot apply to me while another applies to others,” she said in the statement.

SDP Secretary-General Jure Zubčić also released a statement, saying: “We must set a new bar for standards in Croatian politics. Accountability is not limited to liability for misdemeanours or criminal offences. There is also political and moral accountability. Anyone who crosses that line will, unfortunately, have no place in SDP.”

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

The SDP will proceed with internal reforms to strengthen ethical standards and accountability measures for its members
Likely · Within months

Open Questions

Whether the individuals who attended the event as doctors and academics will face any consequences
If the European Parliament will initiate its own investigation into the attendance list discrepancies
Whether Jerković's resignation will trigger a broader review of invitation practices among other MEPs