“The EU encourages us to improve”

Timid signs of economic recovery for Croatia, that has welcomed the second year in the European Union with recovery, at the end of May, from a six-year-long recession. On July 1st° 2013 Zagreb became the 28th EU Member Country, the second in Western Balkans after Slovenia. However, that adhesion marked by great hopes, was not coupled by the development of a system that appears still anchored to the legacy of the past, where strong structural difficulties still linger on, along with an economy marked by relatively high public debt (over 60%) and approximately 20% unemployment (on a population of 4.4 million inhabitants). These are worrying figure, as underlined by Danijel Labaš, Professor of Social Communications at the University of Zagreb, after having graduated in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, with a degree in Social Communications from the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome. Growth, but delays linger on. “High unemployment rates prompted a situation that led people to emigrate and seek jobs elsewhere – Labaš told SIR Europe -. Most of them are young people, learned – albeit unemployed – youths. All of them are university graduates unable to find a job in Croatia, seeking a better future abroad. Over 30thousand Croatians have already moved to Ireland. From July 2015 countries like Germany have opened their doors to our workers, who will be able to freely access the German job market”. The latest encouraging figures that led to a 0.5% GDP growth must be read with caution, mindful of the Country’s delays in the fight on corruption worsened by cumbersome administrative and bureaucratic procedures. The positive economic trend, the revival of industrial production, the Government’s efforts for the implementation of reforms are positive signs, but it’s early to speak of a veritable economic recovery, and Zagreb is still distant from exiting a crisis ongoing since 2008. Proud to be in the EU. “We have not yet seen many economic benefits resulting from the entrance into the EU but we feel politically safer – continues Labaš -. We had to adjust and adapt our laws according to European legislation, we feel more protected. We are proud and happy about this important step, which makes us part of a new cultural and political world that we always felt we belonged to. If we were to hold a referendum on Croatia’s EU membership today, I believe that the majority of Croatians would still be in favor of this step”. Al lot of work still needs to done at economic level: “We are still not efficient enough. We have not yet offered our best to the community to which we belong.” Looking back at the history of the former Yugoslav country, the causes of these difficulties, for Labaš, can be found also in the past. “We were not prepared and perhaps we did realize the new type of competitive market which we were about to enter. Croatia’s system was very rigid, and the economy was run by the State, which under the Communist regime was directed by the Communist Party that decided everything: what had to be produced and how much. Today we continue paying the price of that system and we feel the absence of someone capable to follow the flow of a globalized, internationalized economy. Even at academic level: teachers in Economic faculties had been used to a different system, and it took time before they changed their modes of education, opening up to new trends”. “Moreover, today we are exposed to a hectic pace, as if everything had to be done at once. The problems we inherited in the course of 70 years cannot be solved in a few years only. The EU is helping us because it encourages us, stimulating us to improve. But every society has the right to make reforms at the right pace and with maximum efficiency, without coercion”. Engine of Southern Europe. While Slovenia entered Europe in 2004, its Balkan “neighbors” have undertaken different paths to draw closer to the common European home. Labaš hopes that sooner of later they will be all united under the common flag of the EU. On July 1st 2013 Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic made an important statement. He said: ‘Croatia will not set obstacles to our neighbors.’ We feel like an engine in this region of southern Europe, we want to be the promoters of democracy, of positive pacification processes involving the entire region hit by the war only 20 years ago. We would welcome the EU membership of Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, our neighboring countries, because having neighbors that are members of the same forum governed by peace would prevent any future conflict, both political and of other nature”.