President Milanović in Buzet: All the euros are to no avail if people feel that authorities are dishonest and there is theft

“I wish for you to use the last available euro, but to govern fairly because all the euros are to no avail if the people feel that the authorities are dishonest, that there is theft and that there is no justice. Be above average, be better than others. Govern fairly and don’t let corruption take hold of you. It kills the will in people and they leave much more because of the corruption than for the salaries in Ireland,” the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović told the town leaders in Buzet at the special session of the Town Council, which was held on the occasion of Municipal Day.

Calling on the town leaders to take advantage of European funds, President Milanović stated that Croatia will soon overtake Italy in terms of purchasing power parity, at least formally. “Whether it’s real or an illusion, we can decide for ourselves. It’s a good mechanism to push us out of the area for those who have the right to European funds as soon as possible,” the President believes. He added that European funds are a type of contribution that the rich and most developed thought up as a transitional period.

“The roles have been divided long ago and everyone continues on their path. The rich are rich, and those who are not rich are not poor, but live in the average and they must fight to break out from that average. In the last 60 years, only one country in the European Union has succeeded in this. That country is Ireland, and all the others are where they were thirty or forty years ago compared to Germany or the Netherlands. They moved neither up nor down,” said President Milanović, while calling on local authorities to fight for every euro from European funds.

Speaking at the special session apart from President Milanović were the President of the Buzet Town Council Davor Prodan, Mayor of Buzet Damir Kajin, Istria County Prefect Boris Miletić, and State Secretary and delegate of the Croatian Prime Minister Ivan Bubić. Annual awards were presented at the special session of the Town Council to the most deserving individuals for their contribution to the town’s development.

President Milanović was accompanied by the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta