President Milanović Attends Celebration of Budinščina Municipal Day
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended a special session of Budinščina’s Municipal Council on which occasion he congratulated the residents on Municipal Day. He wished them happiness and wealth, because as he said, “then they will be less dependent”. “And for the country to be richer, for us to be the bosses, to have good relations with our neighbours, for Europe to be peaceful”, he added.
In his address President Milanović said that the only benefits Croatia has from its nine-year membership in the European Union are the European Funds. “The money we receive because we are less developed than Germany or Austria. Since the European Union was designed by the wealthy, their interests, besides preserving peace once included expansion, sales of goods and services, some kind of domination. We accepted this and now we are playing according to those rules. We have to try to take every euro that is offered”, President Milanović noted. He added that Croatia gets nothing from the European Union except the funds, and that the percentage of obtaining and absorbing those funds is the measure of our success “with the goal that tomorrow we are not those who receive but those from whom it is taken, who give and play the game at a higher level”.
President Milanović referred to the demographic renewal. “Demographic renewal: there are not enough of us – that is how it is called, our numbers are decreasing. It is because in the deal we made with the European Union we did not take these matters into account, that by inertia our people would rush across the border, our children who complete university studies, especially those who are studying abroad, would be a pledge for all those experts who are leaving Croatia, whom we have educated. Public awareness should be raised about this issue and how to protect ourselves from this phenomenon”, the President stated.
Further speaking about demography, President Milanović said that Budinščina has made progress in recent years. “Here one lives off tourism, one will never live off a big industry or agriculture. It is essential that people do not to leave. We cannot improve our demographic situation with immigration. This is not a big country for importing workers, we are a small community. You have been connected here for generations and the community would not withstand such diversity. This diversity would cause disarray and chaos in Budinščina therefore we must resolve it with our own forces”, President Milanović stated in concluding his address.
In addition to President Milanović, the President of the Municipal Council Dijana Margetić congratulated the residents on Municipal Day, the Head of the Municipality Radovan Hercigonja, the Head of the Twin Town of Končanica Zlatko Bakunić, and the Krapina-Zagorje Deputy County Prefect Jasna Petek.
Alongside President Milanović were the Head of the Cabinet of the President Bartol Šimunić and the Special Adviser to the President for the Economy Velibor Mačkić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić