President Milanović: Croatia has to fight for its interests every day
“The European Union is a big world in which we are a small country that has to fight for its interests every day and make sure that someone who doesn’t care about you doesn’t harm you. That’s how it is, that’s life, and that’s how children should be raised and prepared to venture into that world and fight for our interests, the interests of our cities, villages and municipalities. That’s cool-headedness, that’s not humility, and just be fair and polite to others,” said President Zoran Milanović today at a ceremony marking the 240th anniversary of the founding of the Elementary School in Petrijanec.
“That’s how, I believe, you raise children; through civic, religious and health education. Values are modern because Croatia cannot move forward without modernity, but they must be traditional as well, which means that no new ingenious ideas will pass because the people shy away from them. The people are sceptical and do not believe every nonsense they hear, they are not fooled. That is why it is also important that politics is not pliable,” President Milanović added.
Petrijanec is a municipality in the north of Croatian Zagorje, part of Varaždin County, so President Milanović spoke about the specific features of that region in his address and also referred to the municipality’s income. “Your original income is who you are and it is not much, but it represents the character of most people and how realistic people here are. Being realistic means being aware that European funds will not last forever, that they will be there for some time and that this money needs to be spent because it is Croatian money. And whoever bows down to European funds and aid from Europe should know that we have given enough, we have completely opened our country to some kind of European dream”, the Croatian President noted.
In Petrijanec, the building was completed in 1785 and the first elementary school for eleven boys and three girls was opened. The old school, the property and the space where classes were held were renovated and serve as a public building, and the school was moved to another location where a new building with a gym was built. Today, the Petrijanec elementary school has 466 students, a third of whom are students from the Roma national minority, who are successfully integrated into the teaching and educational processes, and the school itself has been renovated and well equipped.
Alongside President Milanović was the Adviser to the President for Education Jadranka Žarković.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta