President Milanović to Winemakers: EU competitors won’t help you earn more
“I wish for you to remain persistent in your work, to produce more wine, but most importantly, to earn more. The European Union and the major players in this competitive game will not help us earn money. This is not how the European Union and large producer countries operate, as no one welcomes competition,” the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović said today in Mali Lošinj, where he opened the 34th Sabatina 2024 International Meeting of Winegrowers and Winemakers.
President Milanović stated that Croatia exports ten times less wine than it imports. “Croatia imports slightly cheaper wines and exports slightly more expensive ones. When looking at the market value of these goods, the balance is somewhat more favourable. This is not a criticism, but simply a snapshot of the situation in a country that is deeply connected to wine culture and, more broadly, to life intertwined with the vine and wine,” the President said.
In this context, he spoke about our people, particularly the Dalmatians, whom he said had historically played a pioneering and immensely important role in certain overseas countries. “After the Second World War, they developed a powerful industry. The impact that Croats, especially Dalmatians, have left on the distant overseas world in the realm of wine culture is immense,” President Milanović emphasized.
“Winemakers don’t have a bad life; they sell what they produce, and Croatian wines are exceptional – they’re not technical or industrial. And the terrain where they’re grown is something truly special,” said the President, adding that the answer to how to excel “lies in a tradition that didn’t begin yesterday, but has been layered and accumulated over time.”
In addition to President Milanović, speakers at the opening of the Sabatina 2024 International Meeting of Winegrowers and Winemakers included the President of the Cooperative Alliance of Dalmatia, Lordan Ljubenkov; the Mayor of Mali Lošinj, Ana Kučić; the Head of the Administrative Department for Tourism, Entrepreneurship, and Rural Development of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Alessandra Ban; and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and delegate of the Croatian Prime Minister, Tugomir Majdak.
After the opening ceremony and the presentation of the Sabatina awards to distinguished laureates in the fields of viticulture and winemaking, President Milanović, accompanied by the host, toured the exhibitors at the fair – companies, artisans, and family farms showcasing their products and services related to viticulture and winemaking. The Cooperative Alliance of Dalmatia and the Croatian Association of Wine Towns are organizing the 34th Sabatina 2024 International Meeting of Winegrowers and Winemakers which, following tonight’s opening, will run until the 17th of November in Mali Lošinj.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek