President Milanović at special session of Municipality of Petrijanec: Fight for every euro, it’s your money

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended today a special session of the Municipal Council of Petrijanec on the occasion of Municipal Day and the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. He congratulated the residents of Petrijanec on Municipal Day and the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and told them to be strict and organized as they have been because they do not live from annuities but hard work.

“Fight for every euro! Every euro that we do not spend is a wasted euro because it is the only thing that exists in the European Union, especially now that we have been a member for nearly ten years”, President Milanović noted in his address. He added that it is the obligation of all those who have the opportunity to take the money. “That is our money, nobody has to be thankful for it, but we should rebuke ourselves if we will not be agile enough. Fight for every euro,” he stressed.

In that sense, President Milanović said that by joining the European Union, Croatia handed over many levers of power to the Union. “We are no longer asked about many things, and we are still deciding on some things. Now I see that we do not really have any foreign policy, that we have to ask others and third parties, but in a series of things that represent the original competence of the European Union and Brussels – we are practically not asked. And when that is already the case, then it is time to ask ourselves in what matters we are being asked and what we can do,” President Milanović said. He stated that our direct revenues from customs are the first thing we handed over when we joined the European Union. “It immediately passed into the budget of the European Union, it is not a big amount of money. We gave that money like any other member. However, we received these endless and magnificent funds to take from them and to live happily “, said President Milanović, and pointed out that Croatia does not absorb enough money from European funds.

“I have been talking about it for months and I would like someone to prove me wrong. This is not criticism, this is just a presentation of the real situation we are in and have to face,” the Croatian President said, adding that we must adapt and work better. “We must reach the richest. That is the meaning of the struggle – to be as successful as neighbouring Slovenia – that is the motivation! Serbia and some other countries have deviated on that path and will have a hard time recovering in the next fifty years. Croatia can, but only by being as critical and indifferent as possible for the things around it and not be impressed. This is your money, this is your municipality, this is our state and in running the affairs of that state one should be calculated and selfish. Selfishness in running a business does not mean malice or corruption, but simply an orientation towards oneself and one’s interests – when it comes to money, environmental protection, cleanliness of the space in which we live, relations with neighbours, the rights and destiny of the Croatian people in neighbouring countries, and that is, first of all, Bosnia and Herzegovina – it is our duty – to be fair and strict towards some who break the rules, those are our affairs! “, President Milanović stated in concluding his address.

Also speaking at the special session of the Municipal Council besides President Milanović were the president of the Municipal Council Martin Evačić, the head of the Municipality Željko Posavec, on behalf of the mayor and head of the Municipality the head of the Municipality of Beretinec Nikola Žganec, the president of Varaždin County Assembly Josip Križanić and the Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Sabina Glasovac. Alongside President Milanović was the Adviser to the President for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas