President of the Republic Attends Official Marking of Donji Miholjac Municipal Day
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended a formal session of the Donji Miholjac Town Council on the occasion of Municipal Day, where he told the citizens to be persistent, to look after their interests and to use European money relentlessly.
“I can’t stress the importance of it all. We entered the European Union and gave up some of the privileges that we fought for. The money we are talking about is real money; it is here and should be used to the last euro. Otherwise, if we fail to use all of it, we are at the short end of the stick,” President Milanović said in his address.
“This area is not remote but it is a bit on the sidelines and it hasn’t made as much progress as it should have in the last 30 years, since it wasn’t directly damaged by the war. However, this is obviously the price all of Slavonia is paying. We will have to be patient, work hard and move at the speed at which normal societies move – slowly but steadily. European funds, which are available to all, should be used for further development. The government is trying hard and, probably like any government, it tried and managed to get extra euros for Croatia, but in the end it is on the best and the most hard-working among you to ensure that the money really comes here,” said President Milanović.
The President spoke about the Croatian system of local self-government: “I was saying that the existing model of counties was sustainable.” He pointed out that decisions on fundamental issues that affect daily life are made where people live. “They are fighting for their interests. They create something on their own and then manage to lobby for something in the first and second levels of government. Ultimately, we need a strong and fair local government and a central state that will always have to ensure equal standards,” he added.
Commenting on the construction of the road from Osijek to Donji Miholjac, President Milanović said he is confident that Donji Miholjac will soon become even more accessible. “Even after that, no one will be able to speak of traffic isolation, because this town is not isolated. It may not be a hub, but this does not mean that the path to success does not lead down that road. So, you have your avenues to the world and you are fighting for your interests! The fact that there aren’t many of you, that there are fewer of you than twenty, thirty years ago, should be taken into account, but that is not a tragedy. We are a small country and there are not many of us, and we must be aware that there will never be twenty million of us. If we deal with that too much and despair, we will miss much more important things,” said President Milanović, pointing out that many people who have left are returning after all.
Prior to attending the formal session of the Donji Miholjac Town Council, President Milanović laid a wreath and lit a candle at the monument to the fallen Croatian defenders in the Matica Hrvatska Park.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek