We Are Still Not in Complete Recession

Things can still be held under control and with good measures and cooperation I think we can overcome the recession, said the president.

ZAGREB, CROATIA – Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said on Saturday that Croatia has come under recession, but not yet completely. 

- I personally believe that we are not in complete recession, but recession is at our doors – Mesic said when asked to comment an assessment of the Institute of Economy that Croatia is in recession.

- Things can still be held under control and with good measures and cooperation with the international factor as well, I think we can overcome the recession – the president said in his office during the traditional “Coffee with the President”.

Asked if by this he meant the IMF, the president said nobody should be scared by the IMF. This institution helps to overcome problems and to arrive to an economy that is accumulative and which functions.

Asked if Prime Minister Ivo Sanader acted responsibly when he did not inform the public about possible crisis scenarios and whether he put that politically important decision subject to the interest of local elections, the president said he did not want to reach a definite conclusion.

‘The public needs to be prepared on time’ 

Mesic believes that at the time when Croatia is in such a delicate situation and when it is facing a recession and lesser investment opportunities, as well as higher unemployment rates, the public should be prepared on time in order to overcome these difficulties more easily.

- The government should always decide what is better, what information to give to the public, which measures to undertake to overcome problems. This is a question of political decision which governments make in every country. Did they give the information on time or a bit late, that is an issue of their estimates because the responsibility is on them – he said.

The president said that he had sent the State Audit to Croatian Embassies to establish if there are any problems there. He denied sending the audit to strike back to Prime Minister Sanader’s people.

- There is no ours and theirs here. There is always a consensus for all ambassadors – he said, adding that he has always advocated that the largest number of ambassadors are professional officials with careers.

‘We need to see whose cousins work in lobbying companies’ 

In the context of the controversy about too much being spent on lobbying, President Mesic said he did not think Croatia needed a law on lobbying because, he said, Croatia had a branched out diplomatic network.

- I am definitely against large amounts being set aside for lobbying without us never finding out the result – he stressed, reiterating that those with whom Croatia had lobbied were the ones who voted against Croatia’s entry into the UN Security Council, whereas those for whom not one kuna was spent, voted for Croatia.

- The question is why that lobbying was paid for. If somebody were to take the time, it would be interesting to see whose cousins are employed in companies that lobby for Croatia – he said.

Asked to comment on media articles about the new 50 million kuna spent by the Defence Ministry without a public tender, Mesic voiced hope that an investigation would reveal what happened and that those who are playing with taxpayers’ money would bear the consequences.