Croatia Returns to the Embrace of the Family

Croatia is an ancient European state that is joining the family to which it has always belonged, a community of states founded on the idea of cross-border cooperation in common institutions, said Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, on Sunday in Zagreb.

“Croatia is a European state and one of the oldest. Now it joins the family to which it has always belonged. It is not a new member state; it is an ancient European state returning to the embrace of the family,” the President of the European Parliament conveyed to the Croatian public in an interview with Hina.

Schulz, who came to Zagreb to celebrate Croatia’s accession to the EU, acknowledged that Croatia is entering the EU at a time of great difficulties both within the country and in the Union, but also expressed optimism due to the fact that Croatia is joining the EU at a time when the common market is recovering and regaining investor confidence.

“Moreover, at the moment Croatia joins the EU, we are starting negotiations with neighboring countries, which is an opportunity for Croatia not only from an economic perspective but also from a stability standpoint,” Schulz said, emphasizing that the alternative of remaining outside the Union, as an object of the power play between the EU and other international powers, would be extremely bad.

The President of the EP told Hina that he is aware of the extremely low voter turnout in the first elections for the EP in Croatia, but also expressed confidence that this will change for the better in the new elections next year.

“Whether it was wise to organize elections for the EP twice within a year is a question that someone else must answer, not me, and the turnout was low, perhaps also due to the fact that the elections were organized before the official entry of the country into the EU,” Schulz said, assessing that the turnout in the upcoming European elections will be higher because candidates will be nominated by European political families who will compete in all countries for the position of the next President of the European Commission. The next President of the EC will be appointed by the EP.

“In the next elections, we will elect representatives who will have a clear task – those on the right will vote for the right candidate, and those on the left for the candidate of that option. This means that the citizens of Croatia will also choose a candidate for the highest position in the executive power in Europe according to their political beliefs, regardless of which country he comes from. It is completely new that national political parties will compete for supranational candidates in the national campaign. I believe this will completely change the character of the upcoming European elections,” Schulz said, whose name is mentioned as a very likely candidate of the socialists for the new President of the EC.

“My name is often mentioned in public, and I am honored that people consider me not only a possible candidate but also a possible future President of the EC, but it is still too early to discuss that,” Schulz said.

When asked whether he agrees with the prevailing policy of strict austerity that should lead out of the crisis, the President of the EP was crystal clear.

“I am completely against the policy of strict austerity because it comes down to cutting public spending, and that repels investors. Thinking that strict austerity will restore investor confidence is wrong, simply wrong,” Schulz said, noting that his position has been shared for years by a large majority of Members of the European Parliament.

“We are just cutting, cutting, and cutting, and investor confidence is not returning. No investor can be satisfied with budget cuts; they are interested in the success of their investments,” he noted, adding that budget discipline is undoubtedly needed because the debts of some countries are indeed too high, but also stated that they will never be reduced if a surplus of revenue is not achieved.

He assessed that states need to increase revenues by raising taxes, but not on ordinary citizens, rather on transnational taxes, closing tax havens, and preventing tax avoidance, strategically investing in growth, especially in creating new jobs for young people, designing good credit programs for small and medium-sized enterprises that employ the most young people, and providing them with financial relief.

Schulz said he does not agree with those who seek to return many powers from the European level back to the member states, as they do not specify which powers are in question or what benefits would arise from that.

However, he claims to be in favor of an agreement and proper distribution of work between the EU and member states. “I have no doubt that everything that can be done at the local, regional, or national level should be done there. The closer the decision-making process is to the citizens, the better for democracy,” he said, noting that he knows what he is talking about because he has 11 years of experience as the mayor of a city in Germany.

The EU really does not need to deal with water supply or traffic regulation in some region because these, as Schulz claims, are problems of the local community and must be resolved there, while the EU must be responsible for supranational problems such as combating organized crime, climate change, and the like.

“My idea is a Europe of shared responsibilities in which more responsibilities will be given to the national, local, and regional levels, but in certain areas also to the European level,” he added.

The President of the EP claims that after Croatia’s entry, the EU cannot close its doors to other aspiring member countries because it was precisely the prospect of EU membership at some point that ensured peace and stability in the Western Balkans, and this could change if enlargement were to stop.

“But we must be honest – there is a certain fatigue regarding enlargement, and Croatia has felt that too,” Schulz said, adding that countries aspiring to join the EU must be told that they need to reform their societies, but also that the EU itself must undertake reforms.

“I will put it this way – if the EU were a federal state today and sought membership in the EU, it would be rejected due to its own democratic deficits. Therefore, we must reform the EU before further enlargement,” Schulz said.

When asked to comment on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s withdrawal from attending the celebration in Zagreb, Schulz said he is here as a representative of the EP, not the German opposition.

“I understood that Chancellor Merkel preferred to send a video message here yesterday rather than come in person, and I would not want to comment on whether this is a political signal,” said the President of the EP.