HDZ has presented its electoral program 5+ Croatia, which revolves significantly around the number five. Thus, after Plan 21, we have been reduced to just five, albeit with a plus.
The program is sufficiently ambitious to provoke attacks from opponents and dissenters, and it is vague enough not to reveal too much about how all this will be achieved. Mockery immediately began from the ruling party, although they have long admitted that their electoral Plan 21 has failed, perhaps thinking that the 1.2 percent GDP growth is enough, as 1.2 is the reverse reading of 21. Then, a program from a candidate in Prnjavor from last year’s elections in the so-called Republic of Srpska was revealed, which presented a very similar program called 5+. HDZ responds that behind their program, fully titled Economic Growth, Sustainable Development, and Employment: 5+ Croatia, stand Croatian and German experts, and that those who do not have programs are the ones who criticize. Despite everything, SDP is catching up to HDZ according to CRO Demoskop, and now they are separated by only one percentage point. The saga continues…
In the pre-election period, Finance Minister Boris Lalovac announces a reduction of VAT to 13 percent for about ten products to stimulate domestic production. Thus, prices for fish, eggs, Swiss chard, cabbage, potatoes, strawberries, apples, and mandarins will likely decrease. He is joined by Minister of Labor and Pension System Mirando Mrsić, who plans to align education with market needs for the next term.
From the new government, therefore, Gordana Deranja, president of the Croatian Employers’ Association, expects changes that require courage and determination. She stated this at Lider’s conference Day of Great Plans, asserting that it is actually politicians, not entrepreneurs, who shape the entrepreneurial climate. Unfortunately, politicians only remember changes when elections are around the corner. Once the elections are over, they forget all promises.
The migrant crisis, after 20 days at the center of events, is gradually yielding headlines to the electoral campaign, although, of course, migrants will also be part of it. While the authorities swear that they will protect Croatian tourism from a new wave of migrants to the south, which, as Interior Minister Ranko Ostojić says, is predicted by hysteria headquarters, Slavonia wonders how much the south of Croatia is being defended. Slavonia has remained in a barren space once again after the Homeland War, the economic crisis, and now under the wave of migrants. Tourism is important, but one cannot help but notice the different attitude towards Slavonia and Dalmatia. In anticipation of the closing of the Hungarian border to Croatia, Minister Ostojić announces that he will redirect migrants to Slovenia and that everything actually depends on Germany. How many letters have already been ‘fired’ in the names of plans and how many more letters await us?
The teachers’ strike ended without fulfilling the demands for a four percent salary increase. However, the days spent on strike will be paid, and they inform the future government that it has a month of peace. It is therefore very likely that the suffering of students, parents, and students will continue. This means precisely those who are always most affected by the work stoppages of teachers.
In one day, 10,000 energy-efficient household appliances A+++ were snatched up, for which a subsidy of 800 kuna is provided for purchase. The price of such devices is high, so it is likely that those who intended to buy something ‘stronger’ found the subsidy quite appealing, although even this reduced amount is not small. Some citizens evidently have money, perhaps they are environmentally conscious, but it seems that they will not save much unless they had extremely old devices. Namely, according to consumption calculations, someone who replaces an A+ washing machine with an A+++ will save only 35 kuna a year on electricity. That is not any significant saving, so the purchase of a modern washing machine will only pay off after a long series of years.
