The first 100 days of the Government have passed in a certain way. A lot of everything and anything. Business angels and investors have given their assessment, or rather, they have tried to do so, as they say, the Government has done nothing.
– It is a pity that the first 100 days of this government have passed in staffing and “taking stock”. The announcements we hear I consider positive, but I am waiting for the first results. I know they cannot come quickly, but there are many things that can be initiated so that we can all expect the proclaimed results and reforms together. I regret that the Government has allowed itself to be drawn into stories that benefit no one, stories about the past, scandals, about who is more to blame for the current situation, and so on – says Saša Cvetojević, entrepreneur and investor.
– I cannot assess them because I think nothing has been done yet. There are many announcements, many stories, but not a single concrete thing has been done – says Hrvoje Prpić.
He emphasizes that since there are two people in the Government with impressive CVs – Tihomir Orešković and Zdravko Marić, it is obvious that the public is not fully aware of the problems the state is facing.
– I believe that the problems are much greater and that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance are putting out some fires that we are not even aware of and do not have time to deal with other matters. So, to conclude, I think the Government has done everything it could – Prpić is clear.
Cvetojević assesses that the announcements coming are good, but the discord among partners, both within the Patriotic Coalition and between Most and HDZ, undermines the credibility of the Government and the trust of citizens that anything mentioned can be implemented.
– An example is the statement of one minister against another, in the open part of the Government session. If you do not have complete support for the first moves even within the Government, how can you expect broader support and trust from other stakeholders? Another example is the disagreement over the reform of local self-government units, which according to many surveys is one of the issues that citizens are extremely interested in – believes Cvetojević.
Prpić notes that perhaps some good things have been done, but they have not been presented to the public and advises the Government to urgently work on its PR.
Both of our interlocutors have hopes and expectations for the next 100 days. – One is my hope, and the other is expectations. My hope is that the number of employees in the public administration is reduced by at least half, that all companies in which the state has ownership are privatized, and that this money is used to reduce debt. My hope is also that the average time to resolve court disputes is reduced to less than a month and that the budget deficit is reduced to below 1 percent. Expectations are far, far lower. If there is a privatization of 50 companies in state ownership, that will be much more than I expect, and from other things, I expect nothing because nothing has changed for 20 years, so why would it change now? – concludes Prpić.
Cvetojević emphasizes that the next 100 days are the real test.
– If the situation remains the same and there is no decisive move towards the reform of public administration, territorial organization, debureaucratization, and a new Fast Track that would reduce the number of regulations that hinder economic development and complicate life for the population – I think the Government will not see autumn in this composition – concludes Cvetojević.
