Investment in social investment in Croatia is very low and particularly concerning is the weak investment in education, science, and culture, and in these areas, Croatia, including HDZ and SDP, has not recognized that people are the primary resource of the 21st century into which we should invest, stated scientific associate at the Institute for Social Research Boris Jokić on Monday at a conference on building a good society in anticipation of a more social and democratic Europe.
If the potential of young people is not recognized and if it is not developed and realized in an environment where it can develop, we will have an even worse perspective than today, Jokić warned.
He added that research conducted at the Institute shows that students already in 8th grade do not perceive Croatia as a positive context. Unlike their personal future, which they consider positive, they view the future of Croatia negatively, and this should be an alarm for politicians to change the way they make policies and finally focus on people and do something for the lives of all of us in Croatia, Jokić conveyed.
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The power of politicians is only apparent, and they can lose it very quickly, and it should be made aware that they are part of a community and think long-term about the general welfare of every person and in that way design and implement policies, rather than being guided by personal and daily political interests, Jokić believes.
Scientific associate at the Institute for Public Finance Predrag Bejaković stated that Croatia allocates less for social expenditures than EU members, approximately 21 percent of GDP, of which 12 percent is for pension expenditures, six percent for healthcare, less than two percent for social welfare, and two percent for other expenditures, while the average for Europe is around 27 percent.
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Croatia is not efficient in using funds, the poverty rate before social transfers is about 30 percent, and after them, about 20 percent, while in other countries this reduction is significantly greater. In his opinion, it is crucial to abolish the belief that constant changes in laws will change anything significantly, as constant changes in laws lead to legal instability. We should strive for the rule of law, because if it is respected, life will be simpler and fairer, Bejaković conveyed.
President of the SDP Davor Bernardić emphasized that it is necessary to reform solidarity, equality, freedom, and justice and to address citizens’ problems, and this is a challenge for social democracy, with Sweden and Portugal proving that this can be achieved. We have created a state, but we have not created a society, and it is necessary to create institutions and build trust, and social democracy is the force that can change Croatia, Bernardić stated.
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He emphasized the importance of social investment since around 60,000 citizens emigrate from Croatia each year, with about 150,000 having left in the past two years. Entire families are leaving due to low wages and pensions, people are losing trust in institutions, GDP is at the level of 1990, and the number of retirees has doubled. Croatia is stuck, and we must stop and reverse these trends, Bernardić emphasized.
President of the Council for Social Policy Davorko Vidović announced that the SDP will present a social strategy with about 100 measures in about a month and provide a vision of what kind of Croatia they want. The fundamental concept is the activation of the population, as people outside the labor market are socially excluded, Vidović pointed out.
He noted that there are 512,000 persons with disabilities in Croatia, of which 350,000 are of working age, and only 17,000 are in the labor market, and there, in his opinion, lies a huge untapped potential. The conference was organized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
