Demographic revitalization is the most complex task this Government faces, stated Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in the introduction to the meeting of the Council for Demographic Revitalization, attended by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, and called on all stakeholders at all levels of government to jointly mobilize to reduce regional disparities that affect the quality of life for families across Croatia.
– I want to unequivocally emphasize that I advocate for the establishment of quality comprehensive support for young people, parents, and families that would facilitate the reconciliation of parental and work obligations, while simultaneously changing the atmosphere of quality of life in our country, the Prime Minister stated in a speech where he emphasized that the family is the key community of Croatian society.
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It is up to us, he emphasized, to engage young people in Croatia and give them hope, to attract emigrants back, and to inspire Croats of the second or third generation to invest and return to their ancestral homeland.
Solutions do not lie in individual measures but in their cumulative effect, which creates a positive atmosphere for demographic renewal through synergy, and for changing the atmosphere, financial stability and economic growth are needed, he emphasized.
In his speech, the Prime Minister stated that the demographic picture of Croatia has been in the public interest for quite some time, especially recently, because, unfortunately, 100 children are born every day in Croatia, while 150 people die, and parts of Croatia are left without people.
He added to this the freedom of movement of labor within the EU, based on which a large number of people sought their chance in other EU member states, expressing hope that this will be a two-way process and that these people will return.
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Therefore, a significant part of demographic measures, besides social ones, will be directed towards better services of the Croatian state, digitalization, and making state bodies a service for citizens, he announced in a speech where he also presented examples of government measures already being implemented, aimed at demographic revitalization, such as the ‘Zaželi’ employment program, the renovation of kindergartens, increasing financial support for childbirth, etc.
It is up to us, the Prime Minister emphasized, to engage young people in Croatia and give them hope, to attract emigrants back, and to inspire Croats of the second or third generation to invest and return to their ancestral homeland.
Future measures, he said, will be aimed at equal opportunities for women and men in the labor market, introducing more flexible forms of work that will allow families to better balance their business and private obligations without sacrificing part of their income.
Work will continue on creating social measures aimed at families with low incomes, he announced.
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– These families must be under special protection of the state. We must continue working on easing housing issues and reducing costs related to raising children, which includes tax relief, extending maternity leave by another six months, flexible working hours for kindergartens, full-day care, and summer programs for school-age children, and regulating the nanny market. We need to place greater importance on regulating Sunday work. It is of utmost importance to introduce fair wages for work on Sundays and holidays, which will have a direct impact on tens of thousands of women of childbearing age employed, for example, in retail, he added.
The focus will also be on further advancing the protection of pregnant women in the workplace so that future mothers feel protected and encouraged to embrace motherhood.
We want, said Plenković, to simplify all administrative procedures involving parents and children by introducing new technologies, reduce parents’ costs for child care, ensure accessibility of nurseries, kindergartens, and after-school care for elementary school students, increase employment opportunities, and provide additional protection for pregnant women, parents, and adoptive parents.
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We also want to facilitate the reconciliation of parenting and business life by introducing more flexible working hours, especially through amendments to the Labor Law and health insurance, the Prime Minister adds.
– Here we want to enable the preservation of pregnancy with full pay, regulate rights during the process of assisted reproduction, co-financing of assisted reproduction, protection of existing jobs after returning from maternity leave, and protection of equal advancement and pay rights during the period for women who choose motherhood, he said.
It is planned, he announced, to introduce flexible working hours and remote work (from home) in all public and state institutions in positions suitable for this.
We want to ensure better housing opportunities for families through subsidized loans, and a key issue is also the continuation of education reform so that it meets the needs of the labor market.
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These are just some examples of an active pro-natalist policy that seeks demographic recovery and aims to strengthen the family as the key community of Croatian society, he said.
Reminding that the Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth, and Social Policy formed a group in April to work on the strategy for demographic revitalization, the Prime Minister said that with this meeting of the Council, with the contribution of the President of the Republic and the ministers, he wants to complement the measures that the Government will implement during its term and which he believes will, in the medium and long term, reverse trends that are not positive in many aspects.
– And there is also the will and desire of all of us to fully commit ourselves to the demographic revitalization of the country, he concluded.
