Croatia's campaign for the European Parliament election is very modest and if it was held together with local elections, there would be even less opportunity to promote European issues, President Ivo Josipovic said on Friday.
He was speaking at a panel for Zagreb students, responding to the question why the EP election was not being held together with local elections.
The advantage of holding the elections together would be that the cost would be lower and technically the turnout would be higher, but the question is whether the EP election, politically and psychologically very important, should get drowned in the local elections which are much more important to the political parties, Josipovic said, adding that by deciding that the elections be held separately, he had decided in favour of Europeanism.
He dismissed criticisms that because the campaign for the EP election is too brief citizens did not know what they were voting for, saying that everything about the EP could be learned on the Internet in one hour.
He said members of the EP were elected by national quota but were grouped in the EP by party affiliation.
It is important to recognise that some candidates' claims that they will represent Croatia in the EP do not stand. Their primary task is not to represent the state but, as representatives of European citizens, to enforce a certain policy and it is natural for the deputies that in doing so, they see to the interests of their state, he said.
Josipovic said the EU was excellent for Croatia, that it was a step forward in civilisation terms and a guarantor of peace, and dismissed fears that the European identity would replace the national identity.
Speaking of the advantages of European citizenship, he mentioned the expanded voting right, consular protection outside the EU, the possibility to participate in the European Citizens' Initiative to influence decision-making in the EU, freedom of movement and stay throughout the EU, market freedoms, and human and social rights.
The president said he did not fear that young people would leave Croatia after it joined the EU. "Young people will come and go, there will be fluctuation, but one shouldn't shudder at that, it's part of Europeanism."
He urged students to vote in the EP election and participate in the building of the European identity.
