Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) President Tomislav Karamarko commented on Saturday that the latest decision by the Fitch rating agency to downgrade Croatia's credit rating to the so-called 'junk' category was unfortunately an indication that negative trends were continuing - Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is declining and the budget deficit has grown to HRK 6 billion.
Experts in our economic team believe that this could put in doubt pension payments and wages by December, Karamarko told reporters at a party youth function.
Asked by reporters whether, as the prime minister had questioned in parliament a few days ago, Karamarko had gone to Germany to lobby for sanctions against Croatia, Karamarko said that the prime minister had a peculiar way of thinking and it was difficult to keep track of. "I love my country and the last thing I would wish for in this situation is for Croatia to have punitive action taken against it due to his flippancy, unprofessionalism, superficiality and that of his government", Karamarko said. He added that his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel was of of a protocol nature related to giving her and her party support in the coming election.
Asked whether the possible compromise date of January 1 to enforce the application of the so-called Lex Perkovic was acceptable to the HDZ, Karamarko said that the law should be withdrawn immediately and that everything that was signed with the European Union (EU) should be respected. We have to do that to show our credibility and that we can be a true member of the EU which is what we always wanted.
The difficult negotiations with the EU took six years and this government has managed to spoil that in just a few days, he said, adding that European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding in particular stressed that this referred to the trust Croatia had lost and that this was due to this government.
As far as possible amendments to the Constitution are concerned, Karamarko said the the first pre-condition was for Lex Perkovic to be withdrawn and then the issue of constitutional amendments could be discussed.
We believe that the idea to change the constitution is an attempt to put some crimes committed during the time of state terror in Yugoslavia which was ordered by the Alliance of Communists of Croatia and Yugoslavia on an equal footing with some incidental events and criminal offences in modern-day Croatia and we won't allow that, Karamarko said.
The modern Croatian state did not organise murders, they (murders) did occur and the people that committed them have on the most part been punished while those that were committed during the Yugoslav era were committed by UDBA (intelligence agents) terrorising emigrants around the world and once they had completed the task they were rewarded and promoted. We will not let this be covered up and all murders should be processed but also their nature needs to be qualified and why they were committed, he underscored.
There are many issues I do not agree with the President but we have to maintain a normal human relationship however that relationship does not exist with Prime Minister Milanovic. He has no need to speak with the Opposition as he knows it all.
