President Ivo Josipovic has said that it is good that the international nationalist gathering that was to have taken place in Zagreb, has been banned, but that more important than the ban itself is "the unanimity of the Croatian society to say 'No' to fascism."
He noted that he, too, had been attacked for saying that there was a threat of Ustasha ideology. "It is not generally supported nor is it a part of our culture and tradition, but we have to know that it exists and be ready to respond to it appropriately," Josipovic told reporters in his office after a meeting with members of the public.
Asked if the government should do something to prevent a new wave of price hikes, Josipovic said the government could not prevent price increases or improve living standards merely through administrative measures, but that it should work on increasing the number of workers, creating new jobs and enabling investments.
We all strongly support measures leading to that and expect first results, he said.
Reporters also wanted to know about the president's position on planned legislative changes to enable the employment of young people to work without pay in order to gain work experience.
Josipovic said such a possibility already existed in the state administration where young people were employed without pay in order to undergo training, describing the planned move as good.
The alternative is young people being out of work and without any pay at home or at the Employment Service, Josipovic said, adding that the proposal should be viewed in that context.
"The purpose of the proposal is certainly not to make someone work like a slave, for free, but if one can help young people leave the Employment Service, pass the necessary examinations and prepare for employment, then it should be viewed in a positive context."
He added that he was thinking about hiring young people in his office and helping them take examinations necessary for employment, which he said his staff was working on.
Asked if he thought that government ministers were uncoordinated and if he believed that it could be a result of an internal struggle for dominance in the Social Democratic Party, Josipovic said he did not have such an impression, that ministers did not have to have the same opinion all the time, and that the government's policy was coherent.
