Speaking of his government's first six months in office, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said on Monday the tourist season could in part pull Croatia out of the difficult economic situation, as could a strong enterprise sector for which he said the state must create the conditions.
It seems the tourist season will be good and that pulls us through in a way, he said on RTL television, adding that his government had a plan and calling on citizens again to be patient because some projects, notably in infrastructure, could not be realised overnight.
"Some projects won't be carried out by the end of the year, some will, but nothing can be done without a strong, robust, ambitious, sometimes adventurous private enterprise sector for which the state must create the conditions."
Milanovic announced the elimination of administrative barriers not only for big companies, but also for small businesses.
Speaking of citizens' expectations, he said that his government could not have cleaned up in half a year the whole mess made over the last 20 years and keep all the jobs. He agreed that in the past six months "there were not enough decisions and some projects should have been completed," but reiterated that Croatia could not have avoided the fate of the bulk of Europe which is also recording a downturn.
Asked if the government still believed that gross domestic product could grow 0.8 per cent, Milanovic said he believed in work and action by any legal means through which the government would try to achieve high as well as realistic goals.
He also commented on the case of First Deputy PM Radimir Cacic, charged with causing a traffic accident with two fatalities in Hungary, in which the verdict will be handed down on June 29.
Milanovic said the car crash in which Cacic was involved was "ethically neutral," adding that he would leave it up to him to decide whether he will stay in the government.
