Liberals for an efficient integration of immigrants and minorities into Croatia's society

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Zagreb, 11th of October 2013 – CPP's Political Academy participated in a seminar titled "Migration and integration - an eternal populist topic, or a chance for liberals to advance their human rights program?". The seminar was held in Opatija from the 8th to the 10th of November 2013 in Opatija, and it was organised by the European Liberal Forum and the German liberal Friedrich Naumann foundation for freedom.

The seminar gave a detailed overview of the mentioned subject to a group of select, mostly young liberal politicians from Croatia (participants of CPP and IDP). Also, in Croatia, who became a European Union member on the 1st of July, populists still provoke incidents, not only to upset national or sexual minorities, but more than that, in order to destabilize the political situation, to get the social-liberal coalitional government into trouble, and prevent it from carrying out further economic and social reforms.

By entering the EU, decades of wars, dictatorships, and more or less forced migrations into and out of the country could end. However, after the 1st of July, two kinds of problems are appearing in the political field. The question arises of how to protect Croatia's EU borders without cutting communications and contact with neighbouring countries and how liberals should set themselves up towards that subject, which nationalists in Croatian politics often abuse. Also, finding itself in a supernational Union without borders - such as the EU, Croatia's citizens could start planning their lives outside the homeland, which could damage Croatia's competitiveness.

There was also talk on the seminar about key obstacles in the integration of Croatia's migrants into European societies, as well as the ways that liberals could do and carry out in order to create a better atmosphere for an efficient integration of migrants and minorities into Croatia's society.

The following people lectured on the seminar: Felicita Medved, president of ELF's Board of Directors, Emilio Cocco, professor of sociology on the University of Teramo, Hrvoje Marušić, assistant to the Minister for external and European affairs, Igor Kolman, CPP's parliamentary representative and Davor Gjenero, political analyst and coordinator of the Council of the 5th Department of the Academy (the Department for the public).

All speakers highlighted this subject as a great challenge for Croatia's liberals, who want to demotivate young people from leaving the country in any way possible, but at the same time they are aware of the socio-economic problems which could appear after Croatian citizens start to enjoy the advantages of free and unlimited movement through the entire Union.

"Croatia's accession to the European Union has put Croatia into a new context in relation to its "non-European" surroundings by moving the external borders of the EU on the borders of the Republic of Croatia which carries with it a large responsibility", started Hrvoje Marušić, assistant to the Minister for external and European affairs of Croatia, speaking about the challenges of accession to the European Union.

"Of the more important areas which migrational policy encompasses, the area of integration of foreigners into Croatia's society begs particular mention, which demands an intersectional approach of state bodies, local self-governance and civil society. A corresponding work group is working on the operational carrying out of the planned tasks. In activities to date, the work group has through identifying problems in the area of migrant integration, and possible legal barriers suggested and Action plan for the removal of obstacles in the realisation of certain rights in the area of foreigner integration, for the period of 2014 - 2015. With this, Croatia joins the approach taken by the EU in the context of migrations - as a possible answer to demographic challenges and a shortage of work force in individual areas", concluded the assistant to the Minister for external and European affairs.

Croatian political analyst and coordinator of the 5th Department of the Academy (the Department for the public) spoke about the policy of integration and minority protection in Croatia, as well as the similarities and differences of the relation of Croatia towards its communities in the region.

"Liberals consider the democratic system only one which simultaneously ensures the majority rule, but also a protection of all minorities in society. That is why the protection of minorities is one of the political missions of liberal-democratic parties in plural societies", started Gjenero.

Speaking about specifics for Croatia, Gjenero said that plural local communities are exactly the ones caught by the war and which experienced a demographic and economic devastation. In the areas from Karlovac and Sisak to Split and Šibenik there is only half of the pre-war number of inhabitants today and only a third of pre-war jobs. The policy of minority protection, aimed firstly at the Serbian minority, and the return of everyone who have abandoned their homes due to the war, is in Croatia's case also developmental policy, aimed at one of the key goals of a united Europe: a unifom and sustainable social development.

"The non-realisation of this goal brings us to the situation that parts of Croatia remain "waste land", and that in Croatia's neighborhood, included in the policy of European expansion, radical communities are being created which have an adverse effect on the proeuropean policy of those countries. For Croatia, it is important for both its own development, and for the consolidation of regional relations, to integrate everyone who left Croatia after the war, and only liberal policy can achieve those goals", concluded Gjenero.

Speaking about Croatia's challenges during the EU accession process in the area of migration policy, Igor Kolman guided himself on the premise of whether it was a pursuit of happiness, or brain drain for the rest of the country. During the lecture he said the brain drain relates to the leaving of an above average number of individuals with a high degree of education and/or sophisticated skills.

The Croatian People's Party - liberal democrats and CPP's Political Academy were represented by a strong team consisting of Marijan Škvarić and Ivica Mandić, CPP's parliamentary representatives, Matija Posavec, Head of Međimurska County, Ivan Nekvapil, deputy Head of Sisačko-moslavačka County, Vera Bošnjak, Anđelko Topolovec, Jasmin Krizmanić and Ivan Gulam, Heads of Slavonski Šamac, Radoboj, Gornja Stubica, Pirovac municipalities and Vesna Sabolić, president of CPP's Zadarska County.

To remind, the first seminar on the subject of migrations and integrations was held in June 2013 in Belgrade. The subject was on countries such as Slovenia and Serbia in their failures in solving the problems of migrant integration. It was on this occasion that Serbian liberals were strongly criticised because of a lack of correct communication with refugees and immigrants.