Plenkovic for Die Welt: "Our Mentality is Mediterranean, But We Behaved Like Northern Europeans"

May 19, 2020 - For German national newspaper Die Welt, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic spoke about the upcoming season, how Croatia has dealt with the corona crisis, and the Croatian presidency of the EU.

Novi List reports that Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expressed in an interview with the daily Die Welt hope that this year's tourist season will still be successful, after Zagreb responded well to the crisis related to the coronavirus pandemic with a relatively small number of infections.

Currently, Croatia, as he said for Monday's issue of the German newspaper, is in the phase of testing measures for the gradual elimination of restrictions in the hospitality industry.

"We are currently looking at how it works in practice. And I am sure that before the summer season we will gather many good practical experiences," said the Croatian Prime Minister.

He expressed confidence that the number of newly infected will not increase during the summer if everyone continues to adhere to the measures, and expressed hope that this season will be successful. He added that the same number of tourists is not expected as last year.

Explaining the relatively low number of infections in Croatia, he pointed out that Croatia “has been closely monitoring developments in China since January 8. And at the end of the same month, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, I talked to the president of the World Health Organization, and even then, it was clear to me that this could be dangerous. "

He concluded that all measures against the spread of the coronavirus were "clearly communicated" to the citizens, but added that the credit also lay with the citizens who followed the instructions.

"I am impressed because our mind is actually Mediterranean. But during the pandemic, we behaved more like northern Europeans," said Plenković, who also pointed to the long tradition of healthcare in Croatia.

Plenković emphasized that the Croatian presidency of the EU was different than expected due to the pandemic, but also that some results had been achieved, of which he pointed out the opening of accession negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia.

"Through political and diplomatic efforts, we have changed the position of some rather influential members. That will be remembered as historical merit of Croatia for its neighbors," said Plenković.

He also concluded that the European Union must maintain its presence in the region so that it does not fall under the influence of other powers.

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