ZAGREB, 15 June 2022 - President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday that everyone was somewhat responsible for the record inflation rate in Croatia, which reached 10.8% in May compared to the same month last year, but that he could not blame the government for that.
"Who is responsible? Everyone in a way. I think the Croatian government isn't. I can't blame it for that," Milanović said during a visit to Sisak.
"Money has never been cheaper, yet there are no goods. Supply chains are disrupted, which was almost expected. If that was the price to rein in and beat COVID, then that’s fine. However, we will always wonder how dangerous COVID really was. There was a certain danger, it wasn't harmless, but were all these measures justified?" the president wondered.
He said that in the last 30 years we have become accustomed to being without inflation and that in this case, inflation happened spontaneously, concluding that that is "not good." He said the cause lies in large amounts of money, higher incomes and fewer products on the market, noting that the instruments available to central bankers are limited.
“Interest up, interest down. It's like treating blood pressure - you try and try and in the end, something works," Milanovic said.
He also commented on the arrest of former Petrinja mayor Darinko Dumbović, saying he was not shocked but was unpleasantly surprised if there was evidence of allegations that he had rigged business deals for his son.
For more, check out our politics section.
