Croatia undoubtedly feels the benefits of European Union membership, and as a country it should capitalise on all the advantages the membership in the bloc provided, CEO of Atlantic Group, one of the largest retail and consumer goods company in Croatia, Emil Tedeschi, said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a conference discussing the five years of Croatia’s membership in the EU, which it joined in July 2013, Tedeschi said that the country had belonged in the EU in terms of its geography, history, world view, and economy, much longer than that.
“We should be an open society focused on quality, expertise and transparency, and only through unity and by including everyone – including those coming here (as migrants) – can we achieve progress for our society, ” Tedeschi said.
EU membership is also beneficial for the economy, given that Croatia’s local market is too small (for companies to grow), and we must find a way to profit from the much larger common market, he added.
“We must use the existing opportunities and (European) funds at our disposal. We (currently) must be competitive in an environment in which we still borrow money at a higher price than companies from most other EU countries,” Tedeschi said.
We undoubtedly feel the positives of EU membership, as without it innovative companies such as (software start-ups) Infobip, Nanobit and (electric carmaker) Rimac Automobili, as well as those with a much longer tradition, such as Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Vetropack and Koncar, would find it hard to develop, Tedeschi said.
“These are all globally competitive companies, but it’s important that they can be that way on the administrative level too, and that there are as many of them as possible. It’s important that they can operate and develop in Croatia, pay taxes and create jobs, and raise the bar of society as a whole,” he said.
Tedeschi added that the erasing of trade barriers as a result of EU membership made Croatia’s economy more exposed, and limited the possibility of any policy aimed at favouring or protecting domestic businesses.
Some companies have prepared better than others for doing business in the EU, and “in some cases the whole society is painfully feeling the lack of that responsibility,” he added.
“The (indebted Agrokor food and retail group) settlement, which is bigger news these days than the anniversary of EU membership, should serve as a reminder that the times of protectionism, preferential treatment, and non-transparency are behind us,” Tedeschi said.
Despite disunity and political and security challenges, the EU nonetheless represents a framework for “a much faster and better development path towards a prosperous and happier society,” he said. “As a country, let’s capitalise on all the advantages which membership provides before turning to criticism (of the bloc),” he said.
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