On the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and Social Exclusion, which is marked every year on 17 October, citizens gathered on King Tomislav Square in Zagreb to protest against growing inequality, while President Zoran Milanovic criticised the government for its neglect of pensioners and its failure to solve social problems.

“The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and Social Exclusion, which we are marking today, is an opportunity to draw attention to a devastating fact: Croatia has become a country of immense social inequality, where a large majority of people are struggling more and more. The Croatian population is simply not benefiting from economic growth and higher budgets because the government’s economic and social policies do not address the fundamental problems of Croatian society.

And above all, the government does not recognise the situation in which Croatian pensioners live. The callous behaviour of government officials towards Croatian pensioners is obvious, as they mock and ridicule their demands.

“A heartless government”

Croatian pensioners do not deserve this, and as president I will not remain silent about this injustice towards pensioners. What kind of government is it that brags about providing one-off support to over 60% of pensioners? It is a heartless government, because these very statistics show that it has turned the majority of Croatian pensioners into welfare cases. And it still expects these people to be grateful.

It is unacceptable that pensioners have to rely on state welfare to survive.

Instead, long-term decisions and measures must be taken to permanently improve the living standards of pensioners, and one of the most important measures is to change the pension calculation formula. As long as the government does not show political will and genuine concern for pensioners, I will continue to point out this injustice that makes Croatia a country of social and societal inequality,” wrote the President of the Republic, Zoran Milanovic, on Facebook.

The representative of the Pensioners’ Union: The minister drives past those rummaging in rubbish bins in his car

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and Social Exclusion was marked by some citizens on King Tomislav Square in Zagreb.

“I would like to thank Finance Minister Marko Primorac for living with rose-coloured glasses, because he has stated that he has not noticed any poor, hungry or homeless people in Croatia, and it is unbelievable how he drives past those who are rummaging in bins,” Jasna Petrovic, a representative of the Pensioners’ Union, told N1.

“There is a large percentage of people who have to count every cent for food and can’t afford medicine. Considering that 40% of the average salary is spent on food, which is about 550 euros, and the average pension is only up to 575 euros with adjustments, Croatian pensioners have nothing to eat or cannot pay their bills,” she added.