ZAGREB, March 3, 2020 – President Zoran Milanović said on Monday after a meeting with Burgenland Croats that Croatia should allocate more funds to that minority community.
“From this position it is easier to say that we should give them more money, because I was prime minister and could have done so myself. However, I was surprised by how little we as a state give to this community,” Milanović said in Eisenstadt, the capital of Burgenland, where he met with the Burgenland Croats’ representatives.
“I think we should give more, the funds Croatia allocates are very limited, and I am certain that even some people in power are not aware of that,” Milanović added.
Since the 16th Century, ethnic Croatians have inhabited Burgenland, a region covering parts of contemporary Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia. It is estimated that 50,000 ethnic Croatians live in the area today.
The representatives of the community told Milanović about the problems they are facing, and about their goals, such as opening a bilingual school, like the ones which already exist in Burgenland and in Vienna.
Milanović’s visit to Eisenstadt, a town which was named in 12th Century for its history in mining and trading in iron, ended his one-day visit to Austria.
Earlier in the day, Milanović met with President Alexander Van der Bellen and visited the Croatian Centre in Vienna.
More news about Croats in Austria can be found in the Diaspora section.
