As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Finance Minister Zdravko Maric also answered the question as to whether the Croatian inflation rate will end up reaching double-digit figures: “I wouldn’t go that far. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic all recorded double-digit rates back in March. Some of them even nearly 16 percent. Croatia hasn’t done so yet,” he said.
Maric spoke on Dnevnik Nova TV about problematic fuel prices, the situation on the gas market, Croatian inflation, the impact the current situation is having on the Eurozone, which Croatia is on schedule to join in 2023, as well as the current state of the Croatian budget.
Minister Maric first commented on whether the acceleration of Croatian inflation is going to continue to pose a very serious threat to the country because of everything that is unfolding globally, with the ongoing Ukraine war included.
“According to the latest projections, the average rate this year is 7.8 percent. Considering that the last published data said it would be 7.3, and before that the inflation rates were slightly lower, unfortunately my answer to your question is yes,” he stated, before going on to discuss the aforementioned topic of potential of double-digit Croatian inflation.
Inflation has suddenly become a key variable on Croatia’s path to the Eurozone, which it is due to enter early next year.
“We’ve been talking about the budget for years, and in the end, neither the public debt nor the budget deficit is a topic. Croatia has been exactly between the Eurozone and the EU average for the last 12 months,” he said.
“In the middle of this month, we’ll have the data for April, both for Croatia and for all EU countries. This will be the last input that enters the convergence report. At the beginning of June, the European Central Bank and the European Commission will publish this report separately. I really believe we’ll get a positive outcome. The official decision should come in early July,” added the minister. He also said that he wasn’t in favour of delaying Croatia’s entry into the Eurozone, which some are calling for owing to this dire situation. He believes that the Eurozone shows the best benefits during times of crisis. VAT for certain product categories was planned to be reduced when Croatia switches to the Euro, but the government slashed it beforehand anyway.
“If necessary, we have more ammunition to help people out in this situation,” said the minister, before speaking about the healthcare system and whether he sees any room for much needed reforms there.”Drugstores write to us periodically, both to my colleague Health Minister Vili Beros and to me. We have a fair relationship. Unfortunately, the payment deadlines for both hospitals and pharmacies have risen again. They’ve reached a level of over 180 days, and for some hospitals, that level is now over 200 days,” said the Minister, and when asked how much the healthcare system’s debt is and whether he knows how many ”holes” there are when it comes to that, he answered: ”Unfortunately, I do know because every month that hole increases, meaning obligations grow, and it’s been between 400 and 500 million over the last few months.” he stated.
For more on Croatian inflation, make sure to check out our dedicated politics section.
