ZAGREB, February 19, 2018 – Boris Miletić, who was re-elected leader of the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) over the weekend, held a press conference in Pula on Monday to present the main guidelines of his programme for the next four-year term in office.
He emphasised further work on the development of Istria, including aid to the Uljanik shipyard, intensified efforts at decentralising Croatia and persistence in the struggle against conservative and retrograde forces that extol nationalism and chauvinism and openly oppose the adoption of the Istanbul Convention.
The continuity of governance, growth and development of Istria should be one of our primary goals because our progress is a good signpost for the rest of the country, Miletić said. “The present model which is in force in Croatia, and that is rigid centralism, has produced no results,” he said. “That’s why in the time ahead the IDS will be even more determined and specific in launching legislative initiatives in the Croatian parliament so that Croatia takes the positive road of growth and development, which is possible only if the state is decentralised,” he added.
Miletić said that, at the previous parliamentary elections, his party had managed to push through the idea of decentralisation as a national topic. “However, today we can see that all political parties use the term decentralisation in their election campaigns, but after the elections only the IDS continues to advocate for the idea of decentralisation,” he noted.
The IDS leader emphasised the importance of education for developing a competitive economy and halting the emigration of young people. Speaking of the IDS’s economic platform, Miletić said that, although Istria was experiencing growth in the tourism sector, more attention should be paid to small and medium businesses while at the same time not ignoring large systems.
Speaking of the situation at the Uljanik shipyard, Miletić stressed the need to preserve the shipbuilding industry and as many jobs as possible, pledging local government support in this regard.
