Croatian President Ivo Josipovic on Tuesday held a lecture on corruption at the Zagreb Faculty of Economics and Business, saying that citizens viewed Croatia as a highly corrupt country, but that he was an optimist and believed that the country would have a future in the EU and that it would beat corruption.
Corruption is an evil that characterises Croatia's political, economic and academic life and the fight against it is a fight for democracy and progress, Josipovic said. He supported Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's statement about zero tolerance to corruption, saying that this did not mean only repression, but a change of culture and public awareness.
"Corruption in Croatia has become a way of life, from the health to school system and transportation, and it should be combated at all levels and in all sectors," said Josipovic.
He warned that even though Croatia had all international instruments at its disposal, from institutions to legislation, the practice showed that they were not used in the best possible way and did not yield the expected results.
Unlike some neighbouring countries, corruption in Croatia is not connected with violence but with sophisticated state structures, which shows that politics in Croatia is mired in corruption and that motives for running the country have been ones of personal and group gain, rather than common interest, said Josipovic.
He underlined the importance of solid criminal legislation to include an efficient system of seizure of property acquired through corruption. "Experience shows that corruption withers away when regulations are adopted to seize illegally acquired property," Josipovic said, commending the introduction of such regulations in the Penal Code in the latest amendments to that law.
Josipovic's lecture, held on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of establishment of the Faculty of Economics and Business, was attended by a large number of students and members of the academic community.
