Croatia is going to the polls as COVID-19 is decimating the livelihoods of the majority of people everywhere.

The new Croatian government will be called upon to protect the people of Croatia not only from the virus but, perhaps even more importantly in the long run, from pauperisation. Like Greece, Croatia is too dependent on tourism. And even though, unlike Greece, Croatia is not in the euro, its ruling class is not willing to contemplate a currency devaluation that would be in the interests of most Croats.

Why? Because Croatia’s oligarchs are more interested in maintaining the euro value of their assets intact, thus prioritising entry into the eurozone above protecting the living standards of the majority. Devaluation would help but, of course, would not be enough.

Croatia needs a Green New Deal of the type proposed by DiEM25, involving mass investments in the green transition away from fossil fuels, tourism, soul-destroying menial jobs and toward green energy, niche tourism connected to organic agriculture, electrification of transport and a plethora of small, cooperative, startups that allow younger Croats to participate in the 4th Industrial Revolution without emigrating.

In the current elections, such an agenda is only put forward by the Green-Left Coalition.

I urge my friends in Croatia to vote for the Green-Left Coalition and I am looking forward to them entering Parliament so that we, DiEM25 and its Greek party MeRA25, can join forces to build a progressive Europe together.

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