Jadranka Kosor, Prime Minister
Five Stars Croatia Issue 5 — April 01, 2010.

Dear readers,
It is my pleasure to address the readers of the Five Stars Croatia magazine as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, having both the privilege and the demanding and responsible duty to lead our beautiful country and ensure and protect the well-being of its citizens and visitors.

Every time I have the opportunity to share my thoughts about our country, I feel a tremendous respect for its imponderable historical heritage, but I also feel proud since upon that historical legacy we are actively thinking and shaping the future.
If you just glimpse at the cover of this magazine, you will see that Croatia is a very dynamic and diverse country, in every way, and no visitor will be bored here, no matter what they are looking for. We offer the beautiful and intact nature, world-known cultural sights, sports, top quality wellness and gastronomic services, numerous investing possibilities or, pure and simple relaxation.

Croatia inspires travellers who are exploring every detail of the place they have visited as well as tourists who want to get away from their everyday lives, at least for a little while. More and more foreigners have chosen Croatia as their permanent residence; some of them came because their companies established branch offices, hotels and factories here, others were drawn by the way of the heart, and all of them call Croatia their new home.

Strengthening the ties between Croatia and the European Union expectedly facilitates those social, tourist and economic contacts. After officially becoming an EU member  state, what is expected to occur after the completion of the complex negotiation process, which we plan to finish by the end of this year, Croatia will finally and completely return to its European core, and complete the large historical project of returning to Europe from which, due to historical circumstances, it was artificially separated for the most part of the 20th century.

Croatia is a country in which you will encounter both the Central-European efficiency and the Mediterranean charm – a combination hardly anyone can resist, and it is a set of the best European features. It resulted from the fact that the most European cultures have left their mark in our history which is witnessed in the numerous monuments, customs and restaurants, the places you will most likely experience first. Although small in terms of size, Croatia is truly a genuine world renowned heritage treasury. Seven locations in Croatia are protected by the UNESCO’s and seven features have been included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
From Dubrovnik, an international pearl in the Croatian crown, a motif used by many artists in their songs, writings and paintings who could not resist its timeless beauty, to the magnificent and well-known Plitvice Lakes; from the unique beauty and skills of lace production, St. Vlaho’s Festivity, processions in Gorjani and Hvar to the art of manufacturing traditional toys in the region of Hrvatsko zagorje.

The historical intensity you will find in Croatia can only be compared to the intensity  of the Croatian wines - particularly dingač or plavac, acclaimed predecessor of the world-known Zinfandel, which you can taste along the southern Croatian coastline, with a delicious meal of organic, traditionally prepared food, with a perfect amount of domestic flavor and seasoning se.

In the past, just as our traditional specialties, the Croats as a nation were forced to develop their best features in poor conditions and only after becoming independent, they showed their true shine. We are a nation with an exceptional number of world-known, successful scientists and athletes, recognizable brands, and our contribution to the overall world culture and science is significantly larger than, in terms of number, our humble 4.4 million citizens currently living in Croatia. All these features and wealth, as well as flexibility and creativity we carry within ourselves, have enabled us to implement the necessary reforms and find ourselves on the threshold of the European Union.

The Republic of Croatia I am talking about is a modern and more and more competitive economy which will come out of this crisis significantly stronger than it was when the crisis began. We see the global economic crisis as an opportunity to “clean up the mess” and my government is determined in making decisions which will enable faster crisis exit as well as the subsequent economic recovery and development. By making decisions which were not easy, to say the very least, we have stabilized the macroeconomy and finances of our economy which is European in many senses and avoided the fate of some other European countries. Due to the current global situation, the economy and its recovery shall remain this government's top priority.

As I have previously said, all this is happening within a context,  of completing the long-lasting and complex negotiations for our accession to the European Union, which we plan to finish in 2010. Accession to the EU denotes the end of a process which encompassed the overall transformation of our society and I am happy to be able to witness the progress regarding our European integration position. It also serves as an objective, external testimony of the present-day Croatia which is, not only a complete, functional market economy, but also a democracy with the highest human rights standards, regarding all ethnical and other minorities, as well as citizens in general.

These are the values we are striving for, and with the protection and support of the allies, which we had since April 2009 and joining NATO, Croatia is fully focused on the great finale of becoming an EU member country. Our task is facilitated by the fact that there is a widely accepted consensus within Croatia according to which the EU, NATO alliance, and their values, represent the basis for our future, well-being and safety.

There are few other challenges the government must deal with and I would like to single out the unyielding fight against corruption and the application of the zero tolerance to the corruption-related criminal offences. Corruption is one of the most negative aspects and remains from the past century and something completely opposite to the direction we are headed towards, and we are fully determined to fight it. Social and business surroundings without corruption and nepotism are a part of the strategy aimed at the Croatian economic recovery and progress regarding its competitiveness in the demanding conditions of free competitiveness within the European Union, but also a matter of protecting our citizen’s basic human rights.

To conclude with, I would like to tell all readers of the Five Stars Croatia magazine to fully relax and enjoy the numerous benefits Croatia has to offer, from the golden continental plains and magnificent mountains to the most beautiful sea in the world. Wherever you may be in Croatia, know that your holiday, journey or business trip are taking place in a safe country as well as in the beauty and luxury of highest standards offered by modern Europe. Original and honest, independent and unique, yet authentically European, welcoming all people with honest and good intentions, Croatia is waiting for you to discover it.