Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said on Thursday the government would reduce state officials' pay, including those of his cabinet ministers, through a budget revision, adding however that pensions would not be cut.
"All of us here (in the government) live from our salaries which are higher than Croatia's average. We will reduce them when revising the budget. But we will not succumb to the lowest form of populism," Milanovic said adding that the government was doing that because the state has no money.
We have to set our priorities, what is the most important thing and what must not be touched, the PM said.
"We've decided that in this moment pensions, which are incredibly low, will not be touched," he said.
The PM also commented on floods that represent a threat to locals, saying that experts should visit the flooded areas and see what must be done to prevent such disasters from happening again. Milanovic said the state cannot finance everything because in some cases the nature is stronger.
The PM underscored the government was investing millions of kuna in the flood protection system through the Croatian Water Management company, but it could not protect everyone and everything.
Residential areas in the basins of the rivers Sava, Odra and Kupa were inundated after these rivers burst embankments at several places south of Zagreb, and in Karlovac and Sisak Counties earlier this month. Some villages have been underwater for days.
(Hina)
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Zoran Milanović
