After a short drive from Budapest the MovEurope team arrived in beautiful Zagreb in the evening on the 9th of May – Europe day!
Europe day was celebrated making the final preparations for the day after and joining JEF Croatia for traditional Balkan food. The theme for the visit in Croatia was “Economic Crisis” as the situation in the newest member of the European Union is far from optimal when it comes to economic indicators. Youth unemployment is among the highest in Europe, and the faith in swift recovery is diminishing.
Although the MovEurope team enjoyed the good atmosphere in the capital we were worried by the general disinterest in European affairs and the upcoming elections. Most of the young people we approached were either to busy to care, or didn’t trust their own politicians.
This was also reflected in the low attendance to our public meeting in the evening where we got to sit together with one professor of Economics and two candidates to the European Parliament. Despite the low turnout the discussions were fruitful, and the group agreed on several factors that will help in fostering growth:
- Reduction of bureaucracy and obstacles to innovation
- Investment in education
- Increased focus on vocational training
- Sustainable innovation
