Croatian Capitalism
Last weekend I had a conversation with a young corporate lawyer from Zagreb. His opinion about the accession of Croatia to the European Union was moderately negative. I say moderately, because he reckoned that the changes in the Croatian institutions would have never been realized at such a fast pace, were it not for the EU accession procedure. His real concern was that the EU would only benefit the companies and that the first thing to happen was a giant take-over of the country’s precious assets and an increase in inequality.
In the Netherlands, words like this would never leave the mouth of a corporate lawyer. Especially not a young and ambitious one. My girlfriend, a Croatian national, reminded me that Croatians are more Socialist than they think. This is not surprising, since they have been under Communist rule since the end of WW2 until the beginning of the dismantling of Yugoslavia. The absolute ruler of the multi-ethnic Yugoslav constellation was Josip Broz “Tito”, a name that can not be spoken of without a dosis of nostalgia. The Croatian equivalent of my parents’ generation speaks about Tito like a saviour, a man close to divinity.
In terms of living standards, many things are claimed to have been better under Tito’s guidance. It didn’t matter what your ethnic background was, people had more jobs, were free to travel around and cultural life was rich. Ok, the average income was not very high, but that was taken for granted. Income inequality was low and people didn’t need a lot to be happy.
The falling apart of Yugoslavia and the subsequent war changed everything. Nationalism is still a real issue today and convicted war criminals are still seen as the first defenders of the newborn nations. When you travel around the Balkans, you see what the war did to the societies. It matters who you are and where you are from. Whether you’re a Serb, a Croat or a Muslim. A Serbian girl from my generation told me in Belgrade that she would once love to see the Croatian coast, since she heard stories about its absolute beauty. Her parents didn’t allow her to go to the Dalmatian coast, since a mixture of prejudices and incidents gave them a bad feeling about Croatians.
That is what war does. It tears societies apart and leaves them behind disillusioned. The young democracies that emerged after the war were in search of a new identity. The European Union was a welcome model, a stable structure that decides if you are part of the Western world or somewhere in between or worse. An organization that has created a handbook on how to create a wealthy and prosperous society. A family, based on mutual recognition and the rule of law. Accession to the EU has been and still is a peaceful way for Balkan politicians to offer citizens future perspectives, away from the debate on the horrors of the past, away from the debate on the bad shape of the economy. The EU as a panacea, the EU as a new Tito.
But Croatians start to understand that the EU is not a panacea for all of their troubles. They see what is happening in the Eurozone and wonder if this is really what they wished for. For a powerful organization, presented as a panacea, the EU is currently showing extreme weakness. Where is the solidarity? The “united in diversity” slogan? The “shared future in a globalizing world”? Are they just shallow words, created by EU propaganda?
So many questions from a young corporate lawyer and no answers from me, a citizen of the EU and fan of further European integration. What is so great about the current EU framework, besides the open borders that benefit large companies? The only greatness lies in the continuing willingness to cooperate, not the capitalist way the Union is currently being shaped. For Socialist thoughts, little greatness is shown by the Commission, EU leaders and even citizens.
I think of Tito and the look in the eyes of an older generation when they speak of him. Is it really true that life was better under Tito’s Communism?
(Each article reflects the personal views of the author)
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