Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in his opening remarks that the quality of the economy and society as a whole was considered of vital importance for the development of Croatia.
"In order to achieve a desired standard for our citizens, the European standards, we must effectively apply quality systems at all levels of government and in all segments of society," Mesic said, stressing that if Croatia wanted to become a partner to the European Union it had to start making more effective decisions.
Mesic said he was pleased that the European Organisation for Quality had selected Croatia to host the 53rd European Congress on Quality in 2009 and that the decision was credit to the Croatian Society for Quality.
Croatian Society for Quality president Bozidar Ljubic said that the purpose of the conference was to encourage an interdisciplinary debate on tasks and challenges facing Croatia on its path to European Union membership.