He was speaking in a discussion on the EU's future organised by the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament which said that it was necessary to develop solidarity in the EU in order to create jobs and launch the industrial policy. The president of the group, Hannes Swoboda, was also in attendance.
Wondering if Europe should be redefined, Milanovic underlined the need for a clear road to take.
Europe will have to seek solutions so that people don't lose faith in the model, he said, recalling that the turnout at the last European election was only 20 per cent, which he said meant that people were apathetic, dissatisfied and exhausted by the crisis.
We have to start changing that because people don't see democracy as a supreme good but as a means to live better, he said.
Europe needs a solution for economic and employment growth. It is important to have strong institutions made up of parties that may be corrupted but are not all the same, he said.
States in Europe like Germany and Austria, which have a clearly structured party system, are resistant to the crisis and constantly growing. And states in which parties, movements, independent slates, Messiahs and prophets appear overnight and in which someone who was completely unknown gets 15, 20 or 25 per cent of the vote within two years are unstable, said Milanovic.
Nothing will radically change with Croatia's accession to the EU on July 1. Accession will be good for resourceful, persistent and thorough people, he said.
He went on to say that the leftists and the socialists had special mechanisms of correction and warning for those who did not abide by the rules.
This can't be said of our colleagues on the right who assemble all kinds and where everything is allowed, including to play on national emotions before elections, manipulate, play with the basest instincts. Among the socialists and the democrats that is forbidden, said Milanovic.
Swoboda said he was happy Croatia would enter the EU with a social democratic government, adding that some had used to say that Croatia would be another conservative country joining the EU.
Croatia will not lose its identity by joining the EU. Europe is based on unity but it isn't only about a common market but about solidarity too, he said, adding that Croatia had changed significantly in recent years and commending Milanovic's role.