Asked by reporters in Babina Greda to comment on the first half of the government's term, he said: "When it comes to the past year, it's obvious that we have been successful as a society, as a state, in bringing some order, putting finances in order and improving the collection of taxes and contributions, but on the other hand, we have failed to attract investments. There are too few foreign investments and unemployment is the biggest problem."
The president said he expected the problems to be dealt with next year. "First and foremost, I mean attracting investments, such as this one in Babina Greda, where foreigners have invested EUR 50 million. I would also like unemployment to decrease, especially among young people," he said, referring to the formal beginning of construction work on the largest Croatian biomass-powered cogeneration plant Viridas Biomass.
In 2014, the president also expects the further development of democratic institutions and human rights. "I would like there to be more tolerance and mutual understanding, less bitter battles over world-view issues," he said, adding that the focus should be on the economy and investments on the one hand, and on investing in knowledge and education on the other, because "that's the way the world is going."
Agriculture Minister Tihomir Jakovina also commented on the first half of the government's term, saying it had done well with everything it had set out to do in these two years. "We are doing everything we can to stimulate the economy, from rescinding parafiscal levies... to stimulating investments in water management, wood-processing, forestry and renewable energy sources."