We should all expect foreign workers to integrate into Croatian society as much as possible, Agriculture Minister David Vlajčić (DP) said on Friday, commenting on multilingual posters placed in Zagreb telling foreign workers that they must know the Croatian language, and which are backed by DP, writes HRT.
- When Croatians go abroad to work, they get used to the culture, learn the language and must know the basics of that language at least. I think we should all expect foreign workers to integrate into Croatian society as much as possible, to respect the Republic of Croatia, our language, culture, tradition, religion, customs, and I see absolutely nothing objectionable in that, said the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Vlajcic.
And the multilingual posters telling foreign workers that if they want to work in Croatia, they must learn the Croatian language were put up, as they themselves pointed out, by the Homeland Movement.
- All people of any nationality are welcome and we want everyone to feel comfortable, at least we Croats are the best hosts in the world. I think it is normal to expect a foreign worker to speak Croatian and not have to use our hands when we get to a cafe, taxi or delivery. That is a minimum, after all, the Croatian Language Act also stipulates it as an obligation, added the DP minister after visiting the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park and meeting with livestock farmers.
On the billboards in the top row, it says in Croatian "Do you want to work in Croatia? Learn Croatian", followed by a translation of the message in Filipino and Nepali.
President of the DP parliamentary group Ivica Coward he explained why they were installed.
- We wanted to show what a multilingual poster must look like according to the Croatian Language Act. The message must be written first in Croatian, and then in other languages. Anything else is a violation of the law, he pointed out, referring to recent posters by the Kaufland retail chain.
They also wanted to send, he added, a clear political message about the importance of integration.
- Foreigners who come here to work must be motivated to learn Croatian, and employers and the state must support them in this. This is especially true for service industries. In dialogue with the Government and employers, we will work to make these practices come to life, and we do not rule out further legal initiatives in this direction, said Kukavica.
- I would leave the way someone communicates their policies to the team that is speaking about it. As for the Aliens Act, and the amendments to the laws in question, one of the things that we, as proponents of the law, will additionally insist on is a certain level of knowledge of the Croatian language, said Davor Božinović, Minister of the Interior.
Source: HRT
Photo: FAH/Edvard Šušak
