Dr. Stjepan Baloban: With the Croatian Identity into Europe

Zagreb, February 21, 2003 (IKA) — In a column for the Catholic family magazine Kana, (February 2003), the head of the Center for the Promotion of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Dr. Stjepan Baloban, discussed the process of European integration and the identity of the nation, noting that in terms of cultural and religious identity, Croatia is a Central European and Mediterranean country, and therefore it should not be surprising that the candidacy of Croatia for membership in the European Union has been very well received in Europe.
In Dr. Baloban’s opinion, the more important question for Croatia is how this candidacy will be accepted by Croatian citizens. He points out that in Croatia there seems to be some uncertainty regarding entry into the European Union. Some of the citizens and a good part of the politicians anticipate that “only mentioning the EU” will solve all Croatian problems and in this context, referring to the “conditions of the EU,” there will be hurried attempts to pass some laws which are incompatible with the traditions and identities of individuals, families and the entire Croatian people. Other citizens view Croatian candidacy for membership in the European Union with distrust, primarily because they fear that Croats and Croatia will have to relinquish their identity and thereby become lost within the large EU. This fear is reinforced by the irresponsible privatization of Croatian national wealth, which is being forced from within Croatia, although it is unjustifiably blamed on “pressures” from abroad, in Dr. Baloban’s opinion. In the column, he pointed out that the majority of countries in transition have a problem with identity because the way of life under the communist period undermined the foundations of identity such as culture, nation, religion and family. In consequence, identity in these countries, and in Croatia, is understood as something that is excessively static, nearly a burden. In the process of European integration, according to Dr. Baloban, it is necessary to understand identity as a process of identification. This means that it is necessary to develop a Croatian identity within Croatia on the basis of culture, tradition and religion. Referring to the examples of the successful skiers Janica and Ivica Kostelicand the “golden Croatian handball players,” Dr. Baloban said that like them it is necessary for us to discover our own talents and abilities and strive toward a specific way of life that will be permanently oriented toward the positive aspects of that which is coming from the advanced part of the world. This refers to a positive approach in which our own abilities are valued, united with others in work and cooperation, thereby building our own product and making it ready for the market, explained Dr. Baloban. He also mentioned how the Croatian handball players, conscious of their abilities, devoted to work and teamwork, have built their style of playing which they masterfully offered to the entire world and showed us how to be recognized in Europe and the world with our specific Croatian identity.