Plenković: We are aware of the need to increase pensions

The National Pensioner's Convention of Croatia celebrated its 75th anniversary. It is the largest pensioners' organization in Croatia with about 279,000 members. The current problems of pensioners in Croatia were discussed at a ceremony held to mark the day, which was attended by the Prime Minister and his associates.

Topics discussed at the ceremony included: the active position of pensioners in Croatia, the impact of the pandemic, but also how to improve the status of Croatian pensioners. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the National Pensioner's Convention of Croatia, which includes almost 400 associations from all over Croatia. It was also attended by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Minister of Labor and the Pension System Josip Aladrović, and Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević.

Croatia has a little more than 1.2 million pensioners, and according to the latest data from the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute, the average pension in Croatia is a little more than 2,800 kuna.

Prime Minister Plenković said that the Government is aware of the needs of pensioners and, as he said, it is necessary to increase pensions.

The Prime Minister stated that during his term, the average old-age pension was increased by 516 kuna.

“It is a worrying fact that the Croatian population is aging, just as the EU population is aging, and when it comes to the ratio of workers and pensioners in Croatia, we have a situation of 130 workers to 100 pensioners,” Šime Vičević told Croatian Television.

“Pensions have been increased, although not enough due to the unfavorable formula for harmonization, but we hope that our Prime Minister, as always, will show understanding and find a solution to this problem,” said Višnja Fortuna, president of National Pensioner's Convention of Croatia.

“We are aware of the need to increase pensions. By gradually increasing the minimum pension by 3%, we will cover more than 300,000 beneficiaries,” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

“The fact is that we live in difficult times, but I believe that with a cooperative relationship we can overcome these challenges,” said Zagreb Mayor, Tomislav Tomašević.

Source: HRT