"The rain didn't stop thousands of people from celebrating Croatia's victory," said Picula and added that he thinks soccer is an extremely popular sport because it imitates life very well. "I think that yesterday's victory between Croatia and Brazil is the real reason why soccer is the number one sport in the world, precisely because it resembles life in all possible ways," Picula believes.
Picula adds that football also creates a sense of community, as well as collective success and gives a distinct sense of pride. "And not only that, football is an exceptional promotion of the country", noted Picula and said that because of the victory of Vatreni, he received congratulations from the support of many friends.
"For sure, this is a year that will be remembered for a series of good things for Croatia, strides that have better positioned us in the world and the region. However, it is always a chain of events. Someone always started all these processes and a lot of people helped to start and finish these processes", concluded Picula and reminded that Croatia's path to the European Union began in Athens when the SDP government submitted its application for membership in 2003.
Picula emphasized that the journey to Europe began 20 years ago and that it would be fair to look in the rearview mirror and remember when it all started and congratulate everyone who contributed to it.
"HDZ tends to claim that it created the sky, the earth, the galaxy, and Croatia and takes credit for everything that happened. It is NOT like that. Of course, those from HDZ who successfully moderated some processes should be congratulated, however, that they themselves are responsible for them, is simply not true. At the end of the day, colleagues from the HDZ persistently reject some characteristics, even judgments, that are associated with that party and consider that they have nothing to do with it, that it is some new HDZ with which they have nothing to do," he said. Picula added that this is more PR than the real situation and that Croatia's path toward Schengen membership began in 2015. "Of course, this does not diminish the importance of this government, which is now in Banski dvori, and which process they have completed".
He reminded what Croatia's entry into Schengen means for citizens, and the economy, and that the abolition of border crossings will certainly reduce certain costs.
"Schengen is one of the great achievements of the European Union, and being in it means truly taking full advantage of all the possibilities of the zone of free movement of people, ideas, goods, and services," says Picula.
He also commented on the war in Ukraine.
"Ukraine is winning this war. "Military moment on the side of the Ukrainian soldier brings advantage much more than weapons," Picula believes.
"Aware that he was losing the war, the Russian dictator decided to destroy the energy infrastructure. Since October, more than 17,000 airstrikes have been carried out on energy facilities, and at the moment 6 million Ukrainians do not have any energy," says Picula, adding that shutting down the power grid can lead to other problems, such as freezing of water pipes. "Then in harsher winter conditions, they could crack and that could cause a serious interruption of the water supply," concluded Picula.
