Charter For Rijeka

Founded in 2006 Charter for Rijeka (Lista za Rijeku - Lista per Fiume) is active primarily within the confines of the city of Rijeka and the boroughs surrounding it (the so-called Rijeka ring). Its main aim is to achieve increased authority and development for the regional and local government, and that should be realised through the retention of 70% of the locally collected taxes (which currently go to the central government coffers in Zagreb).

The party also advocates the creation of the Croatian region of Liburnia (stretching from Istria to the city of Zadar), that should have a high level of self-governing autonomy and the city of Rijeka as its capital with a special autonomous self-governing status. Party president is Mr Denis Pesut, and its governing body is its 9-member presidency council.

Elected epresentatives of Lista za Rijeku:

City of Rijeka (Fiume) council (33 members) - (pop 144.000)
Number of elected members (2009.): 2 - Denis Pesut, Danko Svorinic

Rijeka (Primorsko-goranska) County parliament (41 member) - (pop 300.000)
Number of elected members (2009.): 1 - Zlatko Moranjak

Rijeka’s district Srdoci local council (5 members) - (pop 8.000)
Number of elected members (2007.): 1 - Jasna Arrigoni

Rijeka’s district Školjić local council (5 members) - (pop 3.000)
Number of elected members (2007.): 1 - Predrag Miletić (president of the council)

Since 2010. Charter for Rijeka (Lista za Rijeku - Lista per Fiume) is a full member of European Free Alliance.

PROGRAM - CHARTER FOR RIJEKA

The State
Croatia must be regionalised and decentralised.  State administration must be reduced and made more efficient and effective.

Defence
Safety and peace for our country must be realised through the most expedient NATO membership, an act which requires the armed forces to be staffed exclusively by professionals and their quick adjustment to NATO standards.  Charter for Rijeka advocates the abolishment of national conscription.

The political system and local government
Charter for Rijeka supports parliamentary democracy and an openly elected President of the Republic.

Croatia is one of the most centralised countries in Europe at present.  Currently more than 90% of locally generated GDP is siphoned by the “state” (centralised in the capital Zagreb) where the political elite distributes part of it arbitrarily and without any input from the local government where the GDP was produced.

Charter for Rijeka will endeavour to secure that 70% of the locally generated income, which the State ‘collects’ through a variety of taxes, is retained by the local / regional government.   As one of the most developed parts of our country, we do not seek any assistance from the central government – we insist only on the right to decide ourselves about the income and wealth we generate.

Charter for Rijeka supports the creation of the Liburnia region to span from Istria to the city of Zadar.  This region should have a highly autonomous local government with Rijeka as its centre with a special autonomous status (which the city of Rijeka had throughout its history).

Privatisation
Charter for Rijeka is in favour of the abolition of the illegal privatisations and for the legal prosecution of all who willingly, consciously and deliberately took part in it and/or profited from it.  Charter for Rijeka also fully supports the inviolability of private ownership achieved through legal means.  The remaining non-privately owned assets should be expressly privatised through a transparent process of privatisation through vouchers’ issue and sale.

Economic development and growth
Charter for Rijeka advocates free entrepreneurship with minimal interference from central and/or local administration.

The economic programme of the Charter for Rijeka is based on a high degree of political autonomy, on the city of Rijeka regaining the free port status, and on an accelerated economic growth programme.

Autonomy – because it is unfair, unjust and non-productive to have others who are not locally based and are not experts in local industry sectors make decisions on our behalf, as is the case in this extremely centralised country.

Free port status – because the city of Rijeka should not be agonisingly close the desired Western Europe and its highly developed economies, instead it should be(come) the centre of a larger geographic area (as a consequence of Croatia’s joining the EU and the regionalisation aims and programmes of the EU).

Economic growth programme – because there is no future without forward thinking and planning, without a long term vision for this area.  This will entail the identification of all the weaknesses – infrastructural, human resources, financial etc. – and designing programmes that will convert these weaknesses into strengths of a new economic development of this region.

Europe
Charter for Rijeka favours a quick EU joining process for our country and her full participation in European integration and development programmes with their associated standards, best practices and regulatory terms and conditions.  Charter for Rijeka supports and advocates interregional cooperation of local / regional administration with the EU regions.

Science and cultural heritage
Charter for Rijeka considers funding of science, culture, sport and all aspects and degrees of education as long term investments.  Charter for Rijeka shall pay particular attention to the protection and reinvigoration of the industrial and cultural heritage of the city of Rijeka that has been systematically neglected and marginalised.  The denial of the Rijeka identity and the de facto ”creation’ of the city’s history’s starting in 1945 is not only factually illogical and incorrect but also criminally damaging for the City of Rijeka and its inhabitants.

Religion / faith
We do not consider that religious education, particularly single faith one, should be part of the compulsory curriculum in public schools in the 21st century.  Instead, we are in favour of RE being returned to religious entities where individuals could electively participate.  Charter for Rijeka will advocate the financing of religious entities through solidarity contributions (taxes) whose allocation would be decided by the locals (regional inhabitants).

Human rights and rights for minorities
Charter for Rijeka supports the full protection of human rights and rights for minorities and will endeavour the alignment of these with the conventions and practices prevailing in the EU.

Electoral system
We are of the view that the electoral system in Croatia should be radically reformed.  Charter for Rijeka shall propose that only Croatian subjects resident in the country should have the right to vote, that there is a system of positive discrimination for voting rights for minorities, that votes should be in favour of individuals and not parties, that there are two rounds of elections where there can be no coalitions during the first round, that the financing of the electoral process is fully transparent, and that the electoral boundaries are natural.