ZAGREB, November 29, 2019 - Preparations are nearing completion for Croatia's presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2020 during which 161 events will be held, bringing together 25,000 delegates, the head of the presidency secretariat, Gordan Markotić, said on Friday.
Four of those events involve the Croatian parliament and two-thirds of the meetings will be held in Zagreb, he told the parliamentary committee on European affairs.
Twelve informal council meetings will be held - eight in Zagreb, three in Split and one in Opatija, as well as nine ministerial conferences, of which five in Zagreb.
Numerous conferences are planned, on consumer protection, the defence industry, organ transplantation, the cohesion policy, migration, demographic challenges, tourism, the European Social Fund, and the transport infrastructure.
Markotić said some expert-level meetings would be held in Osijek and that a high delegation would visit the region of Slavonia.
The presidency officially begins on January 9, when members of the European Commission will arrive in Zagreb. The international opening of the presidency will occur in Brussels on January 15, the anniversary of Croatia's international recognition and the peaceful reintegration of the Danube River Region.
The presidency budget will be 50-70 million euro, most of which will go on security.
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