ZAGREB, January 21, 2020 - The European Union's finance ministers on Tuesday convened in Brussels to discuss digital taxation, the European Green Deal Investment Plan and some other topics, and this is the first meeting of EU finance ministers under the Croatian presidency of the Council. "I am sure that we have prepared ourselves well for this task, this is the peak moment of the job my team has been doing for several months. Of course, we are excited. It is a great honour to preside over the Council of the EU on behalf of Croatia," said Croatian Finance Minister Zdravko Marić in Brussels on Tuesday morning.

Marić said that the ECOFIN (Economic and Financial Affairs Council) had a plenty of topics to discuss.

Reaching agreement n the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the 2021-2027 period is one of the priorities.

On Tuesday, the European Commission will give a presentation of the economic and financial aspects of the European Green Deal Investment Plan (EGDIP) to the ECOFIN.

Also referred to as Sustainable Europe Investment Plan (SEIP), the EGDIP is the investment pillar of the Green Deal. It will mobilise at least 1 trillion euro in sustainable investments over the next decade, according to the information on the EU website.

Finance ministers will discuss tax challenges arising from digitisation. They will take stock of ongoing negotiations in the context of the OECD on the reallocation of profits of digital businesses and on a minimum tax rate for multinational enterprises.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 21, 2020 - The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra is giving a concert in Rome this Thursday, 23 January, to mark the beginning of the Croatian six-months presidency of the Council of the European Union, the orchestra says on its website.

It will be a first in a series of cultural projects that are planned for several EU members capital cities, with purpose of introducing its citizens with Croatia as well as commemorating its presiding over the European Union.

"In accordance with its mission of preserving and nurturing Croatian musical heritage, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra will present works by Croatian composers, including Bersa’s Idyll For Orchestra, the Great Polonaise in C Major by Vatroslav Lisinski, as well as Devčić's Poskocnica Dance from Istria Suite," the orchestra says in the presentation of its programme for the Rome concert.

The concert in the Italian capital city will be staged in the Auditorium concert hall, which is "a part of the historic and magnificent building of Academia Santa Cecilia in Rome, with an impressive capacity of 2800 seats."

The concert under the baton of maestro Dawid Runtz features also "violinist extraordinaire Roby Lakatos and his ensemble, together with solo performances by two of Croatia’s best young musicians, prodigal pianists Ivan Krpan and Mija Pečnik."

More music news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, January 20, 2020 - European bishops met with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Zagreb on Monday, underscoring the importance of the European Union in promoting and protecting the right to religious freedom, the government said in a press release.

Croatia is currently presiding over the Council of the European Union and in that context, Prime Minister Plenković met with representatives of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, headed by the Archbishop of Luxembourg, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, and representatives of the Conference of European Churches, headed by pastor Christian Krieger.

After they were informed of the priorities of Croatia's EU presidency, the bishops underlined the significance and role of the European Union in promoting and protecting the right to religious freedom and confession within their borders as well as in relations with third countries.

As reported in the press release, the interlocutors discussed various topics about Europe, from demography and digitisation to migration and ecology.

The importance of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue was especially highlighted as was cooperation with religious communities.

Considering that half of EU's member states, including Croatia, have a negative population growth, Plenković spoke about Croatia's efforts to strengthen demographic revival and the status of the family at the European level during its presidency, and recalled that demography was included in the EU's strategic programme for the next five years at Croatia's insistence.

The meeting between the prime minister and the religious dignitaries was also attended by the President of the Conference of Croatian Bishops, Zadar Archbishop Želimir Puljić, Zagreb Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanić and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković.

More news about religion can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, January 20, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Monday that Croatia would pay special attention at the Zagreb summit scheduled for early May, to unblocking the start of accession negotiations for North Macedonia and Albania.

The Croatian prime minister attended a meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) in Zagreb.

Plenković presented the priorities of Croatia's presidency of the EU and reiterated that the most important tasks facing the Union in the coming months include the next seven-year MFF budget, enlargement, the Conference on the Future of Europe, and an agreement on future relations with Great Britain.

He announced that the Zagreb summit in May that will be dedicated to enlargement, will focus especially on deblocking the situation that North Macedonia and Albania found themselves in at the European Council in October.

Europe's openness as it was in the 1990s will never recur, now we have a carefully elaborated process of enlargement, Plenković said.

He underscores that it isn't fair, that North Macedonia has been put on hold for the beginning of accession negotiations after it changed its name and constitution.

Plenković says that for now it does not seem that Great Britain will request an extension of the transition period which expires at the end of the year when an agreement on future relations with the EU should be concluded.

After Great Britain exits the EU on January 31, as part of its presidency, Croatia needs to present a motion by the end of February for the adoption of a formal negotiation framework of future relations with London.

Plenković underscored that Croatia's presidency of the EU is a historic moment and an opportunity to make a contribution and add impetus at the start of a new institutional and legislative cycle in the Union.

Croatia's presidency is a historic moment for us which comes 28 years after Croatia's international recognition, 25 years after it liberated its occupied territory and 22 years after the peaceful reintegration of the Danube region, said Plenković.

He recalled that after the 1991-1995 war, Croatia undertook thorough reforms, conducted economic recovery and finally, joined the EU in 2013. Now seven years later, it has taken over the presidency of the Council of the EU.

For Croatia, the EU is an unprecedented peace project and a community that gains its strength from common values and solidarity. It is a pleasure to be at the helm of the Council of the EU and to make a contribution and add impetus at the start of a new institutional and legislative cycle in the Union.

The meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) was convened in Zagreb in preparation for a plenary session of COSAC that will be held in Zagreb on May 24-26.

The Conference of Committees on Union Affairs of the Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC - the abbreviation of its French name, Conference des organes specialises en affaires communautaires) facilitates regular exchanges of views between the committees on Union affairs of the parliaments of the Member States. In accordance with the Lisbon Treaty, the conference is empowered to inform the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission of any contribution that it deems appropriate. This conference also promotes the exchange of information and best practices between national parliaments and the European Parliament.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 20, 2020 - Opening a meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) in Zagreb on Monday, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said that Croatia's presidency of the EU is confirmation of its "strict dedication" to promoting European values.

"The chairmanship is confirmation of our strict dedication to participate with other member states in promoting the European project and common values," Jandroković said and added that Croatia is "firmly committed" to European values and principles.

"We will advocate a Europe based on common values, equality, respect for mutual interests and differences," Jandroković said.

The key topics during Croatia's chairmanship will be Great Britain's withdrawal from the EU, adopting the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027, and the continuation of the enlargement policy, he added.

Jandroković said that the EU needed to establish as close ties with Great Britain as possible and that an agreement should found with regard to the MFF that "will be sustainable, balanced and in a spirit of partnership."

The Parliament Speaker reiterated that Croatia "strongly supports" EU enlargement and that that is in Europe's "political, security and economic" interests.

"Abandoning European credibility in this region will result in the growing influence of other factors," Jandroković believes. The EU accession criteria need to be "consistent and require an individual approach," he added.

The chairman of the Croatian Parliament's European Affairs Committee, Domagoj Ivan Milošević, expressed hope that the MFF would be adopted during Croatia's presidency.

Today's meeting was convened in preparation for a plenary session of COSAC that will be held in Zagreb on May 24-26.

Milošević said that the COSAC plenary session would discuss the implementation of presidency priorities, transformation of the labour market, labour mobility, the distributive effect of cohesion funds on member states, a European integrated maritime approach, and rights and obligations in the digital sphere.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 18, 2020 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and the visiting Austrian Minister for the European Affairs, Karoline Edtstadler, said that their countries would advocate the opening of the accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania at the level of the European Council in March.

A press release issued by the Croatian government after the Plenković-Edtstadler talks in Zagreb on Friday evening reads that the two countries would push for the adoption of a decision on the start of the negotiations with the two aspirants at the level of the European Council, which is supposed to hold a summit meeting on 26-27 March.

Plenković informed the Austrian minister of the agenda of the Croatian presidency of the EU and its priorities.

Considering the adoption of the EU multiannual budget, Plenković called for agreement which would also take into account all specificities of each member-state, including the youngest member Croatia.

Edtstadler was quoted as saying that Vienna supports Croatia's activities within the preparations of the summit-meeting of the EU and southeast European countries, set for early May in Zagreb.

More news about relations between Croatia and Austria can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 16, 2020 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has told the former President of the Government of Catalonia, Carles Puidgemont, that the issue of Catalonia's status should not be dealt with by the EU heads of state and that it should be resolved in Spain, the Spanish news agencies EFE and Europa Press have reported.

Puidgemont addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, calling on the Council of the EU, which is currently chaired by Croatia, to support dialogue between Catalonia and Spain.

"During the discussion it was mentioned that we, as the presidency, had requested dialogue. That issue was not considered, particularly not at the level of the Council nor is it part of the activities of our presidency. That is a matter that needs to be resolved in Spain," Plenković said while answering a question at a news conference.

The Council of the European Union is an EU institution where ministers from the 28 member-states coordinate policies.

In his address at the European Parliament, Puidgemont said that Catalonia was a European internal issue that would be present during Croatia's six-month presidency, which was why it was necessary to find a political solution through dialogue and negotiations.

Puidgemont was indicted in Spain for incitement to rebellion after he organised a referendum in 2017on the independence of Catalonia, an autonomous region with a population of 7.5 million. The Constitutional Court had banned the referendum. A Supreme Court judge on Friday asked the European Parliament to strip Puidgemont of immunity so that he could be extradited to Spain.

A former vice-president in Puidgemont's government, Orio Junqueras, was sentenced in October 2019 to 13 years in prison for his role in the failed attempt at gaining independence for Catalonia.

In May 2019 Puidgemont and a former member of his government in charge of healthcare, Toni Comin, were elected to the European Parliament, which first withheld their accreditation but in December 2019 accredited them in line with a ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU in Luxembourg. This week they took part in the European Parliament's session for the first time.

More news about relations between Croatia and Spain can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 14, 2020 - The EU is faced with numerous challenges and it must find a way to respond to its citizens' concerns, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković warned on Tuesday while presenting the priorities of Croatia's EU presidency in the European Parliament.

The world is growing more complex by the day, the number of our tasks is growing as is the number of those who offer simple answers and quick solutions, often unfounded and based on false information. Our citizens' expectations are growing. We must get close to them, listen to them and respond to their concerns, Plenković said at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The slogan of Croatia's EU presidency is "A strong Europe in a world of challenges."

PM Plenković said the first task of the Croatian presidency is an agreement on the EU's multiannual budget, which must satisfy all citizens and countries, which is why, he said, cohesion and agricultural policies need to be retained as well as new challenges addressed.

Plenković said that Europe had to act faster with regard to the budget because otherwise citizens would be disappointed, adding that Croatia wanted fast progress to be achieved during its presidency.

Speaking of Brexit, Plenković repeated that there was a wish to complete an orderly exit of Great Britain from the EU but that the period of 11 months for an agreement on future relations between the UK and the EU was extremely short.

The PM said that during Croatia's EU presidency, a conference on Europe's future would start, its purpose being to bring the EU closer to citizens and consolidate its democratic legitimacy.

Plenković said the conference provided an opportunity to understand what had led to Brexit and why there was Euroscepticism and why populism was on the rise in a number of EU countries.

The conference must guarantee the involvement of all member states, national parliaments and citizens. It must be inclusive and open, Plenković said about the initiative, which EU Commissioner for Demography and Democracy Dubravka Šuica of Croatia will be in charge of.

Speaking of a coming summit meeting on EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, to be held in Zagreb, he said that the purpose of the meeting was to show aspirants that their European journey would not be questioned and that the EU would help them in the process.

Plenković stressed that Croatia wanted accession talks to be opened with North Macedonia and Albania before the Zagreb summit, after the European Council refused to do it last October.

Citing the four priorities of Croatia's presidency (A Europe that develops; A Europe that connects; A Europe that protects; and An influential Europe), Plenković said that special attention would be dedicated to the implementation of the European Green Deal, for which funding needed to be secured.

Describing EU presidency as a historic moment for Croatia, Plenković recalled that Croatia had only recently gained its sovereignty.

The first free elections in Croatia were held only 30 years ago. They marked the restoration of Croatia's sovereignty after nine centuries and put the country back on the political map of the world, Plenković said to a half-empty chamber, which is common when smaller member-countries present their presidency.

Croatia gained international recognition in the difficult circumstances of a war of aggression. Owing to its defenders, it defended and liberated itself 25 years ago, completed the process of reconstruction and embarked on the path of European integration, and it is now for the first time at the EU's helm, said Plenković.

Commenting on last week's visit of the European Commission to Zagreb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament that the commissioners witnessed Croatians' very well-known hospitality as well as the country's rich culture, traditional folklore and diversity.

Three decades after the horrible bloodshed, your country is running the European Union, she said.

Nobody could have imagined how fast and how strongly you will be developing since you gained independence, she stressed.

That happened because of the will of your people, its sacrifice and commitment to our values, as well as because of the commitment to joining our union of progress, peace and prosperity, she said, adding that the EU would need the resolve, unity and energy Croatians were well known for.

More news about Croatia and the EU can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 14, 2020 - Croatia will not become an informal hotspot for migrants, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in the European Parliament (EP) on Tuesday after several MEPs objected to the way Croatia's police treat illegal migrants.

Croatia will not become a country that will be an informal hotspot, Plenković said and added that unlike other countries, Croatia did not decide to build barricades and barbed wire but to protect the Croatian, European and future Schengen border with 6,500 police officers.

The solution is to protect the external border, particularly between Turkey and Greece where the eastern-Mediterranean and western Balkan routes begin, said Plenković, adding that Europe can act in crisis areas with its humanitarian aid, economic strength, conflict mediation and other tools.

After Plenković presented Croatia's priorities during its presidency of the EU, European Greens leader Ska Keller spoke about reports of alleged violence and abuse by Croatia's police against illegal migrants on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Addressing the EP plenary session, Keller claimed that migrants' belongings were destroyed, they were beaten and even shot at, and that the Croatian government has not stopped this nor investigated it.

That is not acceptable for any member of the EU nor any country anywhere, Keller said. Croatia's borders are Europe's borders, whatever happens there is the responsibility of us all, we will not turn our heads away from that, she concluded.

Plenković responded that in its treatment of migrants, Croatia respects all Croatian and European laws and international conventions and that not one of those accusations should be taken for granted.

I say that as someone who has visited that border area between Croatia with Bosnia and Herzegovina and I completely understand what sort of terrain that is and what the conditions there are like, Plenković said and underscored that all complaints regarding police behaviour are investigated.

Most of the critics of Croatia's migrant policy were from the Greens and the left, including Malin Bjork, who said that she had visited the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina with Croatia and noted that in 2019 alone more than 25,000 pushbacks had occurred there without any administrative procedures being undertaken.

Croatian MEP Tomislav Sokol (HDZ) responded that those were untruths as the reports referred to were not by the relevant bodies. He underlined that Croatia is respecting the law, but Bjork said that in the very short time she visited the border she saw 25 pushbacks.

More news about the migrant crisis can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 14, 2020 - Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejčinović Burić and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday announced that they would work on strengthening cooperation between the two organisations during Croatia's EU presidency, while Pejčinović Burić called on Croatia to adopt the CoE's recommendations on migrants.

Plenković met with Pejčinović Burić, a former Croatian foreign and European affairs minister, in Strasbourg while on Tuesday he will present Croatia's priorities during its presidency of the European Union to the European Parliament.

The two officials assessed that Croatia had proved to be successful when a year and a half ago it chaired the CoE and that its chairmanship of the Council of the European Union will be just as successful.

The prime minister congratulated Pejčinović Burić, who took the helm of the CoE, which has 47 member states, in September last year, on the initiatives that she has managed to implement in such a "short period," such as the financial aspects that "related to normal budget functioning of the organisation."

Pejčinović Burić said that relations between the CoE and the EU are strategic relations. "In that regard, in the context of relations with the EU, we are working together on implementing European standards or establishing European standards in a series of countries."

"Primarily they are countries in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, and in the context of Croatia's presidency of the Council of the EU, the European prospects of Western Balkan countries are exceptionally important," Pejčinović Burić underlined and said that with its expertise in meeting human rights standards, the rule of law and democracy, the CoE is prepared to assist with the preparations of the EU-Western Balkans summit to be held in Zagreb in May.

Plenković said that Croatia would enhance the EU's international activities during its presidency of the Council of the EU, which is one of the priorities of Croatia's presidency, and that "in that regard close dialogue and cooperation with the Council of Europe is one of the EU's natural reflexes." "That is why my coming here is a message and political signal of respect toward the Council of Europe," said Plenković.

Addressing a joint press conference, Pejčinović Burić pointed out some of the topics the two officials discussed such as migration, recalling that in a report in May 2019 by the CoE's Special Representative on Migration and Refugees, Tomaš Boček, issued some recommendations for member states regarding migrants.

Boček underlined that operations on the borders should "respect human rights and not prevent identifying those people who require international protection," the CoE' website says.

Croatia needs to establish "credible complaint mechanisms and investigations to address the allegations of ill-treatment at the border," Boček said in his report for 2018.

"I called on the prime minister to work on the recommendations in that report and that they be implemented," Pejčinović Burić underlined.

"For the Council of Europe, it is exceptionally important that all standards of international law and human rights are respected with regard to the issue of migrants. This institution considers that children migrants are a particularly sensitive issue, particularly unaccompanied migrant minors," Pejčinović Burić added.

CoE Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatović in December criticised the way Croatia's police was treating illegal migrants arriving from Bosnia and Herzegovina, claiming that security forces were violent towards migrants and that evidence of that existed. She underscored that pushbacks that Croatia's police were allegedly applying was a violation of the Convention on Human Rights.

Pejčinović Burić called on Croatia to ratify an additional protocol regarding the Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism and to quickly ratify a revised version of the European Social Charter. Plenković said "that should not be a problem."

Pejčinović Burić said that the EU had announced relaunching negotiations on the EU's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights, which is an obligation that stems from the Lisbon Treaty.

"That is exceptionally important for us, the Council of Europe, because we would not like court practice, as well as other different instruments for the implementation of human rights, develop on two tracks. Hence, we believe that apart from being an obligation from the Lisbon Treaty, that is exceptionally important for European citizens and citizens of the Union and citizens of the CoE member states," said Pejčinović Burić.

Plenković announced that together "with the Commission and other members, Croatia will see how to improve or accelerate the process of the Union's accession to the system of the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights which, we can freely say, is the backbone of the entire organisation, the alpha and omega of the entire system of conventions."

More news about the Council of Europe can be found in the Politics section.