ZAGREB, November 4, 2019 - Southeast Europe is one of the priorities of Croatia's presidency of the EU in the first half of 2020 because Southeast European countries deserve a European future and Croatia must lend a hand, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Monday, noting that support to Southeast Europe also guaranteed Croatia's security.

"As of January 1, Croatia is neutral in terms of the presidency itself, meaning that it is responsible for all member countries and must listen to what they say and pursue a policy of consensus. And Southeast Europe indeed is one of the priorities," said Grlić Radman.

Grlić Radman and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Monday held a working meeting in Zagreb with ambassadors and permanent representatives of Croatia as part of activities in EU member countries during Croatia's presidency of the Council of the EU.

"That is our immediate neighbourhood. All those countries deserve a European future and we must help our neighbours. Support to that part of Europe also guarantees our own security," the minister said in a comment on presidential candidate Miroslav Škoro's statement that it was not good to put emphasis on the Western Balkans during Croatia's EU presidency.

Škoro said that the EU presidency should be used to derive benefit for Croatia rather than to focus on the Western Balkans.

PM Plenković recalled that the coming Zagreb summit meeting of EU member states and Southeast European countries, or technically speaking Western Balkan countries, had been planned carefully and for a long time but that that could not be easily recognised by someone who had served as a diplomat only in Pecs (a reference to Škoro's serving as Croatia's consul-general in Pecs in the 1990s).

"We also view the summit in the context of what Croatia can do for Croats as an equal and constituent ethnic group in Bosnia and Herzegovina and for Croats in Serbia. One should first expand one's horizons and then make statements, but there will be time for that," Plenković said.

Among Croatia's priorities is a Europe that connects - in terms of transport, infrastructure and digitally, keeping pace with the fourth industrial revolution, said the PM.

Grlić Radman explained that those dealing with the EU and processes in it should know that when a member country was taking over EU presidency, it could not focus on its own interests but was responsible for all member-countries.

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

ZAGREB, November 2, 2019 - The issue of EU reforms can proceed in parallel with enlargement and Croatia will try to show that enlargement is a credible process as it is one of the most successful European policies, Croatian ambassador Gordan Bakota has said, adding that Croatia has a special responsibility to pass on the torch of enlargement during its EU presidency.

"It is very complex to achieve EU unity on such topics, but we will do our best to show how important enlargement is for the transformation of countries, and we... regret that North Macedonia and Albania were not given a date for opening accession negotiations," he told Danas daily of Saturday on the occasion of Croatia's six-month EU presidency as of January 1, 2020.

Bakota said he regretted "perhaps a historic omission because the EU had the responsibility for enlargement to move on." He added, however, that "steps forward will be made" during Croatia's presidency, both regarding the opening of negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania and the continuation of Serbia's EU integration.

He said Croatia also wanted to see Bosnia and Herzegovina "make progress on the Euro-Atlantic journey."

Bakota noted that Croatia would start its EU presidency "at a very interesting time" because the EU would have new institutions, because of Brexit which "will certainly be one of the main topics," and because of talks on the 2021-27 financial framework.

He also mentioned the protection of the EU's external borders, calling that very important for Schengen and for maintaining security. He recalled that the European Commission recently assessed that Croatia met the criteria for joining the Schengen Area of free travel.

"The enlargement policy, which is of special importance for Serbia, has outstanding importance for the European Union and its global role," Bakota said.

In the first half of May 2020, Croatia will organise a Western Balkans Summit "because we place enlargement very high on our presidency agenda," he said, adding that Croatia looks on enlargement "as a transforming power for every society."

He assessed Serbia-Croatia relations as "complex" and said it was very important that "there is uninterrupted dialogue." "It's impossible to expect Serbia and Croatia to resolve all outstanding issues overnight. We'd like Serbian-Croatian relations to always have a strong European context, which is why enlargement and the spirit of enlargement are significant."

He recalled the mixed groups and commissions in charge of dealing with outstanding issues, saying the "most sensitive issue" were the people gone missing in the 1990s war. It is time the families find out what happened to their dearest ones, he added.

Bakota said there was "certain progress" in dealing with the problems of the Serb minority in Croatia and the Croatian in Serbia, adding that it was very important the two minorities "exchange experiences and recommend to the governments what to do."

Ethnic minorities are "the best bridge between the two countries," he said, adding that his and Croatia's position was "that both minorities must feel very good and that this should be regulated in the European spirit, by meeting the commitments from the treaty on minority rights.

A key issue is to ensure political mandates for the Croat minority in Serbia's state and local governments, Bakota said.

"The Serb minority has three guaranteed seats in the Croatian parliament, it also has a score of representatives at local level as well as state secretaries in ministries. It's a very good solution and it should be applied in Serbia also," he said, recalling that in Croatia "the Serb minority is a government coalition partner, which is extremely important, while (in Serbia) that's not the case."

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

ZAGREB, November 2, 2019 - Last year, the European Union issued 3.22 million residence permits for non-EU citizens and the figures show that a majority of those non-EU citizens who moved to Croatia in 2018 did it for employment reasons, the Večernji List daily reported on Saturday.

The European Commission states that "in 2018, some 3.2 million residence permits were issued across the EU to people from non-member countries, and that the main reason for a first residence permit being issued in the EU was for family reasons (915 000 first residence permits)."

The permits are issued for employment-related reasons, family-related reasons, education as well as for subsidiary protection and asylum.

Poland with 328 000 permits was by far the leading destination in the EU-28 for those seeking to obtain a residence permit for employment-related reasons. Most non-EU residents seeking employment in Poland were Ukrainians, according to the Večernji List's report.

"The next most common destination was the United Kingdom (108 000 permits issued for employment-related reasons), followed by Germany (68 000) and Spain (58 000)," the Commission has reported.

"First residence permits issued for employment-related reasons represented more than half of the total number of permits issued in Croatia (90.3%), Lithuania (77.5 %), Slovenia (71.0 %), Slovakia (66.5 %), Malta (59.3 %), Hungary (56.6%) and Poland (51.6 %)," according to the data provided by the EC.

Employment-related reasons also accounted for the highest shares (but not an absolute majority) of the total number of permits issued in Czechia, Cyprus, Latvia, Romania, Estonia and Denmark, says the EC.

As for education-related reasons, the top destination for the non-EU citizens was the United Kingdom.

The report by the EC reads that the UK "was by far the most common destination in the EU-28 for students from non-member countries."

"In 2018, there were 190 000 first residence permits issued in the United Kingdom for education-related reasons; this represented three tenths (29.6 %) of all the permits issued for education-related reasons in the EU-28 and 42.2 % of the total number of permits issued in the United Kingdom."

"In relative terms, education-related reasons accounted for the highest share of the total number of permits issued in Ireland (60.5 %)."

The Zagreb-based Večernji List reported that only 495 non-EU residents arrived in Croatia in 2018 for education-related reasons, according to statistics about EU first residence permits.

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

ZAGREB, November 1, 2019 - Civil society organisations criticised the government on Thursday for insufficiently highlighting in the priorities of Croatia's EU presidency the rule of law and the state of human rights, which they consider to be a burning issue in the European Union.

Organisations within the Forum 2020 also regret that the government did not consult either civil society or parliament, which they say is customary European and democratic practice.

Despite the justice minister's announcements that more emphasis would be placed on the rule of law, this priority has been redefined and not highlighted, they said in a press release.

"We hope Croatia will preside in a European and democratic fashion, and include in the presidency civil society organisations, the Croatian parliament and other democratic stakeholders."

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday presented four key priorities of Croatia's presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2020.

Regarding the "A Europe that grows" priority, the Forum 2020 said it should not be set without stating the kind of growth and at whose expense Europe wanted to grow.

They further said that discussing migration and refugees under the slogan "A Europe that protects" was not the most fortunate solution as it could have negative connotations and strengthen antidemocratic forces in the EU.

The Forum 2020 welcomes the government's decision to focus on enlargement to the Western Balkans and expects it to commit to reaching a political consensus at the Council of the EU level on opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania.

"That is of crucial importance for democracy, the rule of law and development not only in those countries but the whole region. That is a clear common interest of both civil society and the government and, we hope, all the EU," the press release said.

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

ZAGREB, October 31, 2019 - The president of Croatia's ORaH party, Antun Petrović, and the international secretary of the German Greens, Jamila Schaefer, said on Thursday it was extremely important that climate change remained a priority in chairing the European Union in 2020.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Petrović said he hoped that "A Europe that protects", one of the four key areas on which, according to the government, the Croatian presidency of the Council of the EU will be based, meant protection of the environment, climate and human rights, and not the external border, ORaH said in a press release.

The two parties expect the Croatian and German governments to continue next year the trend set by Finland during its presidency and set climate change as one of their EU presidency priorities.

ORaH said Schaefer arrived in Croatia to discuss cooperation, but also to check the human rights situation in the wake of reports of inappropriate police treatment of migrants on the border.

The common task of the EU is that the governments of all member states protect human rights and check all credible reports on violations, Schaefer said.

She warned that climate change knew no national borders and that slowing it down required coordinated action by all European countries, ORaH said.

More news about environmental protection can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, October 30 2019 - A Europe that develops, connects and protects and is influential on the global scene are the four pivotal areas of Croatia's presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2020, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at a news conference in Zagreb on Wednesday, outlining elements of those priorities.

In the first six months of 2020, Croatia will be "at the helm of the joint project of further building a strong Europe in the world full of challenges."

A growing and developing Europe, a Europe that connects economically, energy-wise and infrastructure-wise, a Europe that protects and is influential on the global scene, are the four pivotal areas of our presidency, the Croatian premier told the conference.

The European Union is the second biggest economy and makes up a fifth of the global GDP, he recalled.

However, in the current time of great technological, geopolitical and demographic changes, the EU economy and labour market are faced with ever-growing competition, primarily from the USA and China, he said.

The response to that is a stronger Europe that grows and develops in a balanced and integrative way, he said.

"Achieving that requires making our single market deeper, encouraging business digitisation and making investments in innovations and research so as to boost our competitiveness."

It is also necessary to reduce development gaps among EU member states so that all of them can become economically stronger, Plenković said.

He said that it was also necessary to work on economic development which is ecologically more viable so as to ensure successful transition to a low-carbon and circular economy.

Making use of the full potential of infrastructure and human resources depends on the connectivity and networking of the economies.

Therefore, we need a Europe that connects, Plenković said, adding that differences inside the EU in transport infrastructure, energy networks, telecommunications and digital networks affect the EU's competitiveness.

"Therefore, it is necessary to develop transport, energy and digital infrastructure and connectivity."

We are for a Europe that protects its citizens while respecting and protecting the rule of law, Plenković said.

During its chairmanship, Croatia will pay special attention to the internal security and promote closer cooperation of member-states in the fight against organised crime, money laundering and financing of terrorism, the PM said.

He called for the implementation of a viable migration policy that includes the protection of the EU's external border.

Speaking of the EU and its global impact, Plenković said that Croatia and other EU members could best deal with the challenges of the 21st century through European unity.

"The EU can strengthen its role as a global stakeholder only by further developing capabilities and instruments for joint action in dealing with challenges such as terrorism, trade wars or migrations," said Plenković.

Europe must have a leader role in its neighbourhood and the rest of the world, he stressed.

"We want the Union to keep its position of a leading international factor, notably as regards leadership in the fight against climate change, promotion of efficient global governance, human rights protection and the strengthening of the multilateral trade framework," said the PM.

He also underlined the EU's responsibility towards Southeast European countries, saying that during its presidency Croatia would advocate the EU membership prospects of countries in the region and an efficient enlargement policy, recalling that next May Zagreb would host a summit of the EU and Western Balkan countries.

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

ZAGREB, October 30, 2019 - Protecting the European way of life and giving a fresh boost to European democracy are some of the priorities of the new European Commission, said Dubravka Šuica, the Croatian member of the Commission led by President Ursula von der Leyen.

The agenda of the new EC President includes several headline ambitions: a European Green Deal; an economy that works for people; a Europe fit for the digital age; protecting our European way of life; a stronger Europe in the world; and, a new push for European democracy.

Presenting those priorities in Zagreb on Wednesday, Šuica, who is the European Commission Vice President-elect for Democracy and Demography, said that in the first six months of her term she intends to detect the main reasons for emigration from rural areas to urban centres throughout Europe as well as determine the impact of demographic changes on various groups of population with the aim of defining measures for the resolution of demographic issues.

"A long-term vision for rural areas is necessary," she said at the event at which Prime Minister Andrej Plenković outlined the priorities of Croatia's presidency of the EU in the first half of 2020.

The Croatian Commissioner recalled that she would be in charge of organising the Conference on the Future of Europe, which should start in 2020 and last two years.

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

ZAGREB, October 29, 2019 - Europe and the Arab world need better coordination of efforts aimed at tackling migration, an issue that dominates the relations between the two blocs, it was said at the 4th European Union-Arab World Summit in Athens on Tuesday.

Our biggest challenge is migration. This issue is not restricted to geography, it is not just the Sahel, Libya, Syria, Greece and Turkey. It is spreading everywhere in the world and has become a test of our solidarity and humanity and our readiness to counter organised crime and protect our borders, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in his opening speech at the conference which brought together European and Arab leaders, including Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Building connections among us is our response to fragmentation which is going on in the world, the Greek PM said.

Mitsotakis called for better coordination between the Europeans and the Arabs to address migrations at their source.

“We control our borders and always take in the hunted of this world. But one country alone cannot carry the problems of three continents on its shoulders,” he said.

"The only way to respond to this great challenge of the 21st century is in a coordinated manner, with due process and cooperation. We need better coordination between the Europeans and the Arabs in order to manage the causes of migration," he added, saying the countries which the refugees and immigrants fled should do more and halt human smuggling.

"More than 78,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe so far this year, more than half of them to Greece, according to United Nations data. About 40 percent of recent arrivals are families from Afghanistan and about 20 percent are Syrian," Reuters reported.

In his speech, the Greek premier called for avoiding a fragmented response to this issue, and alluding to Turkey he said that “those who magnified the refugee crisis, using the persecuted as pawns in forwarding their own geopolitical goals, should be more cautious when referring to Greece."

On the other hand, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit said that the issue of refugees bothered the Mediterranean and said that those who were trying to intervene in the Arab world should stop doing that as they only made the situation worse.

Please, go away, Gheit said adding that the Arab world had suffered enough.

Addressing the conference, Croatian Prime Minister Plenković said that today, 10 years after some of Arab countries were hit by the crisis, there was an opportunity to arrange relations in such a way as to make cooperation stronger.

Croatia, which is the next chair of the European Union, takes strong care of dialogue and partnership which is being developed between the European Union and Arab countries. However, challenges concerning the two blocs, notably migration, often dominate their dialogue, Plenković said.

The discussion about migrations has slowed down our ambitions for the Union for the Mediterranean. It is now on hold, Plenković said in his comment on the organisation that comprises 43 Mediterranean countries.

He said that the Mediterranean would be one of the priorities of Croatia's chairmanship of the European Union in the first half of 2020.

Croatia plans to organise a Mediterranean forum in the coastal city of Šibenik in that period.

On the margins of today's conference, the Croatian PM held bilateral talks with his Greek counterpart. Plenković recalled Croatia's participation in Operation Poseidon and praised the Greek authorities for coping well with the challenges of the influx of irregular migrants.

During his stay in Athens he also met Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama for a bilateral meeting and was received by Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

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

ZAGREB, October 29, 2019 - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Monday that the extension of the time frame for the departure of Great Britain from the European Union (Brexit) would not affect the priorities which Croatia had set for its rotating presidency of the EU in the first half of 2020.

Earlier on Monday, the ambassadors of the EU member-states agreed to a Brexit extension to 31 January 2020, with the option for the UK to leave earlier if a deal is ratified, clearing the way for opposition parties to back a general election.

After the 30-minute ambassadorial meeting, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said the EU27 had agreed to the request made by Boris Johnson just over a week ago.

Addressing the press, the Croatian minister said that this changed nothing in Croatia's agenda.

During its chairmanship, Croatia "will deal with European affairs and follow the political developments in the UK," Grlić Radman said.

He recalled that "entry into the EU is not easy, and the departure is even more difficult", which was why "Croatian citizens should appreciate the EU membership more."

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

ZAGREB, October 22, 2019 - The European Commission assessed on Tuesday that Croatia met the conditions for joining the Schengen Area and asked the Council of the EU to include Croatia in the area without internal border controls.

"The European Commission considers that, based on the results of the Schengen evaluation process initiated in 2016, Croatia has taken the measures needed to ensure that the necessary conditions for the full application of the Schengen rules and standards are met," a press release said.

"Croatia will need to continue working on the implementation of all ongoing actions, in particular its management of the external borders, to ensure that these conditions continue to be met. The Commission also today confirms that Croatia continues to fulfil the commitments, linked to the Schengen rules, that it undertook in the accession negotiations," the press release said.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "I commend Croatia for its efforts and perseverance to meet all the necessary conditions to join Schengen... This is why I trust that Member States will take the right steps for Croatia to become a full Schengen member soon."

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: "Schengen is one of the greatest and most tangible achievements of European integration. But its strength very much depends on its inclusiveness - now that Croatia has taken the measures to ensure that the necessary conditions are met, we must recognise this. Once it becomes a full member, it will contribute to further strengthening the area and ensure that the EU's external borders are better protected."

In order to join Schengen, a country must prove that it can assume responsibility for controlling the EU's external borders on behalf of the other member states of the area and issue short sojourn visas, efficiently cooperate with the security authorities of the member states, and apply the Schengen rules such as control of external land, sea and air borders (airports), issuing of visas, police cooperation, protection of personal data, and the need to connect to and use the Schengen Information System and the Visa Information System.

Regular evaluations are conducted in Schengen member states to check if the Schengen rules are applied correctly.

The Commission's evaluation on technical preparedness is not enough for joining but it is a prerequisite for the member states to make a political decision on the accession.

Bulgaria and Romania, for instance, have had a positive evaluation since 2011 but have still not joined Schengen because there is no consensus among the member states.

Slovenia has made it clear that it is going to block Croatia's accession to the Schengen Area due to Ljubljana's dissatisfaction with the unresolved border dispute with its eastern neighbour.

Currently, the Schengen Area includes 26 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and other types of border control at their mutual borders. Of those 26 members, 22 are part of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

The non-EU members covered by this passport-free area are Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The six EU member states not included in the Schengen Area are Ireland and United Kingdom, which still maintain opt-outs, and Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Cyprus, which are required to and are seeking to join soon.

Three European microstates that are not members of the European Union but which are enclaves or semi-enclave within an EU member state - Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City - are de facto part of the Schengen Area.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday the European Commission's decision that Croatia met the conditions to join the Schengen Area was another big European success for Croatia, but did not say when he expected Croatia to join.

"This is an important day and yet another big European success for Croatia," he told reporters. "In the technical sense, today we received objective verification, by the only institution in charge, that we are prepared."

Asked when Croatia would join, Plenković said he "wouldn't speculate on a precise date" but that "it's not realistic" that Croatia will join during its EU presidency in the first half of 2020.

As for Slovenia's possible blockade of Croatia's accession, he said the border dispute with Slovenia was "bilateral in nature."

"We will try to separate those bilateral topics from this one because this is a topic we should resolve with Slovenia in a different way, through dialogue and by looking for a solution with which both sides will be satisfied."

He said it was a success that Croatia did not have an additional monitoring mechanism for joining Schengen such as Romania and Bulgaria had.

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