ZAGREB, May 15, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday that entering euro area was a goal that should be achieved as it was in Croatia's interest, i.e. good for its economy, financial system and international position, and so that Croatia could be a successful European Union member.

He was speaking ahead of the presentation of certificates to participants in a Columbia University two-day seminar on Croatia's access to the euro area that was held at the State School for Public Administration on Monday and today. The participants were 28 state officials and civil servants, members of a task force for the introduction of the euro as Croatia's official currency.

Plenković said Croatia's access to the euro area was one of the main political, economic and financial topics for the next five years. He recalled the government and central bank's strategy for the introduction of the euro, saying that for more than 18 months now its aim had been to raise public awareness of Croatia's deeper integration into the euro area.

"Croatia is in fact already integrated into the euro area," Plenković said, as the area's member states are its main trade partners, 77% of Croatian citizens' savings and 54% of loans are in euros, as is 70% of the tourism revenue, 60% of bed nights is generated by citizens from the euro area, 66% of foreign tourists' spending is in euros, as is 75% of Croatia's foreign debt.

"That means we are de facto there," he said, adding that the strategy envisaged first participating in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism II, on which all departments are working.

Plenković went on to say that the seminar was the second of its kind for civil servants after the first one in January, organised in cooperation with Harvard University. He said this government initiative would enable those tasked with key reforms to carry them out in the best way possible, using the experience of other countries.

Finance Minister Zdravko Marić said joining the euro area was one of Croatia's main remaining goals.

Croatia is at a special stage of its development and once it introduces the euro and carries out the necessary reforms, it will have incredible potential, which is also reflected in its educated population and geographical position, said Columbia professor Jan Svejnar, one of the speakers at the seminar.

Other speakers included former Slovakian finance minister Ivan Miklos and former Greek economy and finance minister Nicos Christodoulakis.

More news about the introduction of euro can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, May 13, 2019 - The Town of Ivanić-Grad on Monday presented water utilities projects to be financed with European Union funds valued at almost 500 million kuna and launched in cooperation with the Hrvatske Vode water management company.

The projects concern the construction of the Zagreb East regional water supply system, development of Ivanić-Grad's agglomeration, establishment of a modular wood-technology business incubator, and revitalisation of the Lonja river, Ivanić-Grad's town authorities said.

Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Ćorić underscored that several projects were being implemented in Ivanić-Grad and Zagreb County and that Hrvatske Vode and local government were cooperating well in that regard.

Minister Ćorić commented on media reports about utility companies allegedly considering the possibility of temporarily giving up on water-utility projects financed by the EU.

"Mistakes are possible during different phases in preparing documents, public procurement procedures and works... they aren't deliberate and the European Commission, which co-funds the majority of the projects, covering 85% of acceptable costs, wants these procedures to be conducted without any mistakes... the water-utilities sector, together with us, is trying to find a solution to obtain those funds," said Ćorić.

More news about water management in Croatia can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, May 11, 2019 - Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić said on Friday that Croatia's chairmanship of the Council of the European Union would be a great opportunity to present and promote Croatia.

"Any large gathering, not just a political one, when someone comes to our country, is an opportunity to present ourselves," Minister Pejčinović Burić said at a round table discussion on the challenges of Croatia's chairing the European Union in 2020 for international positioning.

"In just over six months, we will have the opportunity, literally every day, sometimes in Zagreb, sometimes in Brussels, to communicate with a lot of people in different formats," she said at the round table, organised as part of a conference on the branding of Croatia.

She said that the activities of the Council of the EU are pretty much set and that the two large topics during Croatia's chairmanship will be Brexit and adopting the next seven-year multiannual financial framework, i.e. the European budget.

The issue of migration and security will also be very important, i.e. reforming the Dublin Agreement and the Schengen Zone, she said and added that Croatia will try to turn the focus during the remainder of that programme toward education, tourism, health and demographic revival.

She added that most of these activities will continue to be conducted in Brussels, but Zagreb will host about thirty events of the greatest importance, including EU ministerial meetings.

Croatia will also organise about 1,400 other events, one being a conference of civil society organisations with about 1,200 participants that will be held in Šibenik.

Events at the highest level, she said, will on the most part be held in Zagreb, because meetings at the highest level, if held anywhere but Zagreb, would cost twice as much, she claimed.

She recalled that Croatia plans to spend about 60 to 70 million euro during its chairmanship, while other member states spent between 50 and 130 million.

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

ZAGREB, May 10, 2019 - Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday attended a summit of 27 EU leaders in Sibiu, Romania, and raised the issue of EU support for countries that have a negative population growth, with Croatia being one of them.

"There are seven or eight member states that have a negative population growth and Croatia is one of them. The strategic agenda for the coming period, whose draft was discussed at the summit, contains a section that is related to employment, social justice and social measures. In that context, we suggested that in further elaborating (the agenda) one should take into account possible support at the EU level for the process of demographic revitalisation as a measure complementary to those being undertaken at the national level," Plenković told reporters after the summit.

He added that his proposal was well received. "When you present numbers and explain what is going on, everyone understands the situation. I think that we will slowly create a circle of countries that are in that category and that is why it is good that we had time for further elaboration in a somewhat less formal environment," Plenković said.

All new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe have a negative population growth while four are experiencing stagnation, with the same number of births and deaths. Croatia loses a town the size of Makarska each year with the difference between births and deaths.

The leaders of the EU's 27 member states adopted at their informal summit in Sibiu a declaration that underlines their joint commitment to maintaining the unity of the bloc and upholding its principles of democracy, the rule of law and equity, and to protecting their citizens.

More news about Croatia’s demographic and emigration crisis can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, May 9, 2019 - It is important for Croatia that over the next five years the EU ensures faster convergence so that the economic, social and development standards of Western member states can be achieved, and negotiations on the next multiannual framework will underline the need to ensure support for demographic revitalisation, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday.

"For us, it's especially important to signal in the next five, i.e. seven years, in the next budget framework, within policies on a more balanced development of all member states, that there's a need for demographic revitalisation in some countries. I mentioned this idea to budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger last year when he visited Zagreb, so we will insist on that in the process ahead," Plenković said in Sibiu, Romania ahead of an informal meeting of EU27 leaders.

Speaking of the EU's priorities, he mentioned common security and investment in science, research and development. "Security is the number one issue of this campaign. According to Eurobarometer, 40% of EU citizens think so."

Asked if the meeting would discuss enlargement, Plenković said he did not expect it. "We'll discuss enlargement in detail at a summit in Zagreb in a year's time. Now, two weeks before elections for the European Parliament, we are all focused on our voters. The Commission will publish its enlargement package a few days after the elections, so it will be discussed only after that."

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

ZAGREB, May 9, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Wednesday received visiting chief EU negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier after which the two officials took part in a dialogue with citizens on Europe's future at Zagreb's Faculty of Economics.

Barnier briefed Plenković about the current state of the EU's negotiations with the United Kingdom and underscored the importance of preserving the legal security for European and British citizens and companies.

Croatia's presidency at the start of next year will be critical for the unity of Europeans, Barnier told reporters outside Government House. Croatia is scheduled to take over the 6-month rotating presidency of the European Union on 1 January 2020.

Plenković too commented on Croatia's preparations for taking over the presidency, saying that Croatia would play a role in regulating future relations between Brussels and London, as well as in the negotiations on a new European budget, according to a press release issued by the Croatian government's public relations office.

The biggest challenge for Croatia during its presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2020 will be the adoption of a new multiannual financial framework (MFF), Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday in a dialogue with citizens on Europe's future at Zagreb's Faculty of Economics that was also attended by visiting chief EU negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier.

Plenković said that in the first half of 2020, Croatia would try to encourage a broad debate on European integration.

Barnier agreed Croatia would assume very serious responsibilities during its presidency, including the adoption of a seven-year budget.

"Within the new MFF, Croatia should receive approximately the same amount as in the current period (slightly over 10 billion euro), as one of the countries from the cohesion group," Plenković aid, adding that approximately 80% of public investments in Croatia were coming from European funds.

Attending the dialogue with citizens, Barnier said that a joint approach was necessary to all challenges before the European Union, stressing that EU member states could not act independently, Barnier said.

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

ZAGREB, May 7, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Brussels on Monday evening met with European Council President Donald Tusk to talk about a summit of the 27 EU leaders, scheduled to be held in Sibiu, Romania, Thursday.

Plenković and Tusk met in Brussels where the Croatian PM will be the keynote speaker at a conference on future EU priorities. He will give a talk at a conference organised by the Centre for the European Policy called "Yes we should! EU priorities for 2019-2024." Plenković is there at the invitation of Heman Van Rompuy, president of the European Policy Centre and former European Council president.

The Croatian PM is scheduled to meet European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and European People's Party President Joseph Daul on Tuesday.

"The meeting with Tusk is primarily part of the consultations ahead of the summit in Sibiu at which we will adopt a declaration and a strategic agenda for the 2019-2024 period," Plenković said describing the talks as a meeting with Croatia’s great friend.

Announcing his talk at the conference on future EU priorities, Plenković said the main message would be the need for unity, adding that this would also be the main message of the summit in Sibiu.

The Informal Summit of Heads of State or Government of the European Union will take place on May 9, in the Romanian city of Sibiu, in the context of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This will be the first summit of this magnitude ever hosted by Romania since it became a member of the European Union in January 2007.

The high-level meeting will be hosted by Romanian president Klaus Iohannis and chaired by Donald Tusk. The summit will be attended by heads of state and government from EU member states, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani.

"I believe that the summit in Sibiu is a reminder to all EU leaders that we are together in the EU by our own will, and that we need to try to make the best out of the European project in significantly changed circumstances," said Plenković.

Plenković said he and Junker would talk about Croatia's preparations for entering the Schengen area and the euro area.

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

ZAGREB, May 2, 2019 - Ten countries that joined the European Union in 2004 said at a ceremony on Wednesday marking the 15th anniversary of their membership that joining the block was a turning point in their development and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that Croatia was running behind because of more difficult historical circumstances but that it was successfully following in their footsteps.

Ten European Union member states celebrated the 15th anniversary of their European Union membership in Warsaw on Wednesday.

Apart from Plenković, the ceremony in Warsaw was also attended by the prime ministers of Bulgaria Bojko Borisov, the Czech Republic Andrei Babis, Estonia Juri Ratas, Hungary Viktor Orban, Lithuania Saulis Skvernelis, Malta Joseph Muscat. Slovenia was represented by Foreign Minister Miro Cerar.

The ceremony in Warsaw marked the 15th anniversary of the May 2004 first wave of EU enlargement in which eventually 11 Baltics, Central and South Eastern European countries joined the EU.

It brought together prominent political figures, policy makers and experts from the EU Member States, International and European institutions, the private sector, etc to identify and reflect on the experiences and the impacts of this EU enlargement episode.

The event focused on the identification and discussion of experiences from which wider lessons can be learnt, using concrete country cases. It considered the channels through which EU membership has helped to speed up convergence, via analysis of the role e.g. trade, investment, financial integration and institutional channels have played.

Adopted at the summit in Warsaw was a joint declaration on reuniting Europe.

Plenković said the participants in the meeting agreed that EU membership meant progress.

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

ZAGREB, May 1, 2019 - Ten European Union member states are celebrating the 15th anniversary of their European Union membership in Warsaw on Wednesday. The ceremony will also be attended by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Apart from Plenković, the ceremony in Warsaw will be attended by the prime ministers of Bulgaria Bojko Borisov, the Czech Republic Andrei Babis, Estonia Juri Ratas, Hungary Viktor Orban, Lithuania Saulis Skvernelis, Malta Joseph Muscat. Slovenia will be represented by Foreign Minister Miro Cerar.

The event will be hosted by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The event will also be addressed his Romanian colleague Viorica Dancila whose country is currently presiding over the European Union.

The ceremony in Warsaw marks the15th anniversary of the May 2004 first wave of EU enlargement in which eventually 11 Baltics, Central and South Eastern European countries joined the EU.

It will bring together prominent political figures, policy makers and experts from the EU Member States, International and European institutions, the private sector, etc to identify and reflect on the experiences and the impacts of this EU enlargement episode.

The event will focus on the identification and discussion of experiences from which wider lessons can be learnt, using concrete country cases. It will consider the channels through which EU membership has helped to speed up convergence, via analysis of the role e.g. trade, investment, financial integration and institutional channels have played.

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

ZAGREB, April 27, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Mostar on Saturday that Croatia would continue strongly supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina on its European journey, which also includes making it possible for the Croats to have the equal status as the other two constitutional peoples.

"We as the party (the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ) and as the government strongly support Bosnia and Herzegovina's European journey. We know that the HDZ BiH plays a prominent role in that, " Plenković told reporters in the southern city of Mostar ahead of the HDZ BiH's election convention.

According to Plenković's explanation this support can be seen in the HDZ decision to nominate Željana Zovko, native of Mostar, as one of the 12 HDZ candidates for the forthcoming European Parliament elections.

Zovko is one of the 11 Croatian deputies in the incumbent 751-seat European Parliament, and succeeded Plenković to this post after he became the Prime Minister of Croatia.

Plenković praised Zovko, who holds Croatian and Bosnian citizenship and who used to be Bosnian ambassador to a few countries, as an excellent option for promoting the interests of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Plenković commented on the HDZ BiH's role in bringing Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to Europe, recalling that when he was the chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite presidency, the party leader Dragan Čović submitted his country's application for EU membership in Brussels on 15 February 2016.

Čović told the press conference that during today's convention his party would "extend the hand of unity" to the Serbs and the Bosniaks so that they could together steer the country towards the European Union.

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