ZAGREB, April 19, 2018 - The Croatian Parliament discussed several international agreements on Thursday, including one on the European Union - Latin American and Caribbean Foundation (EU-LAC), with MPs saying that the Foundation was a good opportunity for cooperation with the 500,000-strong Croatian diaspora.
"This is a framework for scientific, cultural and economic cooperation to strengthen ties. Our diaspora there is of special interest and we will strengthen ties with them through the Office for the Diaspora," said Andreja Metelko Zgombić, state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
The EU-LAC Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation with the participation and contribution of civil society and other social stakeholders aimed at mutually informing and understanding the two regions. The agreement will not affect the state budget and Croatia is not obliged to contribute financially to the Foundation as it will be financed through donations.
MP Vesna Pusić (Glas) proposed that a special body be established to ensure that Croatia indeed benefited from the Foundation. "It is important for Croatia to recognise the importance of this agreement and all the connections between Croatia and that region, where there is half a million people of Croatian origin... Cultural exchange and academic cooperation is exceptionally important in that context," MP Davor Ivo Stier (HDZ) said.
Parliament briefly debated the confirmation of the EU-Australia Framework Agreement and the EU New Zealand Partnership Agreement.
