- Published: 02.09.2019.
PM: Croatia's chairmanship of EU comes at a challenging time
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has said that Croatia's chairmanship of the Council of the EU is coming at a challenging time and that in the context of growing populism and a rise of parties that promote anti-EU mood it is exceptionally important for Croatia that EU membership does not suddenly become a political problem.
"Croatia's chairmanship is coming at a challenging time in the political sense," Plenkovic underscored on Monday.
Now we are in the most dynamic weeks regarding the United Kingdom's exit from the EU and whether it is a no deal Brexit or with an agreement - an unprecedented case for the European project - which will leave repercussions either way, and it will be one of the issues on Croatia's table, as one of the stakeholders in the first six months, Plenkovic said addressing a seminar for ministers and secretaries-general, which was organised by in the Ecole Nationale d'Administration (ENA) in the Croatian capital city.
He underlined that Brexi) on October 31 practically coincides with November 1 and the inauguration of the new European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen, adding that these two facts alone along with the final phase of negotiations for the new multi-annual financial framework can be perceived as crucial and unusual moments of Croatia's first chairmanship.
For us it is politically exceptionally important in the context of growing populism, demagogy, and a rise of parties that promote anti-European sentiment, which is most often based on lack of knowledge, lies, ignorance and a very precise strategic political agenda to scare Croatian citizens in order to create a feeling that some people consider that EU membership, which the government, presidents, parliament have advocated for some 28 years - has at once becomes a political problem, he said.
Our task is to curb anti-European political powers with arguments and dialogue
He added that movements like that exist elsewhere but that the duty of Croatia's European-orientated government and party and parliament is to curb those political forces with arguments and dialogue.
"We are doing that in our every day work and through dialogue in the parliament. Sometimes that comes across a very positive reaction among some members of parliament yet for others it provides and opportunity to critcise anything that can be put within a European framework. We have to persist in that however, because that is our duty," Plenkovic said.
"We have to focus more on interpreting our policies, vision and reasons why we are heading in a certain direction and the European policy certainly requires some explaining," he underscored.
Considering that Croatia, in the political sense, will host the summit between the EU and Southeast European countries, Plenkovic underlined that he would continue the traditional policy launched in 2000.
Southeast Europe can't stay in the waiting room for ever
"We will endeavour to send a message of how to go on, that may be a topic that Croatia and France do not agree on - the approach to further enlargement. We have a realistic approach that Southeast Europe cannot remain in the waiting room that is surrounded by EU member states. They need to meet all the criteria, each country individually however, we have to set a clear direction that they all need to head in," he underscored.
4 points of Croatia's political priorities
There are four points regarding Croatia's political priorities, the premiers said.
The first is a Europe that is growing and developing and that is important for Croatia from the aspect that in June the European Council added demographic revival to its strategic agenda.
Plenkovic noted that today 14 of the EU 28 have a negative population growth and underlined that that was a horizontal problem for the European continent and it was harder to resolve among smaller nations.
We want to strengthen our internal market, competitiveness, the economies of member states, strengthen cohesion and convergence. We want a Europe that connects us in transport-wise, energy-wise, digitally, infrastructure-wise and in all possible aspects. That is a topic that is essential for our neighbours too, he added.
The third point is a Europe that protects its citizens and that concerns security, respecting rights, European values and a comprehensive approach to migrations.
The fourth point is Croatia's and the EU's global role and Croatia has to be assertive and active in that regard.
Text: Hina