the basis for the largest peace project on the continent. Emphasizing that today due to the brutal Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the legacy of that project is in a certain way called into question, he warned that it is important for the whole of Europe to be fully aware of the threat that requires strength, resilience, political leadership and determination. "The crises we have faced in the past three years, from the biggest pandemic in the last hundred years to the consequences of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, required responses both at the European and national level. Here, the European Union, and Croatia as a part of it, showed exceptional strength and responsibility," he said.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković participated today in the celebration of Europe Day at the European Square in Zagreb.
Recalling the Schuman Declaration on that occasion, Prime Minister Plenković said that it laid the foundation not only for the European Coal and Steel Community, but also for the largest peace project on the continent.
Emphasizing that today we are faced with the key issue of security and stability of the entire continent due to the brutal Russia's aggression against Ukraine, he said that the entire legacy of the European project in the past 73 years has been called into question in a certain way.
"Therefore, it is important that Europe, the European Union and all its members, as well as those countries that have the ambition to become part of it, are fully aware of the threat we are facing today. It requires strength, resilience, investments, political leadership and determination in order to face the challenges that lie ahead of us," Prime Minister Plenković said.
Schengen and the euro provide completely new circumstances for Croatia
For Croatia, as the youngest member of the European Union, it is particularly important that in its first ten years of membership, it realized two strategic goals of deeper integration - as the only country in history that joined the Schengen area and the Eurozone on the same day.
This, the prime minister added, enables completely new circumstances for Croatia, and we will feel the concrete effects of these two deeper integrations for years.
He added that we have two huge financial levers at our disposal in this decade - 15 billion euros from the Multiannual Financial Framework and 10 billion euros from the EU Next Generation Instrument. An additional billion euros have already been consumed for reconstruction after the earthquake.
"We are politically among those who most concretely decide the fate of our lives, our economic status and our economic development", emphasized the Prime Minister.
As the most visible project realized in the first ten years of Croatia's membership in the European Union, he cited the connection of the state territory with the Pelješki Bridge, which was co-financed with as much as 357 million euros in grants from the European budget, and shows Croatian citizens the added value of being part of the European family.
Referring to the first ten years of membership, Prime Minister Plenković said that these were ten years of strengthening Croatian democracy, institutions, economy, social situation and overall development.
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