Charlemagne Forum

Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear colleagues,
Dear friends,

It is my honor and privilege to be here today, at this prestigious Forum which thinks and celebrates Europe. I am very happy that on behalf of Croatia, a country that few months ago applied for the EU membership, I can give you our view on the future of the Union and Europe as a whole.
I am happy to be in the city of Aachen, because it is a living testimony that borders are a major European asset, a crossroad with a heavy flow of traffic, a great learning opportunity and a central meeting point.
We in Croatia also understand very well what does it mean to live at the border, between different cultures, languages and religions. And we know that borders have a strange nature – when they exist it seems that they are indefinitely fixed, but once they are changed or disappear, almost nobody remembers them any longer.
Today we are working diligently to make Europe a borderless territory, an open continent whose peoples and citizens will benefit equally from all that Europe can offer. But we also have to be very responsible in how we use those offerings.

Today we Europeans are managers of an incredibly expensive enterprise, in terms of values, in terms of monetary assets, in terms of our common future. As a representative of a country which is not a member of the Union yet, I am maybe even more sensitive to the meaning of that, because for us Union is not only a community we want to be a part of, but both a path and a goal. We have to adapt our entire societies to the standards of that community, and therefore have to think hard about notions that in the EU member states are maybe sometimes taken for granted. We also understand very well aspirations of all those who want to join, and respect the force of will in those countries, which might not be ready yet , but want to work hard in successfully launching and ending their reforms.
An enlarged EU will have an even greater responsibility towards wider Europe, and all those who will become our near neighborhood. We will have to prove, on everyday basis, a lesson we learned in our countries: that borders are a major European asset, a crossroad with a heavy flow of traffic, a great learning opportunity and a central meeting point. In 10 or 15 years European Union will look very different from today. It is important that we start preparations for that change now. That requires a strong political will and courage, but also a continuous brainstorming and inclusion of all parties interested.

In terms of values I would like to explain you what European Union means to us, and why are we trying so hard to become an integral part of it. For Croatia, first of all, Europe means coming to terms with our identity. And European Union is an institutional face of that identity. For us Europe is not some abstract ideal nor an obligation put on our shoulders by foreign forces. European Union is our choice and our strategic reality. It is a natural, logical need to be compatible with your context and interoperable with others to the highest degree possible. To use computer language, we want to have the same software like everybody else, so that we can exchange messages and files without interruption. And at the moment, we are working on upgrading our hardware.

Regional ties are of the utmost importance for every country, and Croatia is no different. Croatia’s eastern neighborhood is unfortunately still struggling with problems, some of them fundamental like status issues and the form of existing states. There is a very strong international presence, either in the form of real or virtual protectorate. It is in our vital national interest that our neighborhood is safe, stable and prosperous, and we will do everything, and I mean everything to assist in helping both the neighboring countries and the international community reaching that stability and prosperity. However, more reformed and stronger we are, better equipped we will be to assist those who need that assistance. I have to tell you that we in Croatia are truly happy that both Hungary and Slovenia will soon become full members of the EU: their membership will bring EU to our western and northern borders, and will function like a tide wave bringing more, not less of the EU to us as well. The need for compatibility will become greater, and will additionally fuel the engine of transition. I am certain that Croatia's application for membership will have exactly the same result on the countries to our East, and will further assist overall EU efforts in the region.

We understand well that the pace of enlargement does not depend exclusively on our ability to fulfill the requirements of the Acquis, but also on the ability of the European Union to absorb new countries. Croatia wants to join a strong Union, and is therefore looking forward to further institutional reform and strengthening of the EU as well. Therefore, we are carefully following the debates within the Convention on the Future of Europe which will prepare the new intergovernmental conference. We may not be envisaged as a future member in the Treaty of Nice, but I assure you that during the next IGC a calculation with Croatia on board should be taken into account.
I have already said that we want to join a strong Union, the Union that is ready and capable to respond and deliver effectively, in accordance with high expectations that are shared among all Europeans. Union that is closer to its citizens, Union that has smooth and effective decision making procedures. Union that is a partnership of equals, where the interests and rights of every member state are fully protected for its benefit and not at the expense of others. A union with which all of its citizens will be able to identify with.
Although only spectators at the moment, we are very interested in how the Union will look and function in the future because it is clear that a comprehensive reform is necessary for it to adapt to the biggest enlargement in the history. The EU will function with increased number of different interests, discussions will become more complex, as well as the decision-making procedures.
I fully agree with the notion that has been repeated so often in the work of the Convention that the Union needs to get closer to its citizens, and that this remains the biggest challenge for the whole process. The functioning of the EU is complex and therefore often incomprehensive for ordinary citizens. The proposal for Constitutional Treaty merging present Treaties in the single text is a significant step in simplifying Union’s basic documents.
We have read with great interest the first outline of the future Constitutional Treaty and also numerous amendments. I hope that the institutional part of the Constitutional Treaty will bring such provisions that will take into account the EU aspirations of other European countries and provide for future smooth enlargements in institutional terms. During the discussion in the Convention we listen to all participants, but we have special interest in views of “small countries” because when Croatia joins the EU, it will be a part of that group. It is my opinion that equality between all member states in the EU should be preserved and a starting point in overall efforts to make Union more efficient, flexible and transparent.

In the end, I would like to say something that I think could be applied to all countries that wish to become members of the Union. I believe that policy thinkers and policy makers should be somewhat more open to new situations, and try to think the EU future more functionally than bureaucratically. I will give you two major examples, both tied to the most important issue in the international relations, and that is the issue of security. Both Common Foreign and Security Policy (as well as European Security and Defense Policy), and Justice and Home Affairs are processes where the threats, risks and challenges do not pay attention who is a member of which group. They attack indiscriminately, regardless of borders and divisions designed by policy frameworks. The nature of threat, especially of new generation, is functional and it has to be counter-attacked in the same fashion. Countries that wish to become members of the EU, as well as candidates and members can profit much more by being integrated rather than divided in those fields. If we are to become equal members of the same community in 5, 10 or 15 years, we should better start training and preparing now. I think it is in the interest of the EU to have non-members exposed and included in the policy making process to a much larger degree than they are today. Planning and reacting takes time, and interoperability of thinking is more important than interoperability of means.

Thank you for your attention.