First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusic attended a conference titled "Europe 2014 - Re-generation", held at Harvard University on 1 March. The conference was also attended by the EU commissioners Joaquin Almunia and Androulla Vassiliou, EEAS Secretary General Pierre Vimont, Greek Defence Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos et al.
Pusic spoke of “European values from the perspective of the European Union"s newest member state”, saying that Croatia"s 12-year-long path to EU membership had helped it build its institutional capacity. She said that this was important because in the last 150 years none of the countries in the Western Balkans region had lasted longer than an average human life, "which means that there was no predictability and security." And that is why the negotiation process is just as important as the membership itself, she said.
Pusic reiterated that the principle of conditionality during the accession process worked only in those countries in which most people supported EU membership, while in others it was necessary to create a critical mass through a separate process. In other words, one should not impose conditions that have to be met before the process is launched, but launch a process within which those issues would be resolved, she said.
Press releases
