Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić participated at the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Tuesday, 26 June 2012. Two important topics were discussed at the meeting – setting the date for the start of negotiations for EU membership f

Minister Pusić congratulated Montenegro for obtaining a date for the start of negotiations and emphasised that the continued European policy of enlargement is key for Montenegro and for the region as a whole

Minister Pusić congratulated Montenegro for obtaining a date for the start of negotiations and emphasised that the continued European policy of enlargement is key for Montenegro and for the region as a whole. She repeated that it would not be positive in one year's time, when Croatia becomes a full-fledged member, for the enlargement process to end, with not a single country of the region in the negotiation process.

With regard to the multi-year financial framework for the period 2014–2020, it is necessary to achieve a balance between the level of institutional integration and the fact that 17 countries have a common currency, while making autonomous decisions on their budgets and finances. President of the European Council Van Rompuy made a proposal that will be discussed at the European Council on Thursday. This relates to four areas in which there would be a higher degree of institutional integration: financial framework, budget framework, economic policy and strengthening democratic legitimacy and responsibility. According to Minister Pusić, this is a very important document that until a few years ago would not have been a topic of discussion, however after being faced by the crisis, the opinion has matured that strengthening integration is the right path towards resolving the problems.

Minister Pusić thanked Romania, whose Parliament today unanimously ratified the Croatian accession treaty.

Minister Pusić met today with president of the European Investment Bank Werner Hoyer. They discussed projects that will be directed at concrete cooperation in the region, through the sharing of Croatia’s accession experiences through the Centre of Excellence, and strengthening cross-border cooperation through the Adriatic Provanse project. President of the European Investment Bank Hoyer agreed that cooperation is key for the stability of the region and expressed his interest in the presented projects.

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