Development policy to remain high on agenda during Croatia’s presidency

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman 25 November 2019 attended a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on development

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman 25 November 2019 attended a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on development.

During a discussion on the future financial architecture for sustainable development, Grlić Radman underscored Croatia’s support for all activities leading to an improvement in the EU’s assisting development in the neighbourhood and globally. He supported a thorough analysis of the Wise Persons' Group’s proposal to advance the implementation and achievements of the EU’s development policy.

The ministers went on to discuss how the EU and member states can better cooperate to support development of countries in transition, paying particular attention to the cases of Ethiopia and Sudan. Croatia highlighted the importance of including the know-how and experiences of all the member states in supporting partner countries in order to improve the visibility and efficiency of the EU’s activities in general.

“The education and empowerment of girls and women is one of the priorities of Croatia’s development policy. We are focused on helping women and children, especially girls, who are victims of conflict,” Grlić Radman underlined in a discussion on the education of girls in Africa. He explained that based on Croatia’s own experiences during the 1990s, we are focused on humanitarian and development projects aimed at removing women and children from conflicts and assisting them in their emancipation through educational and entrepreneurial projects.

A good example are Croatian mine action experts, who are offering their assistance in Bosnia and Colombia, as well as our veteran resocialization experts in Ukraine. Croatian experts have been excellently received as they offer quality and constructive solutions based on their own hands-on experiences.  

During its EU presidency in the first half of 2020, Croatia will keep development policy high on the agenda as part of its “A Europe that’s Influential” priority.

On the margins of the FAC meeting, Grlić Radman held talks with his Finnish counterpart Ville Skinnari and EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti.

 

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