State Secretary Bianca Matković organized meeting with ambassadors of EU and NATO members, EC Delegation and OSCE Office

Also present at the meeting were the newly-appointed Justice Minister Ivan Šimonović and Internal Affairs Minister Tomislav Karamarko, as well as the MFAEI State Secretary for European Integration Davor Božinović and Chief Negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak.

In her speech, State Secretary Matković said that the appointment of new justice and internal affairs ministers alone, as well as the proposals for appointing new police and Security Intelligence Agency directors, show the Croatian Government’s dedication in fighting corruption and organized crime, and continuing with the justice reform. She also informed the ambassadors about the activities and package of measures to be conducted as part of the “anti-mafia laws”.

Speaking about the process of Croatia’s EU membership negotiations, State Secretary Matković pointed out that they are unfolding as planned, stating her belief that the technical part of the negotiation will be completed by fall-2009. As regards Croatia’s NATO accession, she expressed her conviction that by the next summit, to be held April 2009, Croatia could become its full-fledged member.

Noting the current global financial crisis, State Secretary Matković informed the ambassadors that the situation in Croatia is stable, and that the Government and the Croatian National Bank have already undertaken fiscal and monetary policy measures in order to maintain it. In that regard, she mentioned this week’s Government decision to increase the bank deposit insurance to HRK 400,000, which was also accepted by the Croatian Parliament.

Speeches were also held by Justice Minister Ivan Šimonović and Internal Affairs Minister Tomislav Karamarko, who informed the ambassadors about their future activities. Also, Chief Negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak familiarized the ambassadors with the current course of Croatia’s EU negotiations, while State Secretary for European Integration Davor Božinović informed them about the implementation of the Communication Strategy for Informing the Croatian Public about the EU and Membership Preparations.