State Secretary Lucić participates in informal meeting of FAC (Development)

State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Zdenko Lucić on Thursday participated in an informal videoconference of the Foreign Affairs Council (Development)

State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Zdenko Lucić on Thursday participated in an informal videoconference of the Foreign Affairs Council (Development).

The ministers and state secretaries for development discussed the future European development financial architecture. Apart from High Representative Josep Borrell, also participating in the meeting were EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen as well as representatives of the EIB and EBRD.

Croatia, along with other member states, the European Commission, EIB and EBRD, supported the Status Quo Plus, which calls for no major changes in the legal or governing sense, but does propose a clearer division of the two banks’ mandates, including other international and European development banks. The work would take place within Team Europe, with funds from EFOR+.

Lucić underscored that national development banks should also be allowed to directly participate in the implementation of EFOR+. In line with that, an open architecture is something Croatia has been advocating from the onset as it offers the possibility for smaller development institutions, such as the Croatian ones, to take part in the implementation as well. Croatia, along with the other EU member states, supports the European Commission’s plans to stimulate joint appearances, the exchange of knowledge and greater inclusion of smaller development institutions while shaping the European development financial architecture.

 

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