State Secretary Metelko Zgombić holds panel with Croatian, Spanish citizens

State Secretary Metelko Zgombić holds panel with Croatian, Spanish citizens

State Secretary for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić and Spanish State Secretary for EU Juan González-Barba held a panel discussion with Croatian and Spanish citizens on “Preparing for Tomorrow: Global and Regional Role of the EU”.

The panel was organized as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe and saw the participation of Dubravka Šuica, the European Commissioner for Democracy and Demography and Co-chair of the Executive Board of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

The relevancy of the topic on the current foreign-policy moment and global action of the EU was confirmed through a hybrid dialogue with representatives of Croatian and Spanish youth associations, students and other interested parties. In the context of strengthening the EU’s resilience and strategic autonomy, the participants underscored the importance of cooperation with countries in the immediate neighbourhood, including encouraging and supporting the European prospects of the Western Balkans and utilizing the full transformative power of the accession process.

Metelko-Zgombić said that the EU, faced with a number of challenges, needed to strengthen its role as a global leader with the capacity and capability of global action. “In that regard, the Union’s regional role, whether we’re talking about the Western Balkans or the eastern and southern neighbourhood, is reflected on its global credibility,” she said.

Metelko-Zgombić and González-Barba agreed that it was extremely important to hear what the citizens, especially EU youth, thought and wanted from the Union in the period ahead. That is why the ideas, comments and questions from the Dubrovnik panel are an important contribution to building a common future and will ultimately be reflected in the Conference’s conclusions and recommendations.

The Conference on the Future of Europe is a unique, Europe-wide endeavour that puts citizens at the centre of discussion on issues that are important to them.

 

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