State Secretary Pejčinović Burić chaired regular Annual Meeting of Counties’ Councils for European Integration

State Secretary Pejčinović Burić pointed out that Annual Meeting of Counties’ Councils for European Integration is an opportunity for the setting and co-coordination of the priorities in future co-operation among the bodies of state government and local government and self-government, as well as an opportunity for the exchange of experiences among the representatives of all of Croatia’s counties. She added that it is precisely the counties that are one of Croatia’s key partners in its process of EU accession, with the pre-accession period already offering various opportunities for their development.

Speaking about the role of the Counties’ Councils for European Integration in the coming period, State Secretary Pejčinović Burić pointed out that they should become the co-coordinators of the process in their counties and direct their activities towards cities and municipalities, so that they too can be enabled to successfully use the EU pre-accession means.

State Secretary Pejčinović Burić ended her presentation pointing out that one of the Councils’ basic aim in the following period will be informing and educating local government and self-government, as well as all citizens in their area, about the process of Croatia’s EU accession.

This year’s meeting of the Counties’ Councils for European Integration was an opportunity for the counties’ representatives to get further acquainted with the possibilities of participating in the EU pre-accession programs, on which lectures was held by the State Secretary at the Central Office for Development Strategy and Co-ordination of EU Funds, Martina Dalić, and Deputy State Secretary Davor Čilić, entitles respectively “What Do Pre-Accession Funds Bring Croatia?” and “The Possibilities of Using Pre-Accession Funds for Counties”, while the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management held presentations about the SAPARD/IPARD pre-accession program.

The second day of the meeting was dedicated to the exchange of the Councils’ experiences in their activities so far and the plans for the coming period, as well as the forms of future co-operation between MFAEI and the Counties’ Councils. Presentations were held by the representatives of the Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development, who spoke about the territorial co-operation programs Croatia is taking part in and the possibilities of connecting the Counties’ Councils with counties’ development agencies.