State Secretary Pejčinović Burić participated in first meeting of EU-Croatia Committee for Monitoring Civil Society

In her address to the assembly, State Secretary Pejčinović Burić pointed out the significance of founding the EU-Croatia Committee for Monitoring Civil Society as a forum for institutional cooperation between the Croatian and European representatives of social partners and the civil society, emphasizing that the Republic of Croatia considers the establishment of this Committee as another significant step in becoming a member of the European Union. The Establishment of this Committee, she emphasized, is an excellent example of mutual engagement of the civil society, social partners and the Government of the Republic of Croatia, and the dedication of the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Commission.

Speaking about the previous course of relations between the Republic of Croatia and the European Union which have up to now, as she pointed out, been developed through three mutually related processes – political dialogue through the structures of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, Accession Negotiations, and the use of EU help programs – State Secretary Pejčinović Burić also commented the use of existing funds from the CARDS help program and the funds from the existing pre-accession programs (PHARE, ISPA, and SAPARD). In the new financial perspective from 2007 to 2013 the IPA program will replace the current pre-accession help programs, said State Secretary Pejčinović Burić and added that the action plan for preparing accreditation which is a condition for the implementation of the program is in progress. She also stressed that the Republic of Croatia signed a series of memorandums of agreement between the Croatia and the EU regards to community’s Programs and that this year the Republic of Croatia intends to start the accession to community’s program for employment and social solidarity.

Regarding the full membership in the European Union as the basic and priority goal of Croatia’s foreign policy, State Secretary Pejčinović Burić stressed that it is a project which includes all the areas of state institutions as well as non-government and economy sector. The founding of the mutual EU-Croatia Committee for Monitoring Civil Society is expected to be a further step in better informing the Croatian public about the European Union, as well as better informing the European Union about Croatia as a candidate country and a soon-to-be full member, pointed out State Secretary Pejčinović Burić.

The EU-RC Committee for Monitoring Civil Society is comprised of twelve members, six from the European Union and as many from the Republic of Croatia, who represent the European Economic and Social Committee and the civil society organizations in Croatia. The Croatian co-chairperson is Lidija Horvatić, Director of the Department of International Cooperation in the Croatian Employers’ Association.