During the talks with Director General for the European Commission's Regional Policy Dirk Ahner the focus was placed on the preparations made by Croatia for the purpose of using the structural funds and the cohesion fund upon the entry into the Union, as well as on the Strategy of the European Union for the Danube Region. The Strategy is prepared by the European Union and Croatia will be a party thereto.
In his speech delivered in the European Parliament at the conference "Croatia – the Next EU Member State/ Economic Potential of Croatian Regions", which had a large attendance, State Secretary Plenković gave an overview of the course of the accession negotiations with the European Union and expected dynamics in the forthcoming period. He also addressed the political and economic significance of the future Croatian membership.