Croatian delegation led by Assistant Minister Hrvoje Marušić 31 October 2013 in Budapest participated in a foreign ministers meeting of the Central European Initiative (CEI), currently presided over by Hungary.
The meeting was organized after a foreign ministers meeting of the Visegrad Group and the Western Balkans, attended by representatives of the Lithuanian EU presidency, the European Commission, United States, Turkey and Austria.
It discussed the results CEI had achieved during more than two decades of existence and reviewed its role for the future, notably in light of further EU enlargement and Eastern Partnership. The participants also discussed a possible added value of CEI in relation to other regional organizations and initiatives in the Central, East and Southeast Europe, and especially in relation to macro-regional strategies.
Expressing Croatia’s full support for further enlargement to Europe’s southeast and the Eastern Partnership countries, Marušić, talking about CEI’s future, said it should mind being coherent with other forms of regional cooperation in order to draw maximum benefit for all countries of Central Europe. He said CEI could serve as a platform for synergizing new forms of cooperation, notably in terms of macro-regional strategies, as well as in cooperation with the Visegrad Group members, so as to stimulate cohesion and integration between the EU and countries that have yet to become its members. This should lead to significant results, Marušić said, namely in terms of strengthening competitiveness, prompting economic growth and raising the living standard. He stressed the necessity of brining the EU closer to the citizens, in which social partners, the non-governmental sector and media play an important role.
The plenary session saw the adoption of CEI Action Plan for 2014-2016 and approval of the decision to revive CEI’s business dimension.
On the fringes of the meeting, Marušić held talks with Moldovan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Iulian Groza, who congratulated Croatia on its recent EU entry and applauded the reforms implemented during the Euro-integration process. Marušić communicated Croatia’s willingness to share its experiences with all EU aspirants, including Moldova.