First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić is paying an official visit to Portugal, where she met with her Portuguese counterpart Rui Machete for talks on the two countries’ bilateral relations as well as political and economic cooperation, and signed two cooperation agreements:
Pusić said both countries were interested in cooperating on shaping European policies, notably the European energy policy, which should increase Europe’s energy independence.
Answering the reporters’ questions, Pusić said that by joining the EU Croatia had been given the opportunity to participate in shaping the common European policy towards countries of the region, notably Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, in spite of the crisis, Croatia has good indicators; export to the EU is growing, as is the industrial production, which is all a result of joining the EU, Pusić said.
The minister is also scheduled to meet with Portuguese Prime Minister Paulo Portas.