Assistant Minister for European Affairs Hrvoje Marušić 3 June met with Italian delegation led by Debora Serracchiani, President of the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The talks focused on strengthening the political and economic cooperation between Croatia and Italy, notably the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, as well as the numerous possibilities opened up by EU membership.
Within the context of EUSAIR cooperation, Marušić underlined the importance of long-term Croatian-Italian strategic partnership, with EUSAIR as a tool to transform economy, prompt growth and increase competitiveness based on know-how and improved productiveness. The officials also discussed the prospects of financing joint projects, primarily from the EU funds. Marušić and Seracchiani agreed on the importance of horizontal and vertical coordination of activities, with special emphasis on linking the EUSAIR steering mechanisms, the ADRION transnational program and the Croatian-Italian cross-border cooperation programs.
Croatia and Italy can cooperate particularly well in the areas of transport and energy, Marušić said, highlighting the networking projects which include the Adriatic-Ionian corridor, North Adriatic ports, the Baltic-Adriatic corridor and synergizing the Adriatic coast and hinterland. As Croatia’s energy priorities, Marušić stressed source diversifications, secure supply and the need to include the Western Balkans in the European network legally and infrastructurally. The interlocutors agreed about the importance of Croatia’s projects (the Krk LNG terminal and IAP/TAP), which transcends the national. As for energy, Marušić and Seracchiani underlined the potential for investments in energy efficiency and renewable sources.
Marušić informed the Italian delegation about the economic situation in Croatia, i.e. a series of positive indicators such as the growth in GDP, industrial production, export and investments, which all point to the fact that Croatia has come out of the recession as a result of numerous reforms in all areas of public policy.