Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miro Kovač 5 March 2016 visited former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl at his home in Ludwigshafen.
“Kohl is as a great European and a time-honoured friend of Croatia. Despite his health problems, Kohl was in a very good mood,” said Kovač after the meeting, adding that “the tireless and possibly the greatest European of today agreed with me that the way the migrant crisis had been managed so far was unsatisfactory and that it threatens the very survival of the EU.”
Kovač said that “the EU must show its citizens that it is efficient, that it protects its external borders efficiently and that it has a common solution. That requires the involvement of all member states, but under a European banner. We have to stop acting provincially and finally start leading a global policy,” underlining that the migrant crisis could only be solved if we dealt with its root causes.
“The EU has to primarily provide humanitarian and development aid on the spot, to the countries and regions affected by wars and political crises,” said the Croatian foreign minister after the meeting with the former German chancellor.