Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić 26 November 2018 in Brussels attended a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in the development configuration.
The Council exchanged views on the Africa-Europe alliance for sustainable investment and jobs. The initiative aims to improve the investment climate, strengthen support for skills and education, and support economic integration and market-building. Pejčinović Burić underlined that the partnership with Africa needs to be built on the real needs of African partners while respecting the local context and mutual responsibility.
The meeting also discussed the proposed the EU Multiannual Financial Framework for the 2021-2027 period and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument in regard to the future European architecture for investment outside the EU. Pejčinović Burić commended the instrument’s focus on migration by dealing with its root cause.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Council discussed gender equality, with focus on sexual violence against women in war conflicts. The discussion saw Nobel Peace Prize laureates Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege. This gave an opportunity to hear their messages and to identify ways in which the EU and its member states could do more to prevent gender-based violence. Pejčinović Burić spoke about crimes of sexual violence committed during the Homeland War in Croatia and the need to punish the perpetrators and ensure justice for the victims.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Pejčinović Burić held talks with European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica on the European Development Fund and the new financial perspective.