At the invitation of Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić 26 February 2019 paid a return official visit to Finland.
The two officials expressed satisfaction with the progress of Croatia and Finland’s friendship and the intensification of the highest-level dialogue. They also discussed bilateral cooperation and the prospects of its strengthening, notably in the areas of economy and tourism, as well as cooperation on twinning projects and programmes of the European Commission. Croatia is seeing an increase in exports to Finland, with additional potential in energy, food industry, IT sector et al.
Pejčinović Burić and Soini exchanged views on topical EU matters, with an emphasis on cooperation within the Council of the EU presiding trio. The Croatian minister reported on the preparations for Croatia’s Council of the EU presidency, as well as preparations for entering the Schengen Area and the eurozone. The two officials also talked about the EU enlargement and the importance of the European accession process for the stability of Southeast European countries.
In the context of multilateral cooperation, Croatia and Finland share a common interest in a number of areas, with the prospect of advancing mutual support and partnership. Pejčinović Burić and Soini discussed cooperation within the Council of Europe, whose presidency Finland took over from Croatia in November. They agreed on the need to further strengthen security cooperation.
During her visit to Finland, Pejčinović Burić also met with Parliament Speaker Paula Risikko. The two officials underlined good parliamentary cooperation between Croatia and Finland, stressing the need for its further intensification, notably in view of preparations for the Council of the EU presidency.