On 1 January 2020, Croatia takes over the six-month rotating EU presidency, for which the government prepared an action plan. The document sets out the tasks of the presiding country and preparatory activities for the Council of the EU presidency. It defines work delegation among the organizational units in Zagreb and Brussels as well as coordination and cooperation among all Croatia’s national institutions and bodies involved in the presidency. It also defines deadlines for the preparation and implementation of presidency activities, which lay the foundation for the state administration bodies’ task fulfilment and the monitoring of preparations for the presidency.
In addition, the action plan determines the logistics, human resources and a schedule of important meetings. A special part is dedicated to the training of employees involved in the presidency activities as well as communication and cultural events, which includes choosing the logo and slogan as well as drafting the cultural programme. The action plan also defines the process of preparing the presidency programme, which is usually adopted right before taking over the presidency. Finally, the action plan represents a framework for the dynamic of implementing the preparatory obligations, with the aim of making Croatia’s first EU presidency a successful one.