State Secretary for European Affairs Andreja Metelko-Zgombić 28 January 2020 chaired the first meeting of the General Affairs Council during the Croatian presidency.
The meeting opened with the Croatian presidency presenting its work programme and priorities. In the area of general affairs, they include the MFF, enlargement to the Western Balkans, organization of the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb in May, as well as orderly Brexit and starting talks on future partnership.
The ministers exchanged views on the Conference on the Future of Europe, which should start during the Croatian presidency and end in 2022. Vice-presidents of the European Commission Dubravka Šuica and Maroš Šefčovič also participated in the meeting.
At its meeting on 12 December 2019, the European Council asked the Croatian presidency to work towards defining a Council position on the content, scope, composition and functioning of the conference and to engage on this basis with the European Parliament and the Commission.
During the discussion, ministers underscored the importance of putting citizens at the heart of the conference. Priority should be given to implementing the Strategic Agenda for 2019-2024 and delivering concrete results. The conference should contribute to the development of medium and long-term EU policies in order to better address the challenges facing Europe.
Metelko-Zgombić emphasized that “citizens need to be at the centre of the discussions on the future of Europe – how we can address the current and future challenges and what kind of a Europe we want.”
The conference should serve as a platform that brings together EU institutions, governments and parliaments of the member states, as well as citizens and other actors.