Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman 27 February 2020 participated in “KAS-IFAT Western Balkans Conference 2020: European perspectives for the Western Balkans – the EU’s credentials at stake?”
The conference organized by Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and Hungary’s Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) focused on EU enlargement onto the Western Balkan countries.
In his keynote address, Grlić Radman said EU enlargement was one of the priorities of the Croatian presidency, underscoring two key goals: opening accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, and the success of the Zagreb Summit in May.
The minister was hopeful that the summit would serve as a pivotal point for positive changes and decisions in the enlargement policy, and that the EU would confirm its support for the countries of the Western Balkans. He emphasized that Croatia would continue to advocate for a credible and efficient enlargement policy based on individual merit and fulfilment of criteria. “To first steps towards that goal were taken by the European Commission’s new methodology of 5 February,” Grlić Radman said.
Representatives of KAS and IFAT, Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Levente Magyar and Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi also addressed the conference.