Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Saturday participated in the annual international conference of the Pan-European Union. Addressing the event, Grlić Radman reflected on Croatia’s Council of the EU presidency in the first half of this year.
“About a year ago, I addressed the conference in Split, when we were in the final stages of preparations for taking over the presidency. Now, that task is behind us and we can reflect with clarity on its circumstances and results. It was challenging to say the least, but I am convinced that we have achieved our goals and successfully helmed the Union in a time of crisis,” the minister said.
Grlić Radman added that the Croatian presidency had been challenging even before the coronavirus pandemic – it coincided with the new EU institutional cycle, negotiations on the new multiannual financial framework and Brexit.
The minister underlined that the pandemic necessitated flexibility in terms of presidency activities. “Since we could no longer hold meetings the usual way, thanks to technology and our swift reaction we shifted to videoconferences and have held more than 60 successful high-level virtual meetings. In many ways, our presidency was digital – the first such in the history of the EU, leaving a good blueprint for the future presiding countries,” he said.
As successes of Croatia’s first EU presidency, Grlić Radman highlighted the coordination of the pandemic response at its onset – from activating the Integrated Political Crisis Response mechanism and harmonizing the Investment Initiative to repatriating more than 630,000 EU citizens. The minister also underscored the launching of accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, the opening of the last negotiating chapter with Montenegro, as well as the holding of the EU-Southeast Europe summit and the EU-Eastern Partnership summit.
Moreover, Grlić Radman emphasized the agreement on the Council’s position on the Conference on the Future of Europe, the decision to launch a crisis management operation in the Mediterranean to stabilize the situation in Libya and reaching a compromise on the financial package that includes the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and the Recovery Plan as additional Croatia’s successes.