State Secretary for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić participated in the first videoconference of EU affairs ministers under Portugal’s Council of the EU presidency in the General Affairs Council (GAC) configuration. She thanked the member states and the European Commission for the solidarity and support extended to Croatia in the wake of the recent earthquakes that had hit the country.
Metelko-Zgombić underscored Croatia’s support for the Portuguese presidency’s priorities outlined at the beginning of the conference, which focus on a comprehensive recovery of the Union, along with promoting solidarity, convergence and cohesion, including addressing demographic challenges. In the context of strengthening the Union’s resilience, the state secretary welcomed the presidency’s focus on the future of the Schengen Area, recalling Croatia’s ambition to join it soon.
Concerning priorities within GAC competence, Metelko-Zgombić underlined Croatia’s support for continued coordination of activities concerning COVID-19, credible enlargement policy towards the Western Balkans, monitoring of the EU-UK deal and the development of future relations, as well as the strengthening of the rule of law and EU values. The Portuguese presidency reported on the status of interinstitutional talks on the Conference on the Future of Europe, expressing hope that it would launch soon, which was supported by EC Vice-President Dubravka Šuica, who emphasized the importance of civic inclusion and recalled Croatia’s contribution to the preparation of the Conference.
The central topic of the meeting was EU coordination concerning COVID-19 in light of the upcoming videoconference of EU leaders on the topic. The ministers exchanged views on a number of issues concerning curbing the pandemic, notably the vaccine and vaccination. Metelko-Zgombić stressed the importance of a unified EU action, regular coordination as well as exchange of information and experiences. She cited Croatia’s positive experience with vaccination thus far and thanked the member state and the Commission for the positive response to Croatia’s initiative to send additional doses of the vaccine to quake-hit areas. The state secretary underlined Croatia’s support for the development of sequencing capacities in light of the danger posed by the new strands of COVID-19 and opening a discussion on the long-term effects of the virus on people who had recovered from it. The prospect of introducing a common EU vaccination card should be carefully debated in all relevant formats. Concerning the issue of making the vaccine more readily available for the European neighbours, Croatia believes that the EU should remain a reliable partner and respond to these challenges in a harmonized manner.