Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman on Tuesday addressed a videoconference of EU and EEA ambassadors and the head of the European Commission Representative Office in Zagreb, held as part of the Portuguese Council of the EU presidency.
The minister commended the Portuguese presidency as well as the efforts to harmonize views on measures for tackling the social and economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, European response to climate change and the launching of the Conference on the Future of Europe. He also thanked the EU member states for their solidarity, support and assistance to the quake-hit areas of Croatia.
Grlić Radman presented Croatia’s preparations for the tourist season and the “Stay Safe in Croatia” initiative, a project aiming to ensure the highest epidemiological standards for visitors. “As a part of that initiative, all Croatian tourism workers have been categorized as vaccination priority group,” he said.
“Croatia remains committed to multilateralism, especially in terms of global peace and security, human rights, rule of law, sustainable development, migration, climate change and public health,” said the minister, adding that Croatia welcomed the strengthening of the EU-US partnership. He underscored that transatlantic cooperation was crucial for the promotion of global security, stability and peace, which have to rest on partnership, joint responsibility and solidarity in Europe, especially in its southeast neighbourhood.
In the context of Europe’s southeast, Grlić Radman underlined Croatia’s support for the continuation of the enlargement process and the launch of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, expressing hope that the intergovernmental conference would be held before the end of the Portuguese presidency. In addition, he reiterated Croatia’s support for the continuation of accession negotiations with Montenegro and Serbia, as well as the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. The minister also reflected on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia’s non-paper, emphasizing that our priority was a stable, democratic and functioning BiH that would implement the necessary reforms in order to continue its European journey. “Croatia’s non-paper calls on BiH leaders to implement the reforms, including amendments to the election law, before the general election of 2022, so that the country could be granted the EU candidate status,” Grlić Radman said, adding that Croatia rejected any redrawing of borders and territory swapping in Southeast Europe.
The minister also answered the ambassadors’ questions on a number of topical EU and global matters, and thanked them for their cooperation and engagement.