State Secretary for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić attended a meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC), held 18 October in Luxembourg. The Council exchanged views on the draft conclusions of the European Council meeting on 20-21 October, discussed the follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe and the rule of law in Poland, and held a policy debate on the European Parliament’s proposal for revising the EU rules governing the EP elections.
Strongly condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, especially the attacks on civilians and civic infrastructure, Metelko-Zgombić underscored commitment to continued support for Ukraine, as well as urgent and decisive action in light of Russia’s escalation. This includes a consistent implementation of sanctions, where we expect of our partners to align with the European policies and values, notably the Western Balkan countries who claim they wish to join the EU. Concerning the energy and economic challenges, Croatia is pushing for European solutions, which includes capping the wholesale price of gas. Such urgent measures are needed as an upgrade on the national measures that are already in place to help our citizens and businesspeople and assuage the effects of energy crisis caused by the Russian aggression.
In the context of the follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe, Croatia underlined that the citizens’ proposals should be approached pragmatically and effectively. This is why the Council should focus on proposals that can be implemented under the current Treaty framework. Croatia does not exclude the possibility of amending the Treaty, but now is not the time to do that, said Metelko-Zgombić.
The Council also discussed the European Parliament’s proposal for revising the EU rules governing the EP elections. Croatia supports the strengthening of transparency, efficiency and European dimension of the elections, as well as the strengthening of democratic legitimacy of decision-making within the Union, and is open to a discussion without prejudging proposals, such as the one for an EU-wide constituency based on transnational lists, the state secretary said.
As part of the Article 7(1) TEU procedure, ministers were updated on the situation regarding the rule of law in Poland. The Commission presented the communication on the enforcement of the rule of law in the EU, published 13 October, which takes stock of the activities that ensure the EU law is respected.
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