The Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, in cooperation with the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Croatia, organized the 26th joint seminar on European integration processes titled "Migration Diplomacy: Challenges, Perspectives" from October 7 to 10, 2024, in Dubrovnik. The seminar was attended by 30 diplomats from thirteen countries of the European Union and Southeast Europe.
The seminar is intended for diplomats from Central, Eastern, and Southeast European countries, and it provided insights into current global trends and changes in European integration processes, as well as the direct exchange of knowledge and experiences between current EU member states and (potential) candidate countries. This year, the focus of the discussions was on the impacts of migration and the challenges and perspectives associated with it.
The seminar was opened by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Frano Matušić, the Head of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Karlo Kolesar, and the Director of the Hanns Seidel Foundation for Central and Southeast Europe, Klaus Fiesinger.
The keynote address was delivered by the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Gordan Grlić Radman, who emphasized that the topic of migration in the EU is crucial for the future of Europe, given the current challenges the EU faces. "I am pleased that young diplomats have sent a strong message of unity from Dubrovnik," the minister stressed.
Lectures on a variety of topics were delivered by experts and decision-makers, such as Josip Brkić, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Frank Lavadoux from the European Institute of Public Administration; Sophie Meiners from the Center for Migration; Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb, Prof. Dr. Iris Goldner Lang; Ambassador Krešimir Kopčić from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia; Dr. Đana Luša from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Zagreb; Dr. Sandro Knezović from the Institute for Development and International Relations; and Ambassador Mladen Andrlić.
During the seminar, participants actively engaged in professional discussions and workshops, exchanging experiences and positions from their respective countries. The city of Dubrovnik hosted the participants in the city hall, where Mayor Mato Franković and the President of the City Council, Marko Potrebica, addressed them with appropriate remarks.
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