State Secretary for Europe Andreja Metelko-Zgombić participated in a meeting of ministers and state secretaries for Europe within the General Affairs Council, held in Luxembourg on October 15, 2024. The Council concluded preparations for the European Council meeting on October 17-18, approved a Declaration on fostering Jewish life and combating antisemitism, discussed the current state of EU relations with Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and as part of the European Semester cycle, endorsed and forwarded integrated recommendations for individual countries to the European Council for confirmation.
The main topics of the upcoming European Council meeting will include Ukraine, the Middle East, competitiveness, migration, and the European Semester. During the Council discussions, Metelko-Zgombić emphasized Croatia's ongoing comprehensive support for Ukraine, as demonstrated by the organization of the third Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit on October 9 in Dubrovnik, the results of which Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will detail further at the European Council meeting. On migration issues, Croatia believes that the focus should be on implementing the Pact on Migration and Asylum, while maintaining the delicate balance between responsibility and solidarity. Additionally, the EU's Action Plans for all migration routes are crucial, with the Action Plan for the Western Balkans being particularly important for Croatia. In this context, the State Secretary highlighted the issue of the visa regime discrepancies in some Western Balkan countries, which contribute to increased migratory pressure on Croatia's external borders, and consequently on the EU. Croatia consistently stresses the obligation of candidate countries to align their visa regimes with the EU as part of their European integration process. The State Secretary also underlined the importance of focusing efforts on ensuring the effectiveness of returns, emphasizing the key role of Frontex in third countries and in supporting return procedures.
The Council approved the Declaration on fostering Jewish life and combating antisemitism and exchanged views with Sirpa Rautio, Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), on manifestations of antisemitism and measures to combat it in Europe. Metelko-Zgombić supported the Declaration, which highlights the importance of the EU's fight against all forms of antisemitism, racism, hatred, and discrimination, particularly in the context of rising antisemitism in the EU. She also recalled Croatia's chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2023, during which, among other initiatives, the foundation was laid for the "Future of Remembrance" initiative, a Charter for the Preservation of Memorial Sites was adopted, and Recommendations for Improving Access to Archives were endorsed.
At the end of the meeting, the European Commission briefed the Council on the status of negotiations regarding the Institutional Framework Agreement between Switzerland and the EU, as well as the current state of relations between the EU and the United Kingdom.
On the sidelines of the Council, the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference on Accession with Albania was held, during which the first negotiating cluster was opened. Metelko-Zgombić welcomed the opening of negotiations as an incentive and opportunity for Albania to pursue further reforms in key areas. She expressed Croatia's readiness to continue assisting Albania in the accession process and reaffirmed Croatia's commitment to the EU enlargement process for the Western Balkans, based on merit and fulfilment of the set conditions.
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