State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Zdenko Lucić on Monday participated in an informal videoconference of EU development ministers.
State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Zdenko Lucić on Monday participated in an informal videoconference of EU development ministers.
The meeting was chaired by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and saw the participation of European commissioners for international partnerships and economy, representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and European Investment Bank (EIB), with European ministers and state secretaries in attendance.
One of the topics was debt relief as part of COVID-19 crisis recovery. High debt poses a challenge to the EU partner countries, including a large number of the poorest countries in the world. In that context, the participants voiced support for the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) and the Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the DSSI, agreed upon by the G20, Paris Club, IMF and the World Bank.
Lucić underscored that Croatia supports global efforts to assist the world’s poorest countries in overcoming the health, social and economic challenges caused by COVID-19. “We should see this crisis as a chance to strengthen the resilience of economies through digitalization and transitioning to new and green technologies, which will stimulate investment and a sustainable economic growth,” he said.
Ministers and state secretaries were informed about the status of the talks between the EU and the ACP countries on the post-Cotonou agreement as well as the talks on establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument. They also reflected on the situation in Tanzania, a major recipient of EU development said. The meeting announced the Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in External Relations 2020–2025 (GAP III).
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