Plenković has no ambitions for any positions at the top of the EU

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Friday dismissed media speculation that he has ambitions to take on any positions at the top of the European Union during his presentation of the conclusions of the European Council to the Parliament.

Plenković presented to the representatives the conclusions of the European Council held on March 22 and 23 in Brussels, the informal Council held on February 23, as well as the latest events related to Croatia in the context of Euro-Atlantic integration.

– I think it is most important that through this dialogue between the government and the Parliament we raise awareness of European issues and focus on what is important in a broader context, not just in Croatia, the Prime Minister emphasized.

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When asked after the discussion to clearly state his position regarding media reports that he has ambitions to take on any positions at the top of the EU, Plenković replied that his “ambition is to be the Prime Minister of Croatia and fulfill what is outlined in the party program”.

Among recent Croatian activities within the EU, he first mentioned his speech on the vision for the future of the union before the European Parliament on February 6, which he delivered as the second head of government, after Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. This is an initiative introduced by the President of Parliament Antonio Tajani.

– There I highlighted important messages from Croatia as the newest member of the EU advocating for equality among all members, for equality of our citizens within the EU, for equality of opportunities, and our common achievements to show within democratically legitimized European institutions that European policies and budgets have the greatest benefit for our citizens, said the Prime Minister.

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In February, a meeting of the European Commission and several government members was held, where Croatian priorities in the EU were outlined, namely entry into the Schengen area, meaning that by 2020 the country should achieve readiness so that a political decision could be made at that time, and entry into the eurozone, for which only the criterion of reducing public debt remains, emphasized Plenković.

He added that discussions also took place regarding the construction of the Pelješac Bridge, which is in the final phase of preparing the signing of the agreement, as well as the importance of expanding membership to Southeast European countries, of which Bosnia and Herzegovina is a Croatian foreign policy priority.

He reminded that it is customary for the Council in March to have economic topics at its core in discussions and revealed that important discussions on migration issues and relations with Turkey, the attack in Salisbury, and the response agreed upon during the dinner at that meeting were among other topics.

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An important topic was also energy, specifically the EU’s energy strategy, diversification of energy supply, greater energy efficiency, decarbonization of the economy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and generally fulfilling obligations undertaken by the Paris Agreement.

The EU’s goal is to build an integrated energy market, and Plenković referred in this context to Croatia’s further activities in building an LNG terminal for which it received 101 million euros from the European Commission.

“We decided on a special law that would regulate this topic, we believe it is important that it is also in accordance with the highest environmental standards, and that its construction, the partnerships that will arise from it, and the capacities we will gain in terms of gas supply will ensure Croatia’s energy security in the long term,” he stated.

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He revealed that the President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi also addressed the Council, providing an overview of the current situation in the economies of member states and “highlighted the strong EU exports and the lowest unemployment rate since 2008.”.

“That is why Europe continues its recovery on solid foundations of the financial and banking sector,” asserted Plenković.

The Council also discussed the U.S. introduction of import tariffs on steel and aluminum, from which Europe was ultimately spared, and trade agreements currently under negotiation were discussed.

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“Croatia supported the continuation of negotiations with Mercosur and Mexico and the conclusion of agreements with Japan and Singapore,” said the Prime Minister.

Migration and Enlargement

At the Council, discussions continued on the Central Mediterranean route, particularly on ways to assist African countries, and in February a meeting was organized with Sahel countries, which have extremely strong demographic trends.

“Currently, those five countries have 77 million inhabitants, projections are that in 15 years there will be 130 million,” and Croatia, due to its geographical position, is in a situation to pay close attention to these trends, emphasized the Prime Minister.

The meeting also discussed the continuation of the reform of the Dublin Regulation with an emphasis on prevention and the establishment of a common European asylum system as part of the response to the consequences of the migration crisis, and the relationship between Brussels and Ankara was also discussed.

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The Bulgarian presidency decided for the first time after the Zagreb meeting in 2000 and the Thessaloniki meeting in 2003 to hold a summit in the format of all EU member states and Southeast European countries on May 17, at which a “message of support for reforms” will be sent, and Turkey also expressed a desire to continue dialogue, which is why a meeting was held in Varna, Bulgaria on March 26, where tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, the situation in Syria, and relations between Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece were discussed.

Plenković warned that it is important for the EU to adhere to the agreement with Turkey regarding refugees, that is, to fulfill its financial obligations to Ankara.

Speaking about enlargement, Plenković expects that at the meeting in Sofia, the European Commission, which is nearing the end of its mandate, will give its support to candidate countries, and emphasized that Croatia, during its presidency in 2020, wants to repeat the Zagreb meeting from 2000 to encourage reforms and the fulfillment of criteria.

After Bulgaria, Austria will preside over the EU, whose new Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz is also a strong advocate for the Union’s enlargement to the Western Balkans, and after Vienna, Romania will take over European leadership. Croatia will preside from the beginning of 2020, thus maintaining continuity in the policy towards the European perspective of the Balkans, which should be utilized, concluded Plenković.