ZAGREB, January 11, 2019 – Croatian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić is one of the four candidate that have applied for the position of Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, this European organisation reported on Friday.
The CoE states that at the expiry of the deadline for member states to propose candidates for the election of the next Secretary General, the following candidatures have been sent by Belgian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Didier Reyners, a former Lithuanian premier and lawmaker, Andrius Kubilius, as well as a former Greek foreign minister and parliamentary deputy, Dora Bakoyannis.
“The Committee of Ministers will interview the four candidates separately in March 2019, and decide upon a final list of candidates that will be transmitted to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,” the CoE reported.
The Parliamentary Assembly will then proceed with the election of the next Secretary General, which is due to take place in June 2019. The mandate of the new Secretary General starts on 1 October 2019.
The current Secretary-General is Thorbjorn Jagland, a former Norwegian Prime Minister and parliament speaker.
Croatia chaired the CoE from May to November 2018.
More news on Croatia and the Council of Europe can be found in our Politics section.
