ZAGREB, Nov 3, 2020 – All European Union citizens, including Croatian citizens who want to be vaccinated, will be vaccinated, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said while presenting a report on European Council meetings to the Sabor on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister informed lawmakers of European Council meetings held in October in Brussels and of an informal meeting last Thursday. The main topic was the coronavirus pandemic.
He underlined that the main “solution” to the pandemic is a vaccine and that once it is approved, it will be available to all Croatian citizens.
A few vaccines are in the final stages of testing and whichever one the European Medicines Agency approves as “efficient and safe”, a sufficient quantity will be ensured for Croatian citizens, Plenkovic stressed and added that efforts were being made to make sure the vaccine has an acceptable price for everyone.
He said that the European Commission has recommended a European framework for antigen tests that will be mutually recognised, which currently is not always the case.
The Commission also advocates a mobile application to trace contacts via a common operating system and Croatia is in the process of joining that initiative, he added.
Plenkovic recalled that the government is preparing a national recovery programme and that a draft should be finished in a month or two.
Digital transformation
The main topics during European Council meetings in October were climate change, sustainable development and digital transformation, said Plenkovic.
He warned that the pandemic will have lasting consequences for European and global economies and that it is necessary to restore as soon as possible the normal functioning of the single market.
EU leaders emphasised the importance of a greener and more competitive economy and digital transformation “in the service of citizens,” said Plenkovic.
There was also talk of 5G technology and artificial intelligence. “These are topics that have political, legal, social and ethical implications,” he underscored.
It was concluded that “potential suppliers of 5G technology need to be evaluated based on common, objective criteria.”
Climate change
Plenkovic said that it is necessary to “increase ambitions for the coming decade” and instead of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, reduce them by 50%.
“That is of the greatest importance for the future of our continent,” he said.
The European Council also discussed China, the protests in Belarus, and the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, he added.
Plenkovic once again condemned the terrorist attacks in France and Austria and expressed solidarity with those countries.
