The Prime Minister and some of his European colleagues discussed the migrant crisis, economy and other issues.
Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković met today in Germany with Chancellor Angela Merkel, and prime ministers of Slovenia, Bulgaria and Austria, reports N1 on August 27, 2016.
After returning from Germany, the Prime Minister spoke with reporters. “The meeting was informal, and there were four main topic which are important for Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Austria”, said Orešković.
The first topic was migration and refugees. “We had a lot of discussions about the agreement between the European Union and Turkey, and we have agreed that it is the key for stability. It is in everybody’s interest that the terms of the agreement are met. We also talked about the situation in Africa and Italy. Another topic was digitization, which is a strategic initiative for Europe and we have talked about how we can consolidate our networks.”
Orešković said that they also discussed the issue of economy. “I think that it is clear why this was one of the topics. Each country is in a different situation. I took the opportunity to inform other prime ministers that GDP in Croatia had started growing, while the budget deficit, debt and unemployment are decreasing. However, we do need some new initiatives”, said the Prime Minister.
The final topic was the internal and external security of Europe. “We have discussed the issue of terrorism and how we will work together and share information to prevent potential attacks. This was a preparatory meeting for a meeting of EU member countries in Bratislava. Next week, I will talk with European Council President Donald Tusk and prepare for that meeting. I would like to emphasize that these discussions today were informal, and the views and positions presented were not new. If there are any changes, that we will have consultations. The President and all those who should know our positions have been informed about them”, said Orešković, alluding to the criticism coming from President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović that he had not consulted with other political stakeholders prior to the today’s meeting. “I will meet with the President next week and I will debrief her. She knows our positions. I think that the situation will be much clearer after we meet”, said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister was asked about the possibility of the reopening of the Balkan migrant route. “There is always a risk, but I think all of us, including Turkey, know that we are all connected economically. It is a wider issue. At this point, we are not worried. When I look at what is happening at our borders, nothing has changed much and the situation is stable. However, we will monitor developments and act accordingly”, said Orešković.
