ZAGREB, August 28, 2018 – Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who was on a working visit to Germany, on Tuesday evening held a lecture on Croatia and the future of the European Union in the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, and informed the institution of the priorities of Croatia’s presidency over the Union in the first half of 2020.
The European Union must be able to fulfill the expectations of its citizens and be more self-confident in its actions on the international scene, and in parallel honour the values on which it was based: the respect for human rights, freedoms, democracy and the rule of law, Plenković said in his speech he delivered in German.
As for the topics on which Croatia will focus during its EU chairmanship, the prime minister pointed out economic growth, measures to reduce youth unemployment, regional development, safety and security and the EU enlargement.
In his comment on the forthcoming elections for the next EU parliament, Plenković warned against a rise in popularity of populist parties throughout Europe. It is our task to halt that negative trend and its negative impact on the next European elections, he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel, who received Plenković for bilateral talks, commended Croatia for protecting the European Union’s external borders and supported its accession to the Schengen Area.
