ZAGREB, January 10, 2020 – The European Union can become a bigger player on the global level through its power in trade and reputation in mediating between conflicting parties, at a time of tension in the Middle East, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Friday in Zagreb.
Von der Leyen arrived in Zagreb on the occasion of Croatia assuming the presidency of the Council of the European Union under the slogan “A Strong Europe in a World of Challenges.”
Enhancing Europe’s influence consists of several aspects. I refer to trade, to defining processes and standards, for example, as the EU it did with introducing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which the world then followed, von der Leyen told a press conference in Zagreb’s National and University Library.
I think that we must not forget that violence can only be stopped by returning to the negotiation table. Violence always occurs when there is an absence of dialogue, she added, underscoring that the EU has a great reputation as a good mediator between warring forces.
We will be of key significance when new relations are built, she concluded.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković informed the press that High Representative of the EU Josep Borrell and Croatia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman had left for Brussels to attend a ministerial meeting to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East.
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