The Croatian State Secretary for European Affairs, Andreja Metelko-Zgombić, spoke to EUROPE about the priorities and challenges of the first ever Croatian Presidency of the EU Council (remarks collected in writing by Camille-Cerise Gessant).
Agence Europe - The motto of your presidency is « A strong Europe in a world of challenges ». Why did you choose this one?
Andreja Metelko-Zgombić - Croatia's presidency of the EU comes at a challenging and complex time for the EU and its Member States. We are faced with numerous internal and external challenges, among others terrorism, cyber and hybrid threats, migration, and conflicts in our neighborhood, populism, fake news and climate change.
We Europeans need to work together to adapt, build resilience and find common answers to those challenges. We need a strong Europe acting for the benefit of its member states and citizens.
Your presidency is coming at the beginning of a new institutional cycle. Which consequences this will have on it?
Indeed, our Presidency starts at the beginning of a new institutional and legislative cycle following the new composition of the European institutions, as well as at a time of challenges resulting from the process of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU. We see this as a unique chance to be at the beginning of shaping strategies and initiatives that will persist and evolve through ensuing presidencies as part of our common EU legacy.
This presidency will be the 1st one of your country, the last one which has joined the EU. How did you prepared yourself?
We are quite excited to take over the Presidency for the first time. We have prepared technically, logistically and above all concerning content.
More than 800 civil servants have received training through numerous workshops and seminars to enhance and strengthen skills that are important to chair the meetings of working groups in Brussels. We have invested logistical efforts in preparing over 160 informal meetings that will take place in Croatia during our Presidency. Experience has shown that the first Presidency for every Member State has strengthened the civil service, and I believe that we will benefit greatly from this exercise.
This first EU Presidency is very important to us, not only because it means leading the Council’s work, but because it shows the success of Croatia’s own European path. We were a country that, through an imposed war, needed to protect its independence in the 1990s, but managed to recover and develop to the point that we will take leadership of the EU Council. Croatia’s first time at the helm of the EU will be an invaluable opportunity to shape common EU policies together with our partners.
How do you intend to conduct the negotiations on Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). What would be for you a good MFF? Do you think it will be possible to have an agreement under your presidency?
We need an ambitious, balanced and sustainable MFF for 2021-2027, that will take into account the Member States’ specificities and empower the Union to reach the goals envisaged in the New Strategic Agenda. It is our common responsibility to reach an agreement as soon as possible in order to ensure a smooth and timely implementation of all Union policies and programs.
We stand ready to cooperate closely with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the Member States, in order to find a compromise with which we can all live with.
In parallel, we will try to swiftly progress further with sectorial legislation and files with a view to enable a prompt start of the next financial cycle, which is a common priority of all European institutions, but also of our citizens, businesses, regions, who count on the European funding.
Do you think that the Brexit will have an impact on your presidency?
Brexit will certainly be one of the overarching topics of our Presidency. The December elections in the UK have provided more clarity regarding Brexit and now we can expect an orderly withdrawal. We will subsequently strive to take all the necessary steps in the Council to define the mandate that will enable us to proceed promptly with the negotiations on the future relations with the UK.
One of the key moment of your presidency will be the EU-Western Balkans summit. What do you expect from this summit?
We will host the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb in May 2020, 20 years after the 2000 Zagreb Summit. The 2000 Zagreb Summit opened the European perspective for Croatia and the whole Southeast Europe, in support for all the Western Balkans countries on their European path, based on their achievements in fulfilling the conditions according to the established criteria and a merit-based principle.
We see the Summit as a unique opportunity to set a political strategic roadmap for the next decade. The Croatian Presidency will strive for the continuation of a credible and effective enlargement policy, which will have a transformative power for the countries acceding to the Union. We see it as an investment in stability and security as well as further economic development and connectivity on the European continent.
As one of your EU presidency priority is « an influential EU », how the EU can be more powerful in the world?
Croatia’s EU Presidency will work on further strengthening the EU as a united and strong global actor, partner and security provider with multilateralism and rules based international order at its core. We see the EU as an actor that is ambitious, visible and a credible partner in international relations by being the world’s largest trading bloc and the second largest economy in the world. The EU is also a leader in promoting fundamental values and projection of peace and security as the world’s largest development and humanitarian aid donor and these facts need to gain more visibility.
Another priority is « a Europe that is developing ». What do you mean? What do you expect?
We will advocate for a balanced, sustainable and inclusive development of the EU that takes into consideration the needs of all the Member States, their regions and citizens.
Under this pillar, we aim to address the need for further deepening of our single market, stimulating digitalization and entrepreneurship, promoting investments in research and innovation and continued convergence and a balanced regional development. We believe that it should all lead towards reducing economic, social and territorial differences, and making the EU even more competitive.
We also aim to address the pressing issue of demographic challenges through opening a broad discussion on the Member States’ views and best practices.
We are fully committed to initiate horizontal discussions and move forward with the main initiatives contained in the European Green Deal. We strongly believe that a future-oriented Europe needs to be a leader in responding to the growing climate change challenge.
« A Europe that connects » is also a priority for the presidency. How do you want to boost the connectivity? Why did you choose this priority?
As our progress and prosperity depends on having a networked economy and making full use of our infrastructural and human potentials, we will promote initiatives contributing to transport, energy and digital connectivity to achieve better cohesion among Member States, while addressing the potential of new technologies.
To boost connectivity, the Presidency will specifically focus on improving trans-European transport network, on creating conditions for the full functioning of secure 5G networks, and on strengthening energy security.
We will also encourage people-to-people contacts to bring together citizens of the Union, especially through sports, culture and education.
A Europe that protects is the last priority. Security is a wide area. On which subjects do you want to work?
Ensuring the safety of our citizens, while adhering to our common values, is of paramount importance. We understand that promoting the EU’s core values is essential in strengthening the resilience of the EU towards internal and external challenges, as well as for enhancing the confidence of citizens in the long-term credibility of our policies.
As a matter of priority, we will work on strategic guidelines for the area of freedom, security and justice and continue to promote the rule of law as a fundamental EU value. The European Union must show its strength and respond to current threats to democratic values, from intolerance and terrorism to cyber threats and disinformation on digital platforms.
How will you work on the migration reform?
During its Presidency, Croatia will commit to finding a comprehensive solution for a sustainable and effective migration and asylum policy, as soon as the Commission presents the proposal for the new Pact on Migration and Asylum. We expect that the new proposal of the Commission will entail fresh ideas on the balance between responsibility and solidarity, as envisaged in the New Strategic Agenda.
To facilitate achieving this goal, the external dimension needs to be further strengthened, including improving partnership dialogues with third countries. We will also put a stronger focus on Southeast Europe and strive to bring to the table the most pressing issues, including the problem of lacking capacities and capabilities, which is the main impediment for countries of this region in managing migration sustainably.
The participation rate in Croatia to the European elections was quite low (less than 30%). How to bring EU citizens closer to the EU?
Recently, a study has shown that our citizens view the European Union more positively than on the accession in 2013. In the last European elections, we saw an increase of participating citizens and we are committed that this positive trend continues. It is important to keep a continuous dialogue with our citizens, to inform them more about the EU, and to bring the benefits of the EU framework and membership closer to their attention.
The December European Council asked the presidency of the EU Council – so Croatia - to work on a Council position on the content, the scope and the composition of the Conference on the future of Europe. How do you imagine this conference?
We are ready to take work forward in shaping a Council position and to engage with the European Parliament and the Commission on this issue.
In preparing our Presidency, we have been guided by the desire to bring the Union closer to the citizens. Our citizens, their expectations and preoccupations, will be at the heart of what we do. The Conference gives us the opportunity to respond to these expectations.
This process, which requires long-term vision, should betwofold: On the one hand, it should indeed be 'a push for an overarching European democracy'. On the other hand, it should focus the Union on the policies which are at the forefront of our citizens’ preoccupations and which can make a difference for the better in their daily lives. This should be an open and inclusive process, in order to secure the widest possible participation, to ensure that our citizens' voice is being heard in shaping the future of the European project.