SPEAKER:
Irena Andrassy, Permanent Representative of Croatia to the EU


On 1 January 2020, less than seven years after its accession to the European Union (EU) in 2013, Croatia will assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time. Under the Presidency’s motto “A strong Europe in a world of challenges”, Croatia has already indicated that it will focus on four key priorities. In the context of “a Europe that develops” the Presidency wants to address, not only economic development within the EU, but also the climate and demographic challenges. Under “a Europe that connects”, Croatia will seek to improve the transport, energy and digital infrastructure and interconnection, as well as people-to-people contacts through education, culture and sports. Like its predecessors, the Croatian Presidency also aims to make progress in the area of migration and asylum policy, and reinforce cooperation with third countries in the framework of “a Europe that protects”. This also includes becoming more effective in the fight against terrorism and terrorist financing, and reinforcing the EU’s capabilities with respect to hybrid threats, cybersecurity and disinformation. These issues will also play a role in the context of the fourth priority, “an influential Europe”, which seeks to give the EU a stronger voice externally. In this regard, there will be a special focus on the Western Balkans and the enlargement process, with the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb in May 2020 as one of the key Presidency events. Last but not least, negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, 2021-2027, will consume considerable time and energy, given that a consensus on the future MFF still needs to be reached.

At this briefing, Croatia’s Permanent Representative to the EU Irena Andrassy, will set out the priorities of the Croatian Presidency in more detail and take part in a question and answer session, chaired by EPC Director of Studies, Janis A. Emmanouilidis.