Croatia: contributing to the future of Europe - EPP Group Bureau meets in Dubrovnik

05.04.2013 7:45

Croatia: contributing to the future of Europe - EPP Group Bureau meets in Dubrovnik

The EPP Group Bureau will hold a meeting in Dubrovnik on 11 and 12 April 2013 to mark the conclusion of Croatia's accession to the European Union, as well as to underline the Group's consistent and unwavering support to Croatia as an indispensable part of a united Europe.

In retrospect, the last EPP Group Bureau meeting held in Croatia, on 3-4 March 2011 in Zagreb, was crucial to ensuring the timely conclusion of the negotiations. Immediately prior to the meeting, the European Commission released an interim report on progress in Chapter 23, Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, with a number of critical findings. Discussions during the meeting, and the participation of Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Viviane Reding, were key to the successful response of the Croatian authorities and the effective end of negotiations in June 2011.

Croatia – 28th EU Member State as of 1 July 2013

The last hurdles have been cleared for Croatia to become the 28th Member State of the European Union on 1 July 2013.

The European Commission issued a final monitoring report confirming that Croatia is fully prepared for accession and that no further monitoring is required. Commissioner Štefan Füle, in charge of Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, congratulated Croatia on the excellent job it did in fulfilling European requirements in all negotiation chapters.

The final positive assessment of Croatian achievements by the European Commission is in great extent due to the efforts of Croatian governments led by HDZ, Member of the European People's Party, who conducted the entire process of accession negotiations, ending them with success in June 2011.

Slovenia ratified the Croatian Accession Treaty following an agreement with Croatia on how to move forward with the resolution of the Ljubljanska banka issue, setting aside the last open question between the two neighbouring countries. Only Germany and Denmark have yet to ratify the Treaty but the latest Commission report leaves no doubt that the process will be completed swiftly.

EPP Group discusses how to contribute to sustainable growth and jobs

The main topic of the Dubrovnik meeting is the political, economic and social situation in Croatia on the eve of its accession and the contribution Croatia will bring to a united Europe.

Sustainable growth and jobs in the EU is the second major topic of the meeting, with discussions on relaunching the competitiveness of the EU's economy and the EU's budgetary contribution to sustainable growth and jobs. The growth and jobs topics in detail include: exploiting the Single Market's potential, supporting SMEs ("Entrepreneurship 2020" Action Plan), strengthening research and development (Horizon 2020) and developing transport and tourism.

Political, economic and social situation in Croatia

Croatia now shares the economic and social challenges faced by the European Union, centred on economic growth and jobs. The key to this challenge is to foster a climate where dynamic SMEs can grow and prosper matching the highly skilled workforce in Croatia.

Innovations in its tourism sector offer strong exemples of how to maintain and increase traditional sources of economic wealth. The related development of transport infrastructure with limited resources, as Croatia has not yet benefited from EU structural funds and the Cohesion fund, indicates a huge potential for progress and synergies within the EU.

The level of investment in Research & Development is still not very high in Croatia, especially from the private sector. While the economic and social crisis is making investments more difficult, being a Member State of the EU can help Croatia to improve its performance and enhance its participation in the relevant EU programmes, such as Horizon 2020.

First European elections in Croatia

Ad hoc elections for 12 Croatian Members of the European Parliament will be held in Croatia on 14 April 2013. The EPP Group has already involved Croatian observers in all its work in the European Parliament and is looking forward to including future Croatian Members in the process of shaping EU policies to ensure wealth and jobs for future generations.

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