During her visit to Zagreb, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola addressed the Parliament of Croatia, the Sabor. In her speech, she referred to Croatia’s journey as an EU Member State for the past 10 years as a success story.
“You have shown that you have what it takes to succeed. To prosper. To lead. A mere ten years ago – by becoming a Member State of the European Union – Croatia changed the course of history. Its own history and that of Europe,” said EP President.
Metsola praised constant engagement and commitment of Croatia.
“This year, you changed history again by joining the Schengen Area and adopting the Euro… The transformational effect of Europe, is evident everywhere in Croatia. From the enforceable rights that are afforded to its citizens, to the opportunities that EU membership offers to young and old alike, to tourism, the strength of your economy, to the investment in projects,” she said.
“Croatia’s journey as a Member State is a success story,” stressed Metsola.
Metsola: Ukraine needs us to remain steadfast
President Metsola reassumed that “the illegal, brutal, invasion of independent Ukraine has changed the world as we knew it”.
“We have lived through price hikes and energy shortages. Too many still struggle to make ends meet. Too many feel excluded. Inflation remains an impediment for growth. Post-pandemic economic recovery remains too fragile. All while have a climate crisis that we cannot neglect. The challenges are many. And they are concurrent. But I know that we have the capacity, the resilience and the ability, to emerge stronger than before,” underlined Metsola.
EP President explained that this demands political courage.
“That means putting aside short term interests. It means matching rhetoric with action. Nowhere is this more evident than in Europe’s reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We – parliamentarians – are being called upon to act. To lead. To support Ukraine. To defend the values that we have talked about for generations,” she stressed.
Metsola emphasised that Ukraine needs EU’s solidarity and help to remain steadfast.
“Ukraine is fighting for its life. For its right to exist. They are looking to us for military, humanitarian, political, financial and moral support. I am proud that in that moment of truth, Europe did not turn away. We stood tall and we stood fast. We understood what is at stake. We remember what it is like to live unfree and under oppression. And while we will always push for peace, we know that it must be a real peace. A peace with justice. A peace with liberty. A peace with dignity,” added Metsola.
“There is one, quick, way we can achieve this – and that is by Russia returning to its territory, sooner rather than later. Until that day, we must be ready to do what is necessary to ensure the survival of Ukraine. And here let me thank Croatia for your leadership. For your solidarity. For your empathy with all those fleeing war”.
PM Plenković: Croatia completely transformed
Speaking at a conference on the 10th anniversary of Croatia’s accession to the EU, organized by the Croatian Government and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs at the National and University Library, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said Croatia had achieved incredible success in those ten years. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that Croatia had been completely transformed. “A lot still needs to be done, but we have international reputation and our voice is heard. We have earned respect, and that’s a lot in ten years,” he said.
[Credit: Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Republic of Croatia]
“These are ten years of incredible success for a country in the very heart of Europe,” said Metsola.
Plenković underlined that EU membership, for a young country that had achieved freedom and democracy through war thanks to Croatian defenders and the vision of first president Franjo Tuđman, was a major goal for Croatia.
“For us, the EU was a community of values and rights. These two aspects are at the core of what we have achieved by joining the EU. This is reflected today in the democracy, freedom, the protection of human and minority rights, strong institutions and a firm position at the very heart of the EU,” he said.
The prime minister added that the benefits of Croatia’s EU membership were manifold.
“We have joined the Eurozone and the Schengen Area, a space of security and border protection. We are a part of Europe’s stabilization mechanism, empowered by 25 billion euros for this decade.”
Plenković said that the benefits also included reputation, as evidenced by Croatia’s credit rating, the way in which we are perceived by other stakeholders, investors, as well as international and domestic financial markets, adding that we are on the radar of those who want to do business with Croatia and be our partners.
“Looking back on our journey, we can be extremely satisfied. Croatia has been completely transformed. We still have some T’s to cross, but we have international reputation and our voice is heard. We have earned respect, and that’s a lot in ten years,” he said.
Croatia continues its journey on three paths
Plenković added that the country continued its journey on three paths: green transition, digital transformation and demographic revitalisation.
Those three topics ensure competitiveness on the global market and the ability to face challenges while remaining together as a society, he pointed out.
Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković rejected criticism from Eurosceptics that Zagreb was only following the policy of Brussels. “No, we are actively involved in decision-making and we align our own interests with the interests of other members,” he said.
Croatia will not use problems with neighbours to block them
Speaking about EU enlargement, Plenković said that Croatia, which has lost several years in negotiations due to the border dispute with Slovenia and relations with the Hague court, will not use problems with neighbouring countries to block their path to the EU.
Blockades are unjust, they create a bad atmosphere. Croatia wants to resolve bilateral issues in an intelligent way, and not in a way that presents an obstacle to negotiations, Planković said.
He added that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine had completely transformed the old member states’ position on enlargement.
“The tectonic changes in Europe’s security environment have made both heads of state and administration change views, resulting in a quicker accession process,” Plenković said, adding that Croatia would support countries aspiring to join the EU, as membership brings stability, progress and security.
Jandroković said that it was in Croatia’s interest to Europeanise the neighbourhood, and not to have someone in its environment that advocates semi-democratic or non-democratic models.
“Our neighbourhood is not clear on European integration, and that is cause for concern. We will help everyone who wants to move towards EU membership,” said the Parliament Speaker.
Speaking about the elections for the European Parliament next year, Metsola called on voters, especially young people, to go to the polls because these are the most important elections so far.
There is an invisible line and when we cross it, we have lost our citizens. If you manage to “sell” the argument that voting is not a privilege, but a right and even a duty, then we will understand what the citizens want and show a clear vision that the EU has its worth. To achieve this, we must make sure that as many people as possible vote next year. Every vote matters, Metsola underscored.
