Croatia takes over EU presidency for the next six months

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Croatia has today taken over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, six and a half years after becoming an EU member.

The start of the presidency will be officially marked on 9 January 2020 with the arrival of members of the European Commission in Zagreb and a concert at the Croatian National Theatre.

The international opening of the Croatian presidency will be on 15 January with a concert in Brussels, on the day of Croatia's international recognition and the peaceful reintegration of the Danube region.

A meeting of European Commissioners led by President Ursula von der Leyen and the Croatian government will be held on 9 January at the National and University Library (NSK) in Zagreb.

The presidency is an opportunity for the country to present itself in the best possible light to the European public and to raise domestic awareness of European issues.

"A strong Europe in a world full of challenges" is the slogan Croatia has chosen for its presidency of the EU Council.

The six-month presidency programme is based on four priority areas: a Europe that develops; a Europe that connects; a Europe that protects; and a Europe that is influential.

The representative of the presiding country also chairs meetings of working and expert groups operating within the EU Council. There are about two hundred specialised working groups and committees working on preparations for Council meetings.

The Croatian presidency comes at the very beginning of the Union's new institutional and legislative cycle, which began with the formation of the new composition of European institutions. The most important tasks facing the Union in the coming months are an agreement on the seven-year budget, an agreement on future relations with Great Britain, the Conference on the Future of Europe, and a legislative framework for combating climate change.

"The Croatian presidency will advocate for the continuation of a consistent, effective and credible enlargement policy, as an investment in the stability, security and further economic development and connectivity of the European continent," states the document in the section relating to the priority called Influential Europe.

It is emphasised that promoting European values, strengthening multilateralism and European security and defence cooperation, and implementing the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, are the main guidelines of the Union's external action, and that its credibility in international relations is also reflected through a responsible approach towards its own neighbourhood, both eastern and southern, including Southeast Europe (the Western Balkans).