The most important thing about the European Union for Croatia are its values, its legal framework and the implementation of the Christian principle of solidarity through all EU policies, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told a three-day conference of the Croatian Paneuropean Union in Zagreb on Friday.

Addressing participants on the first day of the event, which focuses on the 100th anniversary of World War I and the EU’s historical legacy and prospects, Plenkovic said that Croatia “can generally be satisfied with its achievements.”

“We have significantly consolidated our international status” and “all international stakeholders now have a different view of us,” the PM believes.

“As for our adeptness in positioning ourselves in (EU) institutions, I believe that we learn quickly, recognise topics of strategic interest, work and have a proactive approach to them,” he said.

Speaking of the main challenges awaiting Croatia in the coming period, Plenkovic said that the first one was accession to the Schengen area of passport-free movement in the context of the global migration wave.

“We have to be aware that the Schengen we aspire to join is no longer as it used to be because the (migrant) crisis has brought it into question,” said Plenkovic.

“Schengen means complete freedom of movement without any controls. Now the situation is different and that is why our efforts to meet the requirements run in parallel with a reform of the European asylum system.”

Speaking of the introduction of the euro, he said that “Croatia has practically met or is in the process of meeting all of the Maastricht criteria.”

The last key requirement, lowering the share of public debt to around 60 percent of GDP “is going well”, he said.

Croatia’s current share of public debt in GDP is at 76 Percent. By the end of 2018, the rate should be at 74 percent, and the plan is to further lower it to 64 percent by 2021, Plenkovic said.

Among those attending the conference of the Croatian Paneuropean Union were Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric, presidential envoy Mate Granic, MP Davor Ivo Stier, members of the European Parliament from Germany and Slovakia, and representatives of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

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