Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Sunday the arrival of new European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Croatia was significant because of the public perception of Croatia's importance as the newest EU member state which would chair the European Council for the first time next year.

Speaking to the press in Dubrovnik, he said the key goal of negotiations in the European Parliament had been that the Commission president should come from the relative winner of May’s European elections, the European People’s Party.

“Unfortunately, the election of the main candidate, Manfred Weber, was blocked, but we managed to get a very good candidate who knows and has visited Croatia, is in excellent relations with our Defence Minister (Damir) Krsticevic, and has extensive experience of four terms in the German government,” said Plenkovic.