Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman on Thursday met with a German Parliament delegation, led by the chairman of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with the Northern Adriatic States, Oliver Luksic, the ministry said in a statement.

The two officials expressed satisfaction with the two countries’ excellent political relations and their overall cooperation within the EU and NATO, underlining the need for closer economic and trade relations.

Grlic Radman informed the German delegation of preparations for Croatia’s accession to the Schengen area of passport-free travel as well as its chairmanship of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2020 and the goals and priorities of its presidency: economic growth and even development of all EU member states, transport, energy and digital connectivity, internal and external security and the EU’s global role.

The two sides also discussed current European topics, EU enlargement, the situation in the Western Balkans as well as the EU’s financial framework for the 2021-2027 period, the statement said.