German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas thanked in Berlin on Wednesday his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlic-Radman for what has been achieved during Croatia's EU presidency, which ended on June 30.

It is a great success that despite the pandemic you managed to make sure the EU is efficient in these difficult times, Maas said thanking Grlic-Radman at a news conference held after the two officials met.

Grlic-Radman was visiting Berlin on the occasion of Germany’s taking over EU presidency in the second half of the year, beginning on July 1.

Maas said that Croatia had been faced with challenges nobody could have anticipated, stressing that the two countries had been in touch all the time during the pandemic.

This pandemic is a link that connects our two presidencies, said Maas.

He also recalled the problems caused by the earthquake that hit Zagreb on March 22.

The German minister said the biggest success of Croatia’s EU presidency was the EU-Western Balkans summit, held in early May as a video-conference.

It was a strong signal that the EU stands by its partners in the Western Balkans also in these difficult moments, Maas said, noting that Croatia also deserved credit for the fact that during its presidency accession talks had been launched with Albania and North Macedonia.

Grlic-Radman thanked Germany for the support offered during its presidency, marked by extraordinary circumstances.

“We started our presidency under the slogan ‘A strong Europe in a world full of challenges’ and one can really say that the pandemic is a challenge,” said Grlic-Radman.

He said that Croatia had been forced to redefine its programme and adapt to difficult circumstances.

“The key priority was safety, both in terms of health and in terms of economy,” Grlic-Radman said.

He expressed confidence that the German presidency would be as successful as it had been for the past 12 times, which is how many times Germany has chaired the EU Council.

The Croatian minister described Croatian-German relations as excellent and thanked Germany for support to Croatia’s accession to the Schengen area.

After the news conference, Maas and Grlic-Radman went to a nearby symbol of Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate, where the official ceremony of the transfer of EU presidency was expected to take place.

During his working visit to Germany, Grlic-Radman is also expected to meet with representatives of the Croat community in Berlin.

Germany’s motto during its EU presidency in the second half of 2020 is “Together for Europe’s recovery”.