Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic held talks before an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday with European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and EC Vice-President Dubravka Suica.

Plenkovic said the talks were about topics to be discussed at the summit and about topics of importance for Croatia, such as the continuation of its journey towards euro adoption and the Schengen area and preparations for making a plan of economic recovery.

“There is close cooperation and communication at the level of experts so that, like other countries, we can get ready to absorb the available funding,” Plenkovic said, describing the meetings as very good.

Plenkovic and von der Leyen also commented on the first rule of law report released by the EC on Wednesday.

The report notes that the fight against corruption in Croatia is insufficient both in laws and in practice, notably at the local level.

“The document was compiled on the basis of input by a number of stakeholders with whom EC officials communicated. The government, too, contributed. Some of the things (in the report) are positive, some point to what is yet to be done in terms of the perception of corruption, court efficiency and autonomy, and the continuation of the fight against corruption,” he said.

There are no untouchables in the fight against corruption, Plenkovic reiterated.

The rule of law report will be discussed at meetings of the General Affairs Council, which is made up of ministers in charge of European affairs. The first debate will be held in November and it will focus on five countries – Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Estonia.