Croatia in the EU

The Centre for European Studies in cooperation with the Croatian Statehood Foundation organized on 17 November 2010 in Osijek, Croatia a conference dedicated to the topic of “Croatia in the EU”. The meeting in Croatia was the occasion to demonstrate the EPP’s and CES’s support to Croatia and HDZ, the Croatian member of the EPP, as well as to the Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and the people of Croatia.

The Conference was opened and welcome remarks by Srećko Prusina, the Chairman of the Board of the Croatian Statehood Foundation and two hosts of the event, Wilfried Martens, President of EPP and CES and Jadranka Kosor, the Prime Minister of Croatia. The speakers of the first panel discussed the topic of “Croatia-the 28th member of the EU”, and the panel was moderated by the CES Director Tomi Huhtanen. The panel was filled with high representatives like Wilfried Martens, Gordan Jandroković, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European integration of the Republic of Croatia, Rumiana Jeleva, the Vice-President of the EPP, Dražen Bošnjaković, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Croatia and Dragan Čović, the President of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the afternoon, the conference continued with second panel which focused on the “Croatia in the EU-for or against”. The moderator was Ivo Ivančić, the Head of the Political Academy of the Croatian Statehood Foundation and Director of the Office of the Board, VERN University of Applied Sciences. The panelists were Paul Vandoren, Ambassador, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Croatia, Branko Bačić, MP, Secretary General of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Vladimir Drobnjak, Chief Negotiator for the Accession Negotiations of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union, Vesna Pusić, President of the Croatian National Committee for Tracking the Negotiations on the Accession of Croatia to the European Union and the Vice-President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, Josip Friščić, Vice-Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Sabor and President of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) and Milorad Pupovac, President of the Independent Democratic Serbian Party (SDSS).

Third panel was devoted to the youth, covering the topic “Youth in the EU”. It was moderated by the former Vice President of the Youth of the European People’s Party and International Secretary of the Youth of the Croatian Democratic Union, Darija Jurica and the speakers were Gonzalo Ortiz Lázaro, New Generations of the People`s Party in Spain and Political Advisor to the President of the Community of Madrid, Bence Bauer, Chairman of the European Democrat Students, Mate Jurčević, Member of the Board of the Youth of the Croatian Democratic Union and Ivo Ivančić. The Conference was closed by Srećko Prusina.