Bilateral relations with EU Member States |
Croatia receives important political and material support to achieve European standards
Croatia's bilateral relations with EU Member States and EFTA Member States were characterised by their unwavering support, both general and active, for Croatia's efforts to become a member of the European Union. Some states emphasised the need to continue with unremitting implementation of the reform process and achievement of European standards. The number and dynamics of meetings held at all levels testifies to good and comprehensive bilateral relations.
Croatia's very good mutual relations with Austria, in all fields of co-operation, continued their rising trend in 2009. Austria invested great effort to unblock Croatia's EU accession negotiations. The two countries regularly exchanged views on the situation in South East Europe and co-operated as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. Croatia also expressed its support for the Austrian-Romanian initiative for drafting the Danube Strategy.
In April, the Croatian President awarded the Grand Order of Queen Jelena with Sash and Morning Star to former Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel for his significant contribution to establishing
and advancing relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader paid a working visit to Austria, and the Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger paid an official visit to Croatia. Bilateral relations and interdepartmental co-operation (in the fields of education, science, home affairs, judiciary, etc.) were strengthened through numerous meetings of respective ministers. Cultural co-operation was especially dynamic. In December, Croatia and Austria signed the new Programme on Co-operation in the Fields of Culture and Education for the period 2010 - 2012. Vienna and Zagreb hosted the exhibition Ars Croatiae, the largest collection of Croatian contemporary art outside Croatia acquired by the Austrian art collector Dr. Alfred Brogyany. Regional and local co-operation also intensified. In October, the Mayor of Zagreb Milan Bandić and the Mayor of Vienna Michael Häupl signed the continuation of the Zagreb - Vienna Co-operation Agreement. Erwin Pröll, Governor of Lower Austria, and Josef Pühringer, Governor of Upper Austria, paid a working visit to Zagreb, in January and March respectively.
The numerous visits of Croatian delegations to Germany emphasise the well developed bilateral relations between Croatia and Germany. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader visited Munich in May, while in November President Stjepan Mesić met with his German counterpart Horst Köhler in Berlin. In September, Prime Minister Jadranka
Kosor met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Stuttgart. Many expert consultations were also held. Highly active co-operation between individual German regions and the Republic of Croatia has continued. The 30th session of the Standing Croatian-Bavarian Commission was held in Munich. Croatia and Germany also co-operate closely within NATO, with the International Peace Mission ISAF to Afghanistan being the best example of this co-operation.
The frequent exchange of visits between high-level officials confirmed the traditionally good bilateral relations with Hungary. In November, presidents Stjepan Mesić and Laszlo Sólyom attended the Croatian Day celebration in Barcs. In early November, President Mesić also participated in the fourth World Science Forum on Knowledge and Future. At the beginning of December, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Luka Bebić and the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Hungary Béla Katona met in the border town Letenye. They also met in Budapest in September on the margins of the Conference of Presidents of Parliament of South East Europe. In late June, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament attended the celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Iron Curtain in Budapest and met with the then Speaker of the National Assembly Katalin Szili. Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor met with her Hungarian counterpart Gordon Bajnai in July on the margins of
the Croatia Summit. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs Gordan Jandroković and Péter Balász met in Bjelovar in September, and former Hungarian Foreign Minister Kinga Gönz paid an official visit to Croatia in March.
The third joint session of the Croatian and Hungarian Government was held in Barcs in September. The following topics were discussed: Euro-Atlantic integration, cross border co-operation, issues pertaining to development, education, culture, science and technology, minority issues, as well as the main guidelines for future co-operation between Croatia and Hungary. Twelve documents, three of which bilateral agreements, were signed at the session. In 2009 there was a significant decrease in commodity exchange. Exports to Hungary amounted to EUR 132.4 million (which is approximately 43% less than in 2008), while imports from Hungary amounted to EUR 492.7 million (25.6% less than in 2008). Revenues from Hungarian tourists helped narrow the trade gap to some extent. Croatia was visited by 323,360 tourists from Hungary (13% less than in 2008).
Following direct talks between Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and Slovene Prime Minister Borut Pahor, Slovenia’s blockade of Croatia's accession negotiations, which had blocked Croatia's path to EU membership since autumn 2008, was successfully resolved. On 11
September in Ljubljana, the Prime Ministers reached an agreement regarding the border dispute and Slovenia lifted the blockade on Croatia's accession talks. The Arbitration Agreement between the Croatian and Slovene Governments was signed by the Prime Ministers of both countries in Stockholm on 4 November in the presence of their Swedish counterpart as the holder of the EU Presidency. The Croatian Parliament ratified the arbitration agreement on 20 November, whereby Croatia fulfilled its part of the commitment under the agreement. Croatia is making efforts to resolve the remaining open issues with Slovenia in a manner acceptable to both sides, in the European spirit, according to the principle of good-neighbourly relations while abiding by international law.
Traditionally good economic relations were confirmed by results in tourism. Despite the crisis, 1.01 million Slovene tourists visited Croatia (a 3% decrease in comparison with the year before), with a total of 5.6 million overnight stays. Total commodity exchange amounted to EUR 1.43 billion (25% less than in 2008). Coverage of import with export amounted to 64%. Slovenia is Croatia's fourth
foreign trade partner participating in the total commodity exchange with 6.3%. Slovenian direct investments into Croatia in 2009 amounted to EUR 108 million, while Croatian investments in Slovenia were worth only EUR 3.1 million in the same period.
Political co-operation with Poland was satisfactory in terms of dynamics and the level of visits. A delegation led by Prime Minister Ivo Sanader paid a working visit to Warsaw, the Speaker of the Parliament Luka Bebić attended the celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the first free post-war elections in the Republic of Poland in Warsaw, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor attended the ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War 2 in Gdansk, Andrzej Halicki, Polish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, paid a visit to Croatia. With a view to improving bilateral relations, especially in the field of economic co-operation, Croatia launched the initiative to open honorary consulates in Poznan, Krakow and Gdansk.
As Czech officials were occupied with commitments pertaining to the Czech EU presidency in the first half of 2009, bilateral contacts with Croatia were less intense and had to be realised within this framework. On the other hand, Czech Senate Speaker Přemysl Sobotka officially visited Croatia on two occasions, in addition to his unofficial visit
during the celebration of the 135th anniversary of the Bohemian society "Česka beseda" in Zagreb, thus confirming traditionally good relations between the two countries. In February, Croatia was the partner country at the 18th Holiday World, a tourism fair held in Prague.
The high intensity and variety of Croatian-Slovakian meetings (ranging from meetings between high-ranking state officials and ministers or other representatives of government departments, to numerous diplomatic consultations) were additionally confirmed by the visits of Prime Minister Robert Fico and the Speaker of the National Council Pavol Paška to Croatia. Former Slovakian Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda was awarded the Grand Order of Queen Jelena with Sash and Morning Star in Zagreb for his for exceptional contributions to the independence and integrity of the Republic of Croatia. The then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Families, Veteran's Affairs and Intergenerational Solidarity Jadranka Kosor visited Slovakia, while President Stjepan Mesić paid a farewell visit. On 3 June Zagreb hosted the first Croatian-Slovakian Energy Consultations, while on 24 August, the Slovakian Minister of Economy Lubomir Jahnatek visited Croatia. At the beginning of November, another round of energy consultations was held in Bratislava.
Croatia and France launched talks about a strategic partnership. The draft agreement was handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration in September. The fact that France offered Croatia its new bilateral instrument for improving and strengthening relations with Central and East European EU Member States is of great political significance to Croatia. Namely, Croatia is the first non-EU country which is about to sign an agreement on strategic partnership and thereby institutionalise its relations with this important European country. The central event in 2009 was the second visit of Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader to Paris in mid February. Talks with Prime Minister Francois Fillon and President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed that bilateral relations are on a high level. In October, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner visited Dubrovnik to join the celebration of the 18th anniversary of lifting the siege of the city and for his contributions at that time, he was awarded a high Croatian order by the President of the Republic of Croatia.
President Stjepan Mesić gave a lecture entitled "Croatia on the threshold of the European Union" at the prestigious Europe Institute. He met with the President of the Government Council of the Canton of Zurich, thereby confirming good bilateral relations with Switzerland.
Given that Sweden held the EU presidency in the second half of 2009, bilateral activities were also connected with this fact. By encouraging constructive dialogue between Croatia and Slovenia, Sweden contributed to the unblocking and resumption of Croatia's accession talks. Croatia and Sweden co-organised the Croatia Summit 2009 in Dubrovnik on 9 - 10 July. Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt addressed the Conference on behalf of the EU. Olof Ehrenkrona, Senior Advisor to the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited Croatia twice.
In 2009, the Netherlands was again among the biggest foreign investors in Croatia, and one of the most significant donors of financial assistance through bilateral programmes and pre-accession programmes. In September, during a visit by the Dutch Minister of Justice, the two Ministries of Justice signed a Letter of Intent on further strengthening of capacities in the Croatian Ministry of Justice. The Dutch-Croatian project for re-establishing a ferryboat connection between Vukovar and Bač (launched in 2005) is nearing completion. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Dutch Minister for Development Co-operation, the Croatian City of Vukovar and the
Serbian municipality of Bač was signed in October. Within the framework of the bilateral pre-accession assistance programme (MATRA and G2G.nl) in 2009 Croatia received a donation worth EUR 2 million from the Dutch Government.
Belgium's preparations for the EU presidency in the second half of 2010 were a good motive to intensify bilateral contacts and co-operation in 2009. In 2009, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs carried out training for Croatian diplomats and civil servants (experts and co-ordinators of European affairs in the relevant ministries) whereby the training programme, organised within the framework of Belgian pre-accession assistance, was based on Croatia's specific requirements. As part of the pre-accession assistance programme for harmonisation with the acquis, the Government of Flanders financed eight Croatian projects amounting to EUR 650,000. Representatives of Croatian harbours received scholarships from the Flemish Government and participated in the harbour management training programme in Antwerp. As part of the promotion of the Croatian economy and tourism in Brussels, a Croatian Evening was organised at the beginning of February. Within the scope of international scientific co-operation, the University of Osijek and the University of Zagreb established co-operation with the Université Libre de Bruxelles. On 2 April, the Belgian Parliament ratified the Agreement between the
Republic of Croatia and the Kingdom of Belgium on the Gainful Occupation of Certain Dependents of Diplomatic and Consular Staff that entered into force on 1 June 2009.
Bilateral relations with Luxembourg were most dominantly characterised by Luxembourg's support for Croatia's accession to the EU. Within the framework of its pre-accession assistance, Luxembourg's Government organised seminars in the field of legal adjustment and institution building for representatives of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and the Ministry of Finance. Additionally, the Luxembourg Financial Technology Transfer Agency organised 11 seminars, three of which were held in Zagreb, for Croatian civil servants.
Relations with Finland noted excellent progress which was confirmed by the visit of Finland's President Tarja Halonen to Croatia in September. Croatia was also visited by Finland's Minister for Migration and European Affairs in January, and members of the Finnish-Croatian Inter-Parliament Friendship Group at the end of September. A
delegation of the Institute Ruđer Bošković visited Finland, and the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs held political consultations in November at the level of Heads of Departments. The two countries established an excellent co-operation in thirteen twinning projects concerning navigational safety and air quality, the Finnish Ministries and public institutions expressing their readiness to continue in the same direction. Finland's systematic support to Croatia resulted in the expansion of bilateral economic relations which included activities for an affirmation of Croatian forestry on an international level. Efforts made by the Croatian diplomatic mission to Finland helped Croatia in becoming the seat of the Regional Office of the European Forest Institute. The scientific community established contacts which resulted in specific co-operation projects between research and educational circles. Croatia intensified the promotion of tourism with direct flights being introduced for the first time connecting Helsinki with Split and Dubrovnik.
The official visit of Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves to Croatia in March and the Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo in April strengthened good bilateral relations with Estonia. Zagreb also hosted political consultations between representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries.
In addition to its political support for Croatia's accession to the EU as soon as possible, Latvia also continued to provide expert support in the process of accession negotiations. Within this context, Latvia hosted consultations on Chapter 33 - Financial and Budgetary Provisions in March. Friendly relations between the two countries were additionally confirmed during the official visit of Croatian Minister Gordan Jandroković to Riga in March.
In 2009, Croatia and Lithuania continued their defence co-operation. Particularly worth mentioning is the visit of a joint Lithuanian-Croatian delegation to Afghanistan, where Croatian soldiers are a part of the Lithuanian Provincial Reconstruction Team. The Lithuanian Parliament formed a Group for Inter-Parliamentarian Relations with Western Balkans with the aim of intensifying parliamentary co-operation. (there are no groups for individual countries, apart from a few exceptions that are of strategic interest).
The mid-year visit of Norway's Defence Minister Anne-Grete Strohm-Erichsen to Croatia reaffirmed very good bilateral defence co-operation with Norway. The Norwegian Government continues to support mine clearing activities in Croatia. A number of seminars and presentations on the possibilities of economic co-operation and investments in the markets of both countries confirmed a mutual
interest for the development of economic relations.
Bilateral relations with Denmark were marked by the official return visit of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Luka Bebić to Copenhagen in April. Extensive co-operation evolved in the defence sector, with special emphasis on co-operation between the two countries' air forces and navies.
Bilateral relations with Iceland were characterised by mutual contacts at the level of national parliaments. At the end of the year, the Speaker of the Icelandic Parliament Asta R. Johannesdottir paid an official visit to Croatia. It was the first visit of a high-ranking Icelandic official to Croatia. A delegation of the Croatian Parliamentary Committee for European Integration visited Reykjavik. Iceland expressed strong support for Croatia's full-fledged membership in NATO. Following Iceland's accession bid to the EU, Croatia reiterated its readiness to assist Iceland in its accession process.
The most important bilateral event with Monaco was the state visit of Prince Albert II to the Republic of Croatia in April. Prince Albert II visited the Centre for Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Mine Victims in Rovinj, the building of which was supported by the Principality of Monaco with EUR 300,000 for the period 2010 - 2012. Monaco is also an important donor for the demining of nature parks in Croatia.
Political relations with Italy intensified in 2009, as confirmed by numerous meetings at the highest level. During an official visit of the Foreign Affairs Minister Franco Frattini in January, a Memorandum of Co-operation between the Croatian and Italian Government was signed, representing the basis for regular political dialogue and wider interdepartmental co-operation. The first meeting of the Coordination Committee of Ministers, headed by Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both states, was held in Rome on 1 July. The meeting resulted in the signing of the Joint Declaration on Co-operation. Extensive interdepartmental co-operation has been established in areas of common interest, especially between the ministries of foreign affairs, the economy, industry, energy, environmental protection, infrastructure, transport, agriculture, university and research and technical co-operation, as well as between harbours in the northern Adriatic. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and the President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesić visited Italy in March and November respectively. The visit of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Luka Bebić to Italy in October contributed to the strengthening of inter-
parliamentary co-operation and the process of setting up an Inter-parliamentary Croatian-Italian Friendship Group. The first Croatian-Italian Economic Forum held in Zagreb in October was the result of the first session of the Coordination Committee of Ministers. Italy is Croatia's leading foreign trade partner (overall commodity exchange amounted to EUR 3.77 billion, which is 30% less than in 2008). Italy is Croatia's largest export market (20% of total exports), while at the same time it is also one of the most important tourist markets and eighth biggest foreign investor.
Minister Gordan Jandroković, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Luka Bebić and President Stjepan Mesić met with Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Fra Matthew Festing and other high ranking officials of the Order, including the Grand Chancellor and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In the course of 2009, Croatian officials visited the Holy See on several occasions - Minister Gordan Jandroković visited the Vatican in June, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Luka Bebić in October, and President Stjepan Mesić in November. The high Croatian officials once again invited the Holy Father Benedict XVI to visit Croatia.
The official visit of Minister Gordan Jandroković to Portugal in
March gave new impetus to bilateral relations with this country. A Memorandum of Co-operation between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs was signed on this occasion. Zagreb hosted the first political consultations at the level of State Secretaries dealing with bilateral, regional and international issues. Economic co-operation focused on areas of traffic and harbour management, as well as on the promotion of Croatian tourism. The bilateral Agreement on Industrial, Technical and Scientific Co-operation, signed ten years earlier, entered into force in August.
Co-operation with Spain was intensified in view of Spain's preparation for the EU presidency in the first half of 2010. Minister Gordan Jandroković met regularly with Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Moratinos on the sidelines of international conferences and meetings. Throughout the course of the year, Spain organised very successful technical consultations in Madrid about individual negotiation chapters. Second Vice-President of the Senate of Spain officially visited the Croatian Parliament in July. As part of intensified co-operation in the field of the judiciary, a delegation of the Croatian Ministry of Justice visited Spain in October. Within the Group of Friends of Alliance of Civilizations, Croatia and Spain jointly organised a broader regional conference on Youth, Education and Media which took place in Sarajevo in December. Among the most important
economic projects was the establishment of direct seasonal flights and the promotion of Croatian products in the shops of the department store chain El Corte Ingles.
As part of its support for Croatia's integration into the EU, Great Britain initiated the organisation of the Wilton Park Conference in Croatia. The conference titled “Completing Croatian Accession Negotiations and EU Membership Prospects for the Western Balkans” was held in Zagreb on 17 - 20 November. Many bilateral meetings were held at the level of Ministers. Minister Gordan Jandroković met with his British counterpart David Miliband in May during the UN Security Council session and on the sidelines of the session of the UN General Assembly in September. In October, the Croatian Minister of Justice Ivan Šimonović met in London with British Europe Minister Chris Bryant and the Minister of Justice Jack Straw. The Croatian Ministers of Finance and Tourism visited Great Britain within the framework of international conferences, while in March, the Governor of the Croatian National Bank received an award from the magazine “Banker” in London naming him the best governor in the world. Inter-Parliamentary co-operation was marked by the June visit of the chairman and members of the European Scrutiny Committee of the House of Commons to Zagreb. Finally, Princess Anne, Princess Royal, visited Croatia in February as a guest of
President Stjepan Mesić. In May, the Croatian Embassy in Great Britain, in co-operation with the Department of Slavic Languages of the British Library, organised a conference on “The Renaissance of Marko Marulić (Split, 1450 - 1524)” in London.
Bilateral relations with Ireland were characterised by a number of inter-parliamentary meetings. Croatia hosted the Speaker of the Lower House of the Irish Parliament John O'Donoghue in July and the delegation of the Irish Parliament’s Joint Committee on European Affairs, led by its Chairman Bernard Durkan in March. In July, Irish Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European Affairs Dick Roche attended the Croatia Summit in Dubrovnik, where he met with Minister Gordan Jandroković. Croatia's Chief Negotiator Vladimir Drobnjak visited Ireland in February, and Ireland continued to carry out training of Croatian civil servants as part of its support to Croatia on its path to the European Union.
Good bilateral relations with Greece were confirmed during a working visit of President Stjepan Mesić to Athens and political consultations held at the level of State Secretaries of Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The commodity exchange between the two countries decreased by
54.6% compared to the year before, and amounted to EUR 102.7 million.
Intense political dialogue and co-operation in political, economic and cultural fields were continued with Bulgaria. The commodity exchange decreased by 50%, mostly as a result of the economic crisis, and amounted to USD 121.2 million (Croatian imports amounting to USD 78.9 million and exports to 42.3 million). In April, the Croatian delegation, led by President Stjepan Mesić, participated at the Regional Energy Summit in Sofia. On this occasion, the Croatian Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship and the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism signed a Memorandum on Co-operation, thus meeting the requirements for the re-establishment and work of the Joint Intergovernmental Committee for Economic Co-operation between the two countries.
Despite good mutual relations between Croatia and Romania, economic co-operation has still not reached the desired level and does not reflect true economic potential. In 2009, the commodity exchange amounted to USD 251.7 million, decreasing by 0.2%.
Malta continued to provide full support for the completion of Croatian accession negotiations and successful implementation of reform processes, with co-operation of the two countries within international organisations still developing in a positive manner. The commodity exchange volume is constantly on the rise but there is still room for improvement. In 2009, the overall commodity exchange amounted to EUR 180.5 million.
Although 2009 was not marked by any important bilateral meetings, relations between Croatia and Cyprus continued to develop in a positive manner.
Relations with neighbouring states and countries in the region