25TH ANNIVERSARY OF CROATIA'S ACCESSION TO THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

On 6 November 1996, the Republic of Croatia became a full member of the Council of Europe, the oldest European organization, whose role is to strengthen European cooperation by promoting common values and principles in human rights, democracy and the rule of law in order to strengthen European unity and progress. Croatia's accession to the Council of Europe was one of the most important foreign policy successes of our country, which confirmed Croatia's commitment to democratic values and principles, respect for human rights and the rule of law. This also opened the way for the Republic of Croatia to become a member of the European Union, because each member of the European Union had to previously meet the conditions for accession to the Council of Europe. Croatia’s path towards membership in the Council of Europe was not easy. The Republic of Croatia carried out the transition to a modern European democratic society that respects human rights and the rule of law in extremely difficult conditions of defending its state from years of war aggression, and then in the immediate post-war period of state consolidation. Thanks to the foreign policy vision and efforts of the then Croatian leadership, but also to all Croatian citizens, the Republic of Croatia is now a respected member of the Council of Europe, and Croatian representatives and experts participate in all decision-making and document drafting. The past and current main undertakings of Croatian experts within various bodies and expert working groups of the Council of Europe confirm the efforts of the Republic Croatia. The greatest recognition of the Croatian efforts is the election of former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić as Secretary General of the Council of Europe on 26 June 2019, which is the highest Croatian position so far in any international organization. The Republic of Croatia further confirmed its commitment to European values and principles by chairing the most important executive body of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers, in the second half of 2018. Today, after 25 years of membership in the Council of Europe, Croatia enjoys the position of an active and constructive partner member who applies the adopted standards and makes constant efforts to further adapt national legislation and practice to European standards for the benefit of all its citizens. Mato Škrabalo, Director of the V. Directorate-General for Multilateral and Global Affairs Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs