CROATIAN PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

On 1 January 2020, for the first time, Croatia will take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union within the Trio of presiding EU member countries, which consists of Croatia, Romania and Finland. The six-month presidency of this key legislative institution of the European Union is a major challenge, but also a unique opportunity for multiple promotions of Croatia within the European Union. Through its national priorities, Croatia has emphasized that it wishes to see a Europe that grows uniformly, sustainably and inclusively, a Europe that bonds, protects and is open and assertive. In order to achieve these goals, the whole country will need to make efforts, from the state administration bodies to business associations, higher education institutions, tourist boards and many others. It is often said that a country only becomes a true member of the European Union after the successful end of its first presidency of the Council. The reason for this is because the presidency is a certain test of maturity for our state administration – more than 300 civil servants from Croatia act during the presidency as chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of the preparatory bodies of the Council, finding themselves at the key positions in the European legislative process. As part of the presidency, 1400 formal meetings will be held in Brussels, though this does not mean the presidency is limited to the European capital. Zagreb shall visit the new European Commission at the beginning of the presidency, while in the Republic of Croatia, two summits, twelve informal ministerial meetings of the Council, eight ministerial conferences and more than a hundred events on the professional and work level shall be held – all with the aim of preparing and adopting legislative acts to achieve the set presidency priorities. The presidency has a rich cultural and advertising aspect – the official logo and slogan of the presidency have been selected, festive opening concerts are being held in Zagreb and Brussels, and special cultural programmes will take place at more than fifty locations throughout the world. The cultural programme of the presidency is associated with Rijeka as the European Capital of Culture in order for Croatia to show Europe and the world the richness of its unique cultural heritage in this historical year. The presidency is certainly a challenge in the context of 2020, with the new European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as Brexit increasingly encouraging discussion on the future of the European Union. However, if 2013 was the year when Croatia affirmed its position in the European family, then history shall remember 2020 as the year Croatia proved that it can be at the helm of the European legislative process and can contribute to the welfare and better future of all citizens of the European Union. Tin Musić Bachelor of Journalism, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs