Croatia plans the enlargement of the union during the EU presidency, Bakota says

Gordan Bakota

 The issue of EU reforms can go hand in hand with the enlargement, and Croatia will try to show that enlargement is a credible process, as it is one of the most successful European policies, Croatian Ambassador to Serbia Gordan Bakota said, adding that Croatia has particular responsibility for passing the enlargement torch during its EU presidency.

"It is very tricky to achieve EU unity on such topics, but we will do our utmost to show how important the enlargement is for the transformation of countries and we are sorry that North Macedonia and Albania were not given one date for the opening of accession negotiations, "Bakota told the Serbian daily Danas on the occasion of Croatia's six-month rotating EU presidency since January 1, 2020.

Bakota added that progress will be made during Croatia's presidency, both in terms of opening negotiations with Northern Macedonia and Albania, as well as continuing Serbia's EU integration.

He stressed that Croatia also wants to see Bosnia and Herzegovina progress on its Euro-Atlantic journey.

Bakota noted that Croatia will begin its EU presidency at a very interesting moment, because the EU will have new institutions, due to Brexit, which will surely be one of the main topics for due to talks on the financial framework 2021-27.

He also cited the protection of the EU's external borders, considering it very important for Schengen and security.

He recalled that the European Commission assessed recently that Croatia met the criteria for joining the Schengen area.

"The Enlargement policy, which is of particular importance to Serbia, is of paramount importance to the EU and its global role," Bakota added.

"In the first half of May 2020, Croatia will host a Western Balkans Summit, because we put the enlargement very high on our presidency agenda," Bakota said, adding that Croatia sees enlargement as a transformative power for every society.