Croatia becomes member of EU Med Group in Athens

The Croatian Prime Minister was in the Greek capital on Friday to participate in the so-called EU Med 9 Summit, which gathered the leaders of nine EU member states on the Mediterranean.

After meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Athens on Friday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced that Croatia will soon receive more than 800 million Euros to start implementing projects from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan: “Croatia was very effective in this area, and this program should enable us to accelerate economic recovery and to define a clear direction in terms of the so-called two-pronged digital and green transition.”

The Mediterranean and Southern European Union member states initially included Greece, Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, however, Croatia and Slovenia will formally join the alliance at today's summit. Prime Minister Plenković had this to say about EU Med 9 membership: “We received an invitation and we are going to be a part of this circle of countries, which will obviously help us jointly discuss the situation in the Mediterranean, but every other global, European and security issue. So, I think it is very good that Croatia and Slovenia have confirmed that the Adriatic is part of the Mediterranean, and that in this way we are entering into a sub-group of EU member states. This will obviously significantly increase our influence in terms of the processes and bilateral relations with other countries.”

During his bilateral meetings with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Commission President Von der Leyen, Plenković received their support for Croatia's bid to join the Eurozone and the Schengen Border Area.

One of the key issues being addressed at the summit are the security challenges in the Mediterranean that endanger stability in the region, and potential new crises, such as the threat of a new wave of migration following the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ensuing chaos there.

Source: HRT