European Council President visits Zagreb as part of EU capitals tour

European Council President Antonio Costa arrived in Zagreb today as part of a tour of EU capitals. 

The aim of the tour is talk and listen to the heads of state or government in these countries and gather their views on the situation in the EU, in preparation for the upcoming European Council meetings. He was welcomed in Zagreb by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. The two leaders discussed Ukraine, the EU budget, migration and enlargement.

The PM said Croatia supports continued enlargement based on the fulfilment of individual criteria.

"We want this process to be fair, dynamic and beneficial to countries that want to join the EU after Croatia, but also for the functionality of the entire Union in terms of budget and decision-making to be at the highest level," said Plenković.

Costa described enlargement as an investment in the bloc's security.

"Enlargement is by far the most important geopolitical investment that we can do in our own security. Enlargement to Ukraine, to Moldova, and of course, to the Western Balkan countries. It is a very demanding process but we need to focus and prioritize on this and to work with all these countries to ensure that in this institutional cycle we achieve with success this process,” said Costa.