Jandroković: EU based on subsidiarity cannot impinge on national sovereignty

The Speaker of Croatian Parliament participated in the Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of the Member States of the European Union, in Budapest on Monday.

In his address as part of the panel titled "The Future of the European Union", Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković stressed the importance of European cooperation in these challenging times, in which he said an epidemic of instability and insecurity is spreading throughout the world: “I still see the European Union as an extremely valuable platform, which allows us to jointly tackle and overcome these threats and challenges. Adapting to crises, overcoming them and consequently transforming, all this has been a part of the EU's historical development journey. Ladies and gentlemen, Croatia has always seen the EU as a meaningful and reliable partnership of sovereign nations, sharing similar values and goals, nations that are pooling their strengths together for the common good, preserving their distinct national voices, while amplifying their impact.”

Jandroković went on to say that a unified Europe based on a model of subsidiarity cannot impinge on the national sovereignty of its member states: “Croatia remains as committed as ever to developing our European project, responsibly and in unity with its partners, to continue building a Europe of solidarity, cohesion and subsidiarity, where national goals can be incorporated into European ones and vice versa. And our national sovereignty cannot be diminished if increase targeted and structured cooperation within the union. To the contrary, it can be exercised more effectively when we stand united in a complex world, especially in addressing our joint sources of concern, like security, defense, climate, migration energy or trade.”

He concluded by outlining the path Europe must follow if it is to retain its international relevance: “If we want to be globally relevant, we really should be playing the long game. In doing so it is essential that we continue the rules based order and international law, no matter how difficult it seems. Remaining firmly with Ukraine is an integral part of this approach.”

Source: HRT