Plenković: Europe has no alternative to maintaining relations with the US

Both the Croatian Prime Minister and the German Chancellor gave interviews to Croatian Television at the conclusion of the two-day meeting of the European People’s Party in Zagreb on Friday and Saturday. Both emphasized the need for Europe to assert itself on the global scene.

In his interview for Croatian Television last night Prime Minister Andrej Plenković commented on the two-day summit of EPP leaders in Zagreb. Among the key issues discussed at the summit was the future of relations between the European Union and the United States: "We don't have any real alternative other than to nurture our relations through dialogue and understanding. And I think we're all on the same page on this. I haven't met anyone at the EU level who advocates taking a different course of action with regard to our relations with the United States. Obviously, with mutual respect and a congruous level of treatment of not only the member states, but the European Union as an organization, from the other side. This is the essence of what we are saying a doing, and I think that over time, as issues are resolved, these relations will stabilize."

Prime Minister Plenković also noted that as the leader of the HDZ, he had highlighted the importance of demographic revitalization: "As a political party, we suggested that the leaders adopt a declaration on demographic revival as an imperative in Europe, because we all have the same problem. The average age of citizens in the European Union right now is roughly 44.8 years. So, as a society we are in the process of aging. On the other hand the average age on the African continent is roughly 19 years old. This will be felt on the labour market, in competitiveness, and will result in migratory pressures, and will affect everything we do. In our political philosophy the family is the nucleus of a society, and the thing we have to focus on most. This is why these kinds of resolutions are important, because later on they will permeate through future policy from the European Commission, and then we will all apply it on the national level."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also gave an interview for Croatian Television last night, during which he emphasized that Germany and Croatia agree that Europe must be strong enough to fight for its own interests. He also expressed his hope that the emerging new world order would not hinder the process of further EU enlargement, which is a key issue for Croatia: "I hope not. Actually, I hope the opposite is true. The countries in question, and two or three others that are not currently EU member states, are waiting for this to reshape their ties with the EU, given the challenges that lie ahead. For us, Andrej Plenković is most likely the man who can best judge this region and the countries of the so-called Western Balkans. All of us, myself included, are counting on his advice because he knows this region and its actors very well. We are discussing it, but I must say that we do not have a solution yet."

Merz also said that Croatia and Germany discussed partnership in the defense sector: "Yes, we are discussing this. Currently we are discussing common defense with European Union member states much more intensively than before. This also applies to relations between Germany and Croatia. I am glad that we jointly agree that it is necessary to better defend our countries. Germany and Croatia share this view."

Source: HRT