"Enlargement communication policy"
Address by Ana-Marija Žuvan,
one of the heads in the Directorate for Croatia's EU Accession Process,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration
5th Meeting of the EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee
Prague, 5 May 2009
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It brings me immense satisfaction that, besides the current state of Croatia's negotiations, today, I also
have the opportunity of presenting to you the Communication strategy aimed at informing the
Croatian public about the European integration process of the Republic of Croatia with all its
existing and planned activities, as well as achieved results. In presenting it to you, I believe that I will
manage to bring closer to you the efforts and endeavours that the Government of the Republic of
Croatia has invested in order to inform all of its citizens in the best manner possible, as well as to
encourage them to become more actively involved in the preparation process for full membership.

As has been already mentioned, Croatia currently lies in an exceptionally demanding period. This is a
time of great changes for our country, which is the outcome of reforms that are being conducted in all
segments of society. All of those reforms have the same objective, which is a better life for all of the
citizens of Croatia and full membership in the EU. Certainly one of the most important partners of the
Government on this important and demanding road is civil society. For this reason, please allow me to
present to you the role played by civil society in the Croatian negotiation process.

To start with, I would like to emphasize that the Government of the Republic of Croatia, during the
preparation process for full EU membership, is being led by the principle that the EU project is a
project for all of society. To support this, certainly worthy of mention is the composition of the
negotiation structure for Croatia's accession to the EU, which, I must mention, numbers nearly
2,000 individuals. This supports and reflects the Government's position that, in such a complex task,
government structures must rely on the expertise and knowledge of professionals, both within and
outside of the government administration system. In this way, by means of a decision of the
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Government of the Republic of Croatia, part of the Negotiation group for heading negotiations and for
work in work groups that are responsible for the preparation of negotiations according to the individual
chapters of the acquis communautaire, in addition to representatives of public administration
bodies (TDU), consists of representatives of the academic community, business and social
partners, civil society, occupational associations and corporate subjects. In addition, one representative
from the academic community, social partners and employers (Croatian Employers' Association –
HUP) respectively has been named to the National committee for monitoring accession negotiations
of the Republic of Croatia to the EU, which is a special working body of the Croatian Parliament
(Sabor) with the role of monitoring and assessing the course of accession negotiations, as well as to
provide guidelines and opinions on negotiation positions, and which is headed by a representative of the
opposition. All of the above has the foremost objective of ensuring wide social approval of accession to
the EU, the transparency of the process and, of course, informed and responsible heading of
negotiations on membership.

The successful conducting of negotiations thus far, which I am deeply convinced will continue in the
future, is the merit of all structures involved in this process, and so too civil society. The question of
dialogue of the civil society in the pre-accession period is being observed within the framework of the
political criteria for EU membership because it is precisely developed civil dialogue that is the
characteristic and indication of a democratic and stable country as are modern European societies
with which Croatia identifies itself and which it is striving to join. Well-developed and open civil
society is not only a basic right of citizens to freedom of association, it is also the source of information
of the state and needs of the country, without which it would be impossible to decide and govern in a
proper and responsible manner.

Furthermore, the role of the civil sector is growing and becoming more desirable in the implementation
of EU policies, as well as in supplementing services that are provided to citizens by the state and the
market economy, let us merely mention the areas of social welfare, healthcare, education, human rights,
environmental protection, consumer protection, etc. Therefore, it is not difficult to realize the
importance of dialogue with the civil society to fulfil criteria – political, legal, economic and
administrative – based on which assessment is made on the readiness of a certain country for EU
membership. The strengthening of civil society is a question of reaching the capability of achieving
maximum benefit from membership in the EU. Therefore, attaining readiness for full membership is
not, and cannot be, only a Government project, but is rather a project for all of society.

Given that achieving readiness for full membership is a project for all of society, and given the fact that
the entire country and all of its citizens are accessing the Union, it is of great importance to inform the
Croatian public in a timely and detailed manner of the European integration process. And it is precisely
for this reason that the new Communication strategy aimed at informing the Croatian public about
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the EU and preparations for membership1 has been adopted, which is being conducted by means of
diverse activities and has the objective of presenting to the public all aspects of accession to the EU, as
well as to provide an objective and realistic picture of the EU and membership in it. Because
successful accession to the European Union can only be achieved if the accession preparation process
enjoys a high level of understanding and support from Croatian citizens. Also, it is necessary to
explain, as best as possible, the adaptations that Croatia must still undergo on its way to membership in
the EU, its costs, as well as benefits, so that citizens, when in the near future they are going to vote at a
referendum on membership, may make a decision based on information that is objective and that
provides valid arguments.

The target group of all our communication activities is the entire public of the Republic of Croatia,
given that information must directly reach all parts of Croatian society. However, special attention is
directed towards the generators of public opinion, such as the media, corporate subjects, nongovernmental organizations and the civil sector, academic community, religious communities, as well
as local and regional bodies; followed by young people as future citizens of the European Union; as
well as groups sensitive to changes, such as farmers and the rural population, the inhabitants of areas
under special state care and pensioners. Cooperation with civil society is especially emphasized, both
at the national and at the local level, because, as I have already mentioned, dialogue with civil society is
one of the main foundations of future progress. Modern society is constantly encountering the question
of this dialogue, while membership in the EU adds additional significance to it.

In this sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, together with NGOs, is
conducting a whole range of activities related to informing the public of European integration. One
form of cooperation is the co-financing of NGO activities. Thus, this year, as in the previous six years,
under way is a public competition for the allocation of funds to projects intended for informing the
public about European integration. In this manner, NGOs additionally contribute to the quality and
objective awareness of the wider public to the obligations in the pre-accession period, as well as after
joining the EU2.

This year, we have directed additional attention to young people. As a consequence, by way of
competition, we shall finance projects that aim to raise the level of awareness about EI among
secondary school students. The importance that the Republic of Croatia provides to involving young
people in the process of making decisions itself can be seen also through the Program of the
Government of the Republic of Croatia for the allocation of scholarships for the Master of European
Studies Program abroad in the fields of European justice, economy of the European Union and multi-
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The Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted the Communication strategy on 9 December 2005, while it was
passed by the Croatian Parliament on 27 January 2006.
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The projects being financed are directed toward nearly all areas of activity in society and related to the accession of the
Republic of Croatia to the EU.
In 2008, a total of 85 projects were registered, while 17 of them received financial support with the total amount of
240,000 HRK (at least 10,000 HRK, and 30,000 HRK at the most).
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disciplinary European studies. Since 1998, when the program was implemented, over 250 scholarship
recipients have completed the program. Upon return from the program, these young people are being
employed in public administration bodies in positions connected to the accession of the Republic of
Croatia to the European Union.

Also praiseworthy is the cooperation with the organization called GONG, with which we conduct
various projects intended for secondary school students such as "Open Parliament", as part of which
secondary school students and other interested citizens visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
European Integration and participate in a discussion on the topic of Croatia and the EU, followed by
"European Class" – a series of lectures on the topic of European integration in secondary schools
throughout the Republic of Croatia, as well as the Summer and Winter School of European
Integration, which is attended by a large number of secondary school and university students each year.

That young people and their organizations are one of our significant target groups is proven by the fact
that, as part of Europe Week, which is currently taking place in the Republic of Croatia, and by which
we are marking two significant dates in the history of European integration, today's 5 May – Council of
Europe Day and 9 May – Europe Day, being organized is the event entitled EU Days at the Faculty of
Economics in Zagreb, which is currently taking place, with lectures and workshops for students. The
importance of this event, which has already been taking place for 10 consecutive years in cooperation
with the Croatian Student Organization, lies in the fact that students are those who directly
communicate with the officials and ambassadors in attendance, accredited in the Republic of Croatia
related to the European integration process. Through the event, the contribution to the further
development of dialogue with young people is desired. The emphasis of this year's EU Days is
precisely the experiences of member countries in the fifth wave of enlargement and the economic
impact of membership, the Republic of Croatia as regional leader in the European integration process,
as well as the system of higher education and academic mobility within the European Union.

During Europe Week, which is currently under way throughout Croatia, various events are being
organized, whose objectives are to familiarize citizens with the benefits and obligations of EU
membership of the Republic of Croatia. I would like to emphasize with particular satisfaction the fact
that a larger and more active role in marking Europe Week is being played by counties, cities, nongovernmental organizations, citizen initiatives, schools, faculties and other interested institutions, while
our partner is also the Delegation of the European Commission in Zagreb, with which we are currently
conducting another commendable project called EU BUS. Namely, over the course of some ten days, a
specially marked bus is visiting 10 cities in the Republic of Croatia, today specifically in Karlovac,
while organized in every city are appropriate programs for citizens (EU info-stands on city squares,
entertainment programs, lectures, debates, exhibitions organized by the embassies of EU member states
and so on).
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
One of the main objectives of the Communication strategy is the decentralization of Communicating
the EU to citizens of the Republic of Croatia. It is precisely for this reason that, founded at the regional
level, were the County Councils for European Integration, partly financed through the national
budget, which are responsible for raising the awareness of citizens about European Integration and are a
key element with the activities that they conduct in the decentralization process of communication with
the public, as well as in achieving further cooperation with non-governmental organizations. Of course,
excellent cooperation with the media largely contributes to the realization of the decentralization of
informing and communication with the public, and this by means of a network of over fifty local
radio stations, as well as with the establishment of 110 Euro info points throughout Croatia.

Of course, also worth mentioning are the other activities that enable the high quality exchange of
knowledge and opinions, such as printed and electronic publications on the topic “EU” (only in 2008,
132,000 copies of free publications were distributed), press conferences, public opinion surveys,
including various campaigns, conferences, presentations, lectures and seminars, workshops and various
competitions on the topic “EU”, such as Login@Europe and Euquiz, which are predominantly intended
for young people, but we also conduct numerous public opinion surveys. Following tendencies in public
opinion, it is clear that support for membership for a good number of years has remained at about 50%,
therefore, the Government of the Republic of Croatia every year invests increasing efforts and funds in
order to further strengthen support for the EU. Furthermore, I would like to emphasize that, in line with
EUROBAROMETER studies, Croatia is still listed as one of 3 countries, besides Norway, Switzerland
or Iceland, which EU member countries would like to see as a future member.

Similarly, the Government of the Republic of Croatia is aware of the fact that one of the key criteria for
accession to the European Union is effective public administration, which is capable of answering all
challenges of future membership and of successfully operating in the European public administrative
space and all structures and activities of the EU. Therefore, for a good number of years already, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration has been conducting numerous and diverse
educational activities, such as the series of specialist seminars entitled EU Alphabet, which are intended
predominantly for civil servants, as well as representatives of regional and local self-government. Only
in the last year, over 5,000 civil and public servants were encompassed by the previously mentioned
activities.

One of the more important initiatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration is
also the National forum on accession to the EU, which is being held in Croatia, as part of which
representatives of public administration and partners of public, civil and academic life have the
opportunity to mutually discuss topics closely related to the European integration process (some of the
topics up to date include: pre-accession EU funds, small and medium-sized enterprises, maintaining
national identity within the EU, reform of education and the Bologna process, awareness of the EU,
consumer protection, traditional products, intellectual property, reform of the energy market,
environmental protection…).
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
The purpose of the National forum is to familiarize the public with the benefits, as well as the
challenges and obligations of membership, and this through current issues and interaction with the
public, by which it tries to avoid one-way communication that ignores open discussion and dialogue.

And finally allow me to emphasize how only openness to dialogue and the existence of good will can
be the foundation of successful preparations for membership, as well as a pledge that Croatia shall one
day be an active member of the EU, which shall act to the benefit of its citizens. The current moment in
the accession process is, on the one hand, ideal for such dialogue, while on the other hand it represents a
significant challenge for public administration, the society and the economy. In such a complex
situation, the active cooperation of the state and civil society is the only possible solution.
Communicating Europe, as well as joint cooperation between the civil society and all institutions, is
vital not only as preparation for membership, but also as a precondition for efficient functioning within
the Union, in accordance with the needs and priorities of citizens.

For this reason, I would like to once again thank you for the invitation to participate in the 5 th Meeting
of the EU-Croatia Consultative Committee, and I would like to wish you success in your future efforts.
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