Interview with Tonino Picula, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia: Towards a Democratic Society

To quote Tonino Picula directly, "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plays a significant and guiding role in the country's reform process." Indeed, the priorities of the Republic of Croatia are currently underpinned by its foreign policy. The desire to share the same democratic values, the rule of law, and respect brings to a close a decade characterized by instability.

– One of the latest projects within Croatia's foreign policy framework is the Association Agreement between the United States and the Adriatic countries. This involves economic support from the US that will help Croatia join NATO and the EU. How will this support materialize?

Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia, three of the ten Vilnius group countries that were not invited to the NATO Summit held in Prague in November 2002, continue to try, through mutual cooperation, to accelerate their path toward integration into NATO, which is the goal of the foreign policy of the three countries.

At the Tirana meeting on May 2nd of this year, the foreign ministers of these three countries, along with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, signed the US-Adriatic Charter. This signing confirms US support for the three countries on their path toward NATO membership.

It is, above all, a policy that promotes trilateral collaboration between Albania, Croatia and Macedonia, so that these countries can meet the necessary requirements for their future entry into the Union, rather than concrete and material support.

According to the Agreement, the progress of the three countries will be assessed based on the goals achieved by each. The document reaffirms the importance of strengthening democracy and minority rights, as well as eliminating terrorism, organized crime, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It also consolidates the armed forces reforms already underway in the three countries and strengthens military cooperation among them. The Agreement does not impose specific obligations on the three countries but rather offers general recommendations applicable to all NATO members.

– Given that, according to the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, it is one of the conditions for joining the EU, how would you assess bilateral relations with the countries of the former Yugoslavia?

I consider the bilateral relations that Croatia maintains with all the countries of the former Yugoslavia to be positive. The manner in which it disintegrated is well known, as is the fact that Croatia, along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, bore the brunt of that disintegration.

Currently, the situation across the region is different. All the countries of the former Yugoslavia have recognized each other: they have established diplomatic relations, opened embassies, and sent ambassadors to all the new states, and the focus of their relations now lies in the future.

All of these countries are neighboring countries of Croatia, except for North Macedonia (although it is treated as a border country in Croatian foreign affairs), and their citizens can travel to Croatia without a visa and vice versa. Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia is possible with just an identity card.
Always, except during bilateral meetings, discussions take place about the causes that led to the destruction of the former Yugoslavia, and I am referring to the question of succession, the return of refugees, the issue of the missing, the problem of borders; and discussions increasingly take place about new forms of collaboration and the reactivation of old ones.
Croatia wants to shift the issues that remain unresolved after the breakup of Yugoslavia from the political sphere to the technical one, and this isn't always easy, especially regarding border disputes. Today, the focus is on economic cooperation and developing trade, which Croatia maintains successfully with all the countries that emerged from the former Yugoslavia through free trade agreements signed with each of them.

A new form of bilateral cooperation is the exchange of experiences in the Euro-Atlantic integration process. Slovenia, the westernmost country, participates in this process through its accession to the EU and NATO, while Croatia and the other countries of the former Yugoslavia share the Euro-Atlantic integration process through the Stability Agreement, the Peace Pact, and the US-Adriatic Charter. All these procedures necessarily involve good relations with neighboring countries, and in the Republic of Croatia, good relations are not seen as an obligation, but rather, first and foremost, as an interest and an advantage.

– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' priority is to achieve Croatia's integration into the Euro-Atlantic democratic union. What fundamental changes are needed for Croatia to achieve this goal?

Becoming a member of the EU and NATO are the main strategic priorities of Croatia's foreign policy. Since 2000, significant institutional steps have been taken in this process toward Euro-Atlantic integration. Croatia and the EU have signed a Stability Agreement, and political dialogue has been formalized. Technical and financial cooperation has begun, and the Republic of Croatia is seriously committed to fulfilling its responsibilities and implementing the National Programme for EU Integration.

In February of this year, Croatia formally applied for EU membership, and these days thousands of pages are being prepared in response to the European Commission's questionnaire, which is important for forming an opinion on Croatia's application in the future.

Croatia expects to obtain candidate status by mid-2004 and for accession negotiations to begin by the end of the following year. Our goal is for Croatia to meet the Copenhagen requirements and all other EU criteria by 2007.

It is true that to succeed on the path to the EU, the key function is to carry out political, economic and sectoral reforms and maintain the stability of the democratic order in the Republic of Croatia.

It is particularly complex to equate the Croatian legal system with the Community acquis, but that process has already begun, along with consultations by the European Commission.

Croatia, at the same time, continues with its economic reforms, the aim of which is to raise the standard of living of Croatian citizens and create favorable conditions for the active participation of products and industries in EU markets.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plays a significant and guiding role in the reform process. Two months ago, a reform of the Ministry was implemented to enable the more effective management of Croatia's priority tasks for its accession to the EU and NATO.

When we think of the Euro-Atlantic region, we think of countries that share the following values: a democratic system of government, respect for human rights, full rights, and a market economy. Croatia, since its independence in 1991, has made significant progress toward a democratic society, but there are still areas where significant changes are needed.

First and foremost, it concerns the judicial system, which needs radical reform to become effective and instill in citizens the conviction that the legal system is the best and safest path for resolving any conflict. A more effective justice system would make it easier to combat corruption and organized crime.

A second significant area requiring Croatia's efforts is maintaining good relations with all neighboring countries, which entails resolving all outstanding issues. Given that Croatia has not yet reached a final agreement with all its neighbors regarding borders, the division of properties from the former Federation, and the settlement of mortgages, these matters constitute a high priority for the near future.

Another field is the economy, which has not yet managed to transform itself from the old flat economy models (to which must be added the damage caused by the war), to the current market models, present in the countries of the Euro-Atlantic area.

– Above all, with which countries does Croatia maintain trade relations?

Croatia's economic exchange exists with countries such as Italy, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Austria and France, that is, with EU member states and with neighboring countries.

– Regarding Spain, what areas of collaboration need to be strengthened between the two countries?

Bilateral relations between Croatia and Spain are good and friendly, with no outstanding issues. This is the foundation for achieving even stronger cooperation and dialogue at all levels. In this regard, I believe the two countries should intensify meetings between their top representatives and strengthen parliamentary cooperation. Regarding Croatia's progress in achieving its foreign policy priorities—namely, its accession to the EU and NATO—Spain's experience in these same processes would be very beneficial to us.

Croatia and Spain, as Mediterranean countries, are aware of the need to intensify economic cooperation and to work further to stay on the right track.

To finalize the legal framework, which will serve as the basis for developing economic cooperation, Croatia and Spain will hold the first round of negotiations related to the Treaty on the Avoidance of Double Taxation in Madrid next November. Alongside the agreements already signed on air traffic, tourism cooperation, investment incentives and protection, and the cooperation agreement between the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Spanish Chambers of Commerce, Croatia and Spain are gradually building a solid foundation for increased economic collaboration.

Both countries consider international relations vitally important, as well as applying the principle of partnership at all levels, especially in the economic sphere. As one of the most developed countries in the region, Croatia is a partner Spain can rely on, one that can act as a bridge between Spain and the other countries in the region.

Tourism, energy, shipbuilding, and the automotive industry are areas where Croatia and Spain can enhance their economic cooperation. Spanish investors have so far shown the most interest in the tourism sector, which is expected to be the most attractive for future investment, while Croatia's largest investor, the pharmaceutical company Pliva, has acquired a Spanish pharmaceutical production and transportation company.

The number of Spanish tourists in Croatia grows every year. In the first six months of this year, the number of tourists has increased by 40% and the number of overnight stays by 64%. Along with investments in the tourism sector and the increase in tourist numbers, Croatia is considering the possibility of collaborating with Spain to attract tourists from third markets such as the USA or China.